Hot Cross Bun Bread & Butter Pudding with Pistachio Cream (Simon’s Wicked Easter Pudding)

By Simon Gault

This hot cross bun bread and butter pudding is my wicked Easter pudding, a brilliant way to use leftover hot cross buns with Scyavuru pistachio cream and a rich orange and vanilla custard.

Serves 8

INGREDIENTS

• 6 traditional fruit hot cross buns
• 1 cup milk
• 1 3/4 cups cream
• 5 large eggs
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• Finely grated zest of 1 orange
• A pinch of salt
• 6 tbsp Scyavuru Italian Pistachio Sauce
• 1 tbsp raw sugar

METHOD

1. Preheat your oven to 175°C or 155°C fan-forced.
2. Slice the top quarter off each hot cross bun and set the tops aside.
3. Break the bottom three-quarters of the buns into chunky pieces and scatter them over a baking tray along with the bun tops.
4. Bake for 8 minutes, until lightly dried out and just starting to crisp.
5. Place the toasted bun pieces into a 1.5 litre ovenproof dish.
6. In a large bowl whisk together the milk, cream, eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, orange zest and the pinch of salt until well combined.
7. Pour half the custard mixture evenly over the bun pieces.
8. Drizzle or squeeze the Scyavuru Italian Pistachio Sauce evenly over the top so it is distributed through the pudding.
9. Arrange the toasted hot cross bun tops over the pistachio layer to form the top of the pudding.
10. Pour over the remaining custard, making sure the bun tops are well soaked. Press them down gently so they absorb the custard.
11. Cover and leave to soak for 10-15 minutes. After about 10 minutes, gently press the buns down again to help the custard distribute evenly.
12. Sprinkle the top with the raw sugar.
13. Cover loosely with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for a further 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are golden and the custard is just set.
14. Let it rest for 10 minutes before serving.
15. Serve warm with extra pistachio sauce drizzled over the top, chopped pistachios and, if you like, a scoop of Simon Gault Apple Crumble gelato.

Simon Says

1. Toasting the buns first makes all the difference. Fresh buns can go mushy, but slightly dried buns give you that perfect soft-centre, golden-top texture.
2. Pouring the custard in two stages helps create a proper pistachio layer through the middle instead of having it disappear into the pudding.
3. Don’t overcook it. You want the custard just set with the slightest wobble in the middle so it stays silky.
4. And if you’re wondering how to say Scyavuru, it’s pronounced roughly ‘Shah-voo-roo.’ Sounds fancy, but the good news is it tastes even better than it sounds.

Watch video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmImP6vPhc4