Bread & Butter Pudding

Bread & Butter Pudding is one of the those quintessentially British puddings that is traditionally made with bread but has also experienced many new reincarnations using anything from croissant to panetone. On the whole the use of enriched breads makes for a successful result but for me none more so than the utilisation of  Emneth Worthies that are a few days old.
It's unusual to find I have Emneth Worthies click here for the recipe hanging around a few days after they have been baked, but now my house is empty after the Christmas festivities and I am back to living on my own, a batch of 12 goes a long way.

For this recipe you will need:
3 Emneth Worthies or 6 small brioche
200g of golden raisins
3 eggs
200ml of double cream
400ml of milk
50g of sugar
1 teaspoon of good vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon of salt
Grated nutmeg for the top

Begin my buttering an ovenproof dish. Slice the Emneth Worthies into thick slices between 1 and 2 centimeters and place in the dish, you should aim to make three layers, sprinkling the raisins between each layer. Whisk the eggs with the sugar and add the milk, cream, salt and vanilla, strain onto the contents of the dish and leave to soak for at least two hours. Finally sprinkle the top with a little grated nutmeg and place in a moderate oven, 140C for 1 hour 20 to 30 minutes.

Notes:
Worthies, enriched with butter and fruit, lend themselves perfectly to this delicate set custard dessert. There is no need to butter the slices as you would do if you were using day old bread. In fact I have experienced bread & butter pudding made with commercial bread that is too fresh, the result is a rather slimy texture, not at all enhancing the dish, Emneth Worthies on the other hand produce a perfect texture.
I like to cook custards of any sort in a Bain Marie or water bath; simply place the dish in a container large enough to take it and hold hot water half way up the side of the dish. Cooking by this method allows for a gentler bake and avoids the custard cooking too quickly.