Can I use fresh hot cross buns in bread and butter pudding?

Yes! This is a great recipe for using up stale buns, but fresh ones will work really well too. If they're super fresh, you can slice them and leave them out for an hour or so before you use them. This will help to dry them out a little so they'll absorb the custard better.

Can I make the hot cross bun pudding in advance?

Yes, you can. There are two options here: Assemble ahead. Layer the buns and pour over the custard, then cover the dish and pop it into the fridge for up to 24 hours before baking. Add five or so minutes onto the baking time to account for it being cold from the fridge. Bake and reheat. Bake the pudding, then cover it with foil and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days until you're ready to reheat. You can reheat it, covered in the foil, at 350°F (180°C fan) for about 20 minutes, or until warmed through. The foil helps prevent the tops of the buns from burning.

How long will the hot cross bun bread and butter pudding keep?

Any leftovers will keep for up to 3 days in the fridge, stored in an airtight container. Either reheat individual portions in the microwave (or air fryer) until piping hot, or warm the whole dish in the oven.

Do I need to let the hot cross buns soak before baking?

I recommend it if you have time. Even letting the assembled pudding sit for 15 minutes will help the buns absorb the custard well before baking. This will give you lovely soft, custardy buns rather than any dry bread in the middle.

What is bread and butter pudding?

Bread and butter pudding is a classic British dessert, made by layering buttered bread with custard and baking until soft and custardy in the middle. It's traditionally made with sliced bread and raisins, but these days there are SO many gorgeous variations. Hot cross buns are an excellent sliced bread replacement because they already contain lots of spices and dried fruit.

EASY Hot Cross Bun Bread and Butter Pudding

Name: EASY Hot Cross Bun Bread and Butter Pudding
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 50 min
Cuisine: british
Ingredients: 3 eggs; 1 ½ cups whole milk; 1 cup heavy (double) cream; ⅓ cup caster sugar; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; ½ teaspoon salt; 8 hot cross buns; 3 tablespoons butter; Chocolate mini Easter eggs (optional)

Description

If you’ve got leftover hot cross buns, this super-easy hot cross bun bread and butter pudding is the BEST way to bring them back to life. Soft and custardy in the middle, golden on top, and ridiculously delicious.

Ingredients

Units Scale

3 eggs
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy (double) cream
1/3 cup caster sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 hot cross buns
3 tablespoons butter
Chocolate mini Easter eggs (optional)

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Instructions

Make the custard mix. Grease a large ovenproof dish with butter and heat your oven to 350°F (180°C fan). Add the 3 eggs to a large mixing bowl and whisk them together. Add 1 ½ cups of milk, 1 cup of cream, ⅓ cup caster sugar, 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, and ½ teaspoon of salt. Whisk to combine well with the eggs and set aside.
Arrange the hot cross buns. Slice the hot cross buns in half, then butter both cut sides of the buns. Layer the bottom halves of the buns on the base of your greased ovenproof dish, overlapping them or tearing them into smaller pieces if need be, to fit your dish.
Soak the buns. Pour half of the custard all over the buns (if you’re using chocolate eggs, scatter half of them over the buns at this point), then place the top halves of the buns on top. If you’re using chocolate eggs, scatter the rest of the eggs on top. Pour the rest of the custard mix all over the tops of the buns, and let them soak for at least 15 minutes to help them absorb the custard properly. PRO TIP: As the buns soak, you can press them further into the custard mix, so they have a really good bath.
Bake the pudding. Transfer the dish to the oven, and bake for 40 – 45 minutes, or until the tops of the buns look golden brown and the custard is set (you should be able to see this at the bottom of the dish). Check the pudding after 30 minutes, and place aluminium foil over the top if the tops of the buns are looking too brown. If the custard is still runny, cover the dish with aluminium foil and pop it back into the oven for another 10 minutes. Serve while warm and gooey.

Notes

INGREDIENT NOTES: I’m using regular whole milk here, but you could use skimmed or semi-skimmed. You could also use your favourite plant-based milk. If you don’t have cream, just use more milk. You can replace caster sugar with regular granulated sugar. Use regular hot cross buns, or chocolate buns (using mini egg chocolate hot cross buns is an excellent idea). And if you have less than 8 buns, that’s totally fine. This will work well even if you only have 4 or 5 buns – just use a smaller dish.

OPTIONAL ADDITION: If you have any leftover Easter chocolate (measure with your heart here!), chop it up and sandwich it in between the sliced buns in the dish for a very delicious, chocolately centre to the pudding.

STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: The pudding will keep well for 3 days, stored in a covered container in the fridge. You can arrange the pudding a day in advance, keeping it covered with aluminium foil in the fridge until you’re ready to bake it. Once baked, you can reheat it in the oven (covered with aluminium foil) for 20 minutes at 350°F (180°C fan).

Prep Time: 10
Cook Time: 40
Category: desserts
Method: oven
Cuisine: british

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 bun
Calories: 543
Sugar: 18.2g
Sodium: 886.4mg
Fat: 22.8g
Saturated Fat: 11.4g
Unsaturated Fat: 8g
Trans Fat: 0g
Carbohydrates: 71.1g
Fiber: 2g
Protein: 15g
Cholesterol: 110.5mg