Everyday dinners
Gluten-free bread and butter pudding
Buttered gluten-free bread baked in vanilla custard, with soft sultanas and golden, crisp edges.
Free guide: thirty gluten-free dinners, with the shopping lists
This pudding gives slightly stale gluten-free bread a second use, with vanilla custard underneath and buttery edges on top. Weigh the bread rather than counting slices, as gluten-free loaves vary considerably in size.
Choose a plain white gluten-free loaf with a reasonably firm crumb. Leave the crusts on for texture, and give the bread time to soak before baking. This recipe is in development and has not been kitchen-tested.
The recipe
Gluten-free bread and butter pudding
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 45 min
- Total*
- 65 min
- Makes
- 6 servings
*Estimated development timings. Allow a further 30 minutes for soaking and 10 minutes standing after baking, making approximately 105 minutes from starting to serving. Baking may take longer depending on the bread and dish.
Ingredients
Tick things off as you go.
Bread and fruit
Custard and topping
Equipment
- Use a shallow 2-litre ovenproof dish, approximately 25 × 20 cm.
- Use a chopping board and bread knife.
- Use kitchen scales, a measuring jug and measuring spoons.
- Use a mixing bowl and whisk.
- Use a clean food thermometer to check the centre.
- Have kitchen foil available if the top browns early.
Let’s make it.
- 01
Butter the bread
Grease the dish with 5 g of the butter. Divide the remaining 40 g between the bread slices, spreading it over one side of each slice, then cut into triangles, leaving the crusts on. The dish should have a thin coating of butter and each piece of bread should be buttered to its edges.
- 02
Arrange the layers
Place half the bread in the dish, buttered side upwards, and scatter over the sultanas. Arrange the remaining bread on top in overlapping rows. Tuck exposed sultanas beneath the bread to protect them from scorching. Keep the layers loose rather than compressing them, with space below the rim for the custard.
- 03
Whisk the custard
Whisk the eggs with the caster sugar, then whisk in the milk, cream, vanilla and cinnamon. Scrape around the bowl to incorporate any sugar at the bottom. The mixture should be evenly coloured with no streaks of egg white; small cinnamon specks are normal.
- 04
Soak the bread
Pour the custard slowly over the bread, wetting every piece. Press gently with the back of a spoon, then leave for 30 minutes so the bread softens without being mashed. The lower slices should look swollen and the upper slices should feel damp when pressed with the spoon. Heat the oven to 180°C / 160°C fan / gas 4 towards the end of the soaking time.
- 05
Bake the pudding
Scatter the demerara sugar over the top. Bake on the middle shelf for 40–50 minutes, checking from 40 minutes. The bread edges should be golden and the custard set, with a gentle wobble rather than liquid sloshing in the centre. Check that the middle reaches at least 75°C for 30 seconds with a clean food thermometer. If it has not, continue baking and check again. Cover loosely with foil if the top is already brown.
- 06
Stand and serve
Leave the dish on a heatproof surface for 10 minutes before spooning into six portions. The puffed top will settle slightly and the custard should hold softly around the bread when served.
Ingredient checks
Use bread explicitly labelled gluten-free and check the labels of the vanilla, cinnamon, dried fruit and all other packaged ingredients for gluten-free suitability and allergens. For someone with coeliac disease, prevent gluten cross-contamination with clean hands, utensils, work surfaces and a clean dish, and use butter that has not collected crumbs from ordinary bread. If using frozen gluten-free bread, defrost it fully before weighing and assembling.
Allergens: Contains eggs and milk.; Check the gluten-free bread for additional allergens, particularly soya, sesame, lupin, tree nuts and any declared wheat from gluten-free wheat starch; gluten-free does not necessarily mean wheat-free.; Check the sultanas for declared sulphites.; Celery, crustaceans, fish, molluscs, mustard and peanuts are not deliberately included; check all packaging for ingredients and relevant cross-contact warnings..
Make it work for you
Replace the sultanas with 70 g raisins or currants, checking the packet for sulphites and gluten-free suitability.
Use 250 g plain gluten-free brown bread instead of white bread; a dense loaf may need longer soaking, so check that the slices have softened before baking.
Replace the demerara sugar with 15 g caster sugar for a finer topping.
These substitutions have not been kitchen-tested in this recipe.
For another day
Divide leftovers into shallow containers to cool promptly, then cover and refrigerate within 1–2 hours of baking, including the standing time.
Keep refrigerated at 0–5°C and eat within 48 hours, or freeze promptly once cooled.
Freeze in sealed individual portions and defrost thoroughly in the fridge; use within 24 hours of complete defrosting. Freezing may change the custard texture and has not been tested for this recipe.
Reheat only the portions needed, and only once, until steaming hot throughout, including the centre.
Exploding food
What goes in.
The ingredients, seen a little differently. This image is an illustration of the main ingredients; use the written recipe for the full list and quantities.
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