Date Bread & Butter Pudding

This week I made some homemade walnut and maple bread. To avoid eating the whole loaf myself, I thought I better convert it into a dessert that I could palm off onto my lovely sister-in-law, Helen. Any bread is fine for this pudding.

Ingredients

10 thick slices of bread (white or brown)

butter 

175g dates (pitted and chopped) 

4 eggs

50g golden caster sugar

600ml milk

1 tsp vanilla extract 

½ tsp grated nutmeg

2 tbsp demerara sugar

Preheat the oven to 170°C. Butter the slices of bread and cut each slice into four triangles. Arrange half of the bread into the bottom of an oven proof dish. Sprinkle with the dates. Arrange the rest of the bread on the top. To make the custard, combine the eggs, sugar and vanilla extract into a bowl, and beat well. Heat the milk in a saucepan until it reaches boiling point. Pour the hot milk over the egg mixture and whisk until incorperated. Leave to cool slightly before pouring over the bread slices. Leave this to soak into the bread for about 10 minutes. Cover the top of the pudding with the grated nutmeg and demerara sugar. Then pop it in the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes until the custard has set and the top is golden and crunchy. Comfort food at it's very best. 

butter me up