How to make orange and ginger brioche bread and butter pudding with rhubarb

Think comfort food and you may well think of bread and butter pudding.

It’s an honest dish that doesn’t pretend to be anything other than a wonderful sum of its parts: bread, butter, cream and eggs.

Once you’ve got the basics, you have a clean canvas on which to improvise.

Raisins and cinnamon are a classic but you could go with nutmeg or other spices, as well as chopped dried apricots or prunes, or a fruit compote.

And if you start with butter-rich brioche, you can skip the extra butter.

Store-bought, quality brioche is perfect for this recipe which combines zesty orange and warming ginger for a pudding that’s ideal for those days that aren’t winter but can’t commit to spring either.

Rhubarb, cooked with orange juice, cuts through the rich pudding and serves as a reminder that whatever the weather, spring is coming.

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Serves 4-6

8 slices of brioche bread, crusts removed
2 eggs, beaten 
200ml whole milk
200ml heavy cream
Small knob of ginger, peeled and sliced
1 tsp ground ginger powder
25g caster sugar
Zest of a whole orange
Demerara sugar to sprinkle on top
4 long stalks of rhubarb, cut into 2cm long pieces
2 tbsp fresh orange juice
2 heaping tbsp caster sugar
30g sliced almonds (optional)

Preheat oven to 175C. Mix the milk, cream, fresh ginger, ginger powder and caster sugar in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat until it comes just to a simmer. Remove from the heat and let the mixture steep for 15-20 minutes.

While it’s steeping, grease a 26 x 17cm rectangular baking dish with butter. Slice the brioche into wide shoulders. Lay them in the pan, resting the first row at a slight angle against the back of the baking dish. Add more rows, overlapping as you go.

Strain the cream and milk mixture to remove the fresh ginger. Add in the beaten eggs and whisk to combine. Stir in the orange zest and pour over the brioche, ensuring you coat all the bread. Set aside and allow the bread to absorb the liquid – for about 30 minutes.

To make the rhubarb, heat a medium-sized frying pan and toast the almonds, if using. When they’ve turned a golden brown, add in the sugar, orange juice and the sliced rhubarb. Cook for 5 minutes or until the rhubarb is just turning tender but still retains its shape. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Sprinkle some demerara sugar over the top of the pudding – about a tablespoon in total. Place in the pre-heated oven and bake until the top is golden brown, and the bread has puffed up, about 15-20 minutes. Check from time to time and turn the pan if one section is browning faster. The liquid should be fully absorbed.

Remove from the oven and serve with a generous portion of rhubarb over the top of the pudding or on the side.

@juliapleonard