Rain against the window is a fairly good reason to put bread pudding in the oven. This one uses brioche for the soft middle and crisp edges, with prepared Ghar Ki Chai Masala Chai folded into the custard rather than a cupboard full of separate spices.
The chai sits quietly underneath the butter, vanilla and cream. Serve it warm, ideally after it has rested for ten minutes, with cold cream poured over at the table.
Masala Chai Bread and Butter Pudding
Serves: 6
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 35 to 40 minutes
Ingredients
- 300g brioche loaf or brioche rolls, sliced
- 25g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for the dish
- 300ml whole milk
- 150ml double cream
- 120ml Ghar Ki Chai Masala Chai, prepared according to the packet instructions and cooled
- 3 large eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- 35g caster sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- A small pinch of fine sea salt
- Cold double cream, to serve, optional
Method
- Prepare the dish. Heat the oven to 180°C, 160°C fan. Butter a roughly 1.5 litre baking dish. Lightly butter the brioche slices and overlap them in the dish.
- Make the custard. Whisk together the milk, double cream, cooled Masala Chai, eggs, egg yolk, caster sugar, vanilla and salt until smooth.
- Let it soak. Pour the custard evenly over the brioche. Gently press the top slices down so they take on some of the liquid, then leave for 15 minutes.
- Bake. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the top is deep golden and the centre is set with a slight wobble.
- Serve. Leave to rest for 10 minutes, then spoon into bowls or onto plates. Pour over a little cold cream if you like.
A few useful notes
If the brioche is very fresh, leave the slices out for an hour before assembling so they absorb the custard more readily. The pudding can be assembled a few hours ahead and kept covered in the fridge, then baked when needed. Leftovers are best reheated gently the next day rather than eaten refrigerator-cold.
