Bread and butter pudding

I had some leftover bread in the fridge and was contemplating chucking them.

Should I steam the bread? Or make some french toast?

How about some bread and butter pudding?

What better way to use up stale bread? :) Bread and butter pudding is the ultimate comfort food and would be a canny way for using up bread/buns/loafs that are almost past their best.

This sweet, rich and stodgy dessert goes great with custard or ice cream, and in this unforgivingly cold (and sometimes wet) weather, I think it pairs best with a cup of hot cocoa. For a little extra kick, you can soak the raisins in rum or add a shot of liquor to the egg mixture.

Bread and butter pudding makes a warm, comforting dessert, perfect for an after-dinner treat. It reheats well in the oven (covered with a foil so it doesn't dry out too much), so you can have the warmed leftovers for breakfast on a cold morning too! :)

What?

• 4 slices of bread
• Butter for greasing and buttering
• Raisins
• Ground nutmeg
• Ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 25 g sugar

How?

1. Cut the crusts off bread and slice it diagonally into triangles.
2. Spread the bread with butter and place a layer in a greased dish, butter side up. Sprinkle the layer of bread with raisins, nutmeg and cinnamon (to taste!),
3. Add another layer of buttered bread. Alternate with the raisins, nutmeg and cinnamon until all the bread have been used. 
4. Warm the milk to about 65 degC (do not boil).
5. Beat the egg with half of the sugar and stir it into the warm milk.
6. Strain the egg mixture over the bread, and sprinkle the top with raisins, nutmeg, cinnamon and the remaining sugar. 
7. Leave it to stand for 30 minutes.
8. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degC for 30-40 minutes until the custard has set and the top slightly browned.

No-knead white bread

Touted as the easiest bread to bake, this no-knead bread is of artisan quality with minimal effort. It does take a long time to rise; I left it overnight. This seemingly unsophisticated plain bread quietly does the job on its own, rising ever so slowly that it's almost unnoticeable if you just sit there and watch it.

It's hard to take credit for the soft inside and crusty crust - it did it all on it's own.

This unassuming white bread is good for making savoury sandwiches or simply with butter and jam.

This recipe is much simpler compared to the cinnamon swirl raisin bread I made a week ago, and would be a good start to try making your own bread (without a bread making machine!) for the first time. Try it, it's therapeutic!

What?

• 1 1/2 cups plain flour
• 1/2 tsp yeast
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup warm water
• Olive oil to grease

How?

1. Stir flour, yeast and salt together.
2. Pour the warm water into the flour mixture and stir thoroughly. The dough will look rough at this point.
3. Lightly coat the entire surface of the rough with olive oil. Cover the bowl with a cling film and a towel on top. Leave it to rise for about 8 hours.
4. The dough will look risen, smoothen out and slightly bubbly after 8 hours. Turn it out onto a lightly oil countertop fold it over once or twice. Shape the dough into a rectangle shape and place it in a greased loaf pan. 
5. Cover the loaf pan with cling wrap and let it sit for another hour.
6. Before baking it in the oven, cover the top of the loaf with a piece of parchment paper. Bake the loaf in a preheated oven at 200 degC for 30 minutes. (You can slash the top of the dough with a sharp knife if you want to!)
7. Remove the bread from the oven and wrap it in a clean kitchen towel if you want to keep it warm for serving. Slice and serve!

Cinnamon swirl raisin bread

There has always been something therapeutic about baking, about making bread. Baking isn't all about the frivolous; research has shown that this activity can be a crucial therapy that helps thousands of people suffering from depression.

It is more than just indulging in the final product - there is something reassuring and soothing about the entire ritual.

Some people think it is in the kneading process. I like watching the dough rise and getting all poofy.

Try it on one of those "down" days, maybe this will make you feel better. :)

What?

• 1/2 cup milk, lukewarm 
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 7g easy bake yeast
• 1 egg
• 1/8 cup brown sugar
• 1/8 cup caster sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 40 g butter, softened
• 1/2 cup raisins 
• 3 cups plain flour  

For the cinnamon filling:

• 1 tbsp milk
• 1/4 cup caster sugar
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon

How?

1. Dissolve the yeast in warm water. Mix in the egg, brown sugar, caster sugar, salt, butter and raisins. 
2. Stir in the milk.
3. Add the flour gradually until a dough is formed. (It will be a little sticky!) Knead the dough on a floured surface for a few minutes.
4. Lightly grease a mixing bowl (I used olive oil) and turn the dough around in the bowl to coat the dough surface with oil.
5. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and allow the dough to rise until doubled - this takes about 1-1.5 hours.
6. Roll out the dough into a rectangle about 1/2 thick (and roughly the 9" length wise). This can be done on a lightly floured surface. (I used a cling film instead!)
7. Prepare the cinnamon filling by mixing together the caster sugar and cinnamon. Spread a tablespoon of milk onto the rolled out surface of the dough and sprinkle the cinnamon mixture on the top. 
8. Roll up the dough lengthwise tightly and pinch the bottom together.
9. Place the loaf into a greased loaf pan (pinched end facing down). Leave to rise, uncovered, for about 1 hour.
10. Bake in a preheated oven at 175 degC for 30 minutes, or until the loaf is lightly browned and sound hollow when tapped.
11. Leave the bread to cool before slicing. 

Buns

My favorite carbo comes from bread. Bread and buns are the best for mornings, or maybe a snack for tea break. I like them soft and tender, and best if warmed. Sometimes I go for sweet raisins or red bean fillings, sometimes I like it salty (yummy sardine please!!! - I've been on a sardine/mackerel craze since a few months ago...). So one day I decided I want to make my own buns (though I still think it is easier to get them from bread shops...). Anyhooo, here they are!

Though it may be more convenient to just get buns from the local bakery, nothing beats the satisfaction of witnessing the proofing and being surrounded by the aroma of hot baking buns. Moreover, I choose for myself what I want to put into my buns (no preservatives or whatsoever!) and how I want them to taste. I made ham and cheese, sausage, red bean, tuna, sugar-butter and seaweed this time. I already know what fillings I'm gonna make next! :) I honestly don't know why there aren't sardines in these...

This is my first attempt at baking bread, and I have to say it really isn't as hard as I thought it would be. In fact, I enjoyed it very much. Loved the process and how the buns turned out. And yay, now we have homemade bread for breakfast tomorrow! :)