About 20 minutes preparation · 6–24 hours chilling
Serves 4 · Allow extra time to heat and cool the fruit
Give spare bread and summer berries a delicious second outing in this colourful pudding. Fresh or frozen berries both work, so you can enjoy it beyond the summer too.
Ingredients
- 30g butter, for greasing
- 4 thick slices of white bread (about 2cm thick), crusts removed
- 500g mixed summer berries, fresh or frozen; use no more than one-third tart berries such as blackcurrants or redcurrants
- 1½ tablespoons caster sugar
- 3 tablespoons water
- Optional: zest and juice of ½ an orange
- Cream (dairy or oat), or ice cream, to serve
Method
- Put the berries, sugar and water in a small saucepan. Add the orange zest and juice if using. Heat gently to a simmer, until the berries release their juices. Stir as little as possible to keep the fruit intact. If using frozen berries, follow any cooking instructions on the pack before continuing. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Grease a pudding basin or deep bowl of about 1 litre capacity with the butter. Line the base and sides with bread, cutting pieces to fit without gaps. Keep enough bread aside for a lid.
- Spoon the warm fruit and its juices into the bread-lined bowl. Cover with the remaining bread.
- Put a clean plate on top, small enough to press against the bread lid. Add a clean weight, such as another plate. Let the pudding cool, then refrigerate within 1–2 hours. Chill for 6–24 hours to let the bread soak up the juices.
- Remove the weight and plate. Loosen the edges gently, place a serving plate over the bowl and turn out. Serve with cream or ice cream.
A little planning helps
Make this ahead so it has time to set in the fridge. Double the ingredients to serve 8 and use a suitably larger bowl. Use bread and berries that are still good to eat; discard anything mouldy or spoiled.
Allergens: bread usually contains wheat (gluten), and butter contains milk. Check the bread and your cream or ice cream for other allergens.
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