Puddings have been one of my favourite desserts since childhood, with my grandmother making the best puddings. She made the whole process of beating the eggs, sugar and milk, then steaming it over a water bath seem so effortless. But I find it rather bothersome and so I decided to use instant pudding mix in this recipe, where I am also using leftover bread.

The end result is a scrumptious bread pudding that is also light and smooth. You can make variations by adding some more topping in the layers, while using these basic ingredients. It’s ready in minutes, but needs to be chilled well.

Ingredients

• 1 packet instant pudding mix
• 1/2 litre milk
• 1 packet cream
• 2 tbsp condensed milk or sugar
• 7-8 bread slices, or as required

Method

Cut out the corners of the bread slices and line them at the base of a dish, preferably a square or rectangular shaped one. I needed seven slices since my dish was a rather long one. If you are using a smaller dish, you can make two layers of the bread, but pour half the cooked pudding mixture over the first layer before placing the second layer of slices and pour the remaining pudding mix over it.

Now boil the milk in a saucepan and add the pudding mix from the sachet. While stirring to dissolve the pudding mix contents, let the milk boil on low heat for a couple of minutes and turn off the heat.

Let it sit for a couple of minutes, without out cooling off too much, and pour evenly over the bread slices.

If you are not going to have a second layer of bread slices, then let the bread pudding cool down to at least room temperature while you get the cream ready.

Beat the cream well until light and fluffy. Add condensed milk or icing sugar and beat again. Now spread a layer of this sweetened cream over the bread. You can use a spatula to smooth the top.

Either use the caramel sauce that comes with the instant pudding mix or use another that you have at home, and drizzle on top. I used the one in the packet, but it didn’t pour out as smoothly as the store bought caramel sauce does.

Now let it chill well in the refrigerator for a few hours to set, before cutting into slices and serving. Cover the top with cling film before refrigeration.

You can top it and layer it with other things too, such as chocolate sauce, chocolate chips, fruits, etc. Enjoy this easy and super tasty bread pudding!

The writer Instagrams @the_experimentalcook

Published in Dawn, Young World, July 30th, 2022