Sugar Free Bread & Butter Pudding
Ah, comfort food. Creamy, cosy, completely delicious. I enjoy this time of year for bowls full of nourishing meals and puddings, and I love coming up with low sugar, real food versions of classic comfort foods like lasagne or hot chocolate.
Bread & butter pudding has been a staple of British comfort food for a long long time. During a gap year spent in community, I was treated to our chef’s delicious version of the cheap leftovers meal over and over, and it never got old. It was far too yummy to become boring!
Although a bread & butter pudding is not often extremely high in sugar, it can have up to a whole day’s worth in one serving depending on who has made it. And the addition of a lot of dried fruit definitely doesn’t make it a low sugar choice. So I’ve played around just slightly with the sugar, dried fruit and flavours in a traditional bread & butter pudding to make this:
Fresh grapes, lightly sweetened sugar free orange-scented custard made with real eggs, milk and cream, wholemeal bread sprinkled with cinnamon, all baked to perfection in what truly sums up “real” comfort food for me.
In a real food lifestyle, this may still be a treat, but it’s a wholesome and fresh one that will fill and warm you and leave just a promise of Christmas lingering in your tastebuds. It’s a feast food that costs little, contains only the sugar in the fresh fruit and uses up bread destined for the bin. I call that a win.
A fresh, real food version of a comfort food classic, this bread & butter pudding is a pauper's treat that tastes like a rich man's feast. This pudding is sure to become a sugar free family favourite. Adapted from this recipe.
- 300 ml (1 1/4 cup) milk
- 300 ml (1 1/4 cup) double (heavy) cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- zest of 1/2 orange
- 3 eggs + 1 yolk
- 2 heaped tbsp xylitol
- 8-12 slices wholemeal bread (ideally homemade), slightly stale
- unsalted butter, for bread
- 2 handfuls fresh red grapes
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- extra xylitol, for sprinkling
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First make the custard: Heat the milk and cream in a saucepan until just starting to simmer. Meanwhile, whisk the eggs, yolk and xylitol in a large jug or bowl. Gently pour the hot milk and cream mixture over the eggs, whisking all the while, until completely smooth. Return to the pan over low heat and simmer gently for a couple of minutes, whisking all the time, until the custard just starts to thicken. Remove from the heat and mix in the vanilla extract and orange zest. Set aside.
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Grease a large casserole dish with butter, then butter both sides of all the bread slices and cut them diagonally in half to make 16-24 triangles. Lay half the bread slices in the casserole dish to cover the bottom and scatter over half of the grapes and cinnamon. Repeat with the remaining bread, grapes and cinnamon. Pour the custard through a sieve over the bread and grapes. Sprinkle with a bit of xylitol and set aside to soak for 20-30 mins minimum. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas 4 while the bread soaks.
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Bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 mins, until the top is golden and the custard is set. Allow to cool slightly and serve warm.
