Sunday, January 19, 2014

Marmalade Bread and Butter Pudding

 


Today I went to see Saving Mr Banks.  It is the mostly true story (fictionalised somewhat), set in 1961, of Walt Disney persuading P.L. Travers to allow Disney to make the Mary Poppins movie.  I enjoyed it thoroughly for all sorts of reasons, including the insight into the early life of P.L. Travers, how the Mary Poppins stories came about, and why the movie is titled as it is.  I got a buzz of excitement near the start of the movie to see the names of many places that I have been to in Queensland appearing on a train timetable, including the name of my home town.  It's not often that you'd see that in a Hollywood movie!  I also loved watching the very fine acting by both the well known actors and Annie Rose Buckley, who played P.L. Travers as a girl.  We learn some curious tidbits throughout the film, including that P.L. Travers had an aversion to pears and the colour red. 

It is interesting how P.L. Travers, like another famous Queenslander born the same year, Florence Broadhurst, reinvented herself and her past so that those not in the know would never suspect her real origins.  Like Florence, P.L. Travers appears not to have been the most genial of personalities, and even the very powerful Walt Disney had a difficult time persuading Mrs Travers, as she preferred to be known, to give him the film rights to Mary Poppins.

Back to the more mundane world of my kitchen.  I had a loaf of Vienna bread that was taking up valuable real estate in my tiny freezer, so I decided to make it into bread and butter pudding to reclaim the space.  I chose Donna Hay's Marmalade Bread and Butter Pudding from p146 of Modern Classics II, which is not the same as the online version on Donna's website.  It uses milk, not cream, more bread and no currants.  The end result is quite pleasing - here's a peek inside:


I didn't remove the crusts from the bread, although the recipe calls for it.  I thought the crusts added some texture and crunch.  The custard is light and binds the bread together well enough that I could cut the pudding into squares for transport afterwards.

To make this pudding you will need:

10 slices bread, crusts removed (or not)
butter (I used margarine)
marmalade
3 cups milk
3 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
extra sugar for sprinkling on top

Preheat your oven to 160 degrees Celsius (I used 180 degrees).  Spread 5 slices of bread with butter and 5 slices with marmalade, and create sandwiches with one slice each of buttered bread and jammy bread.  cut the sandwiches into three, then layer them in a 4 cup oven proof dish.

Put the milk, eggs, vanilla and sugar into a bowl and whisk to combine.  Pour this mixture over the bread and let it stand for 3 minutes.  Sprinkle extra sugar on top of the pudding.

Put the pudding into a baking tray, and fill the tray with hot water until it comes half way up the sides of the pudding dish.  Place the pudding in the baking tray into the preheated oven and bake for one hour and five minutes.  Remove the baked pudding from the oven, remove it from the baking tray, and allow it to cool for 5 minutes before serving warm - alone or with cream or icecream.  I chilled it and cut it into slices for sharing.

8 comments:

  1. There's going to be a doco on the ABC about P L Travers soon...yes, Sun day 2nd Feb at 7-30pm. I love Mary Poppins and have read a biography about Travers and her unusual life.
    For me, a bread and butter pudding needs lemon zest and sultanas in the custard part and I love it cold too. It's how my mum and nan made it!! I do want to give a new recipe a go, but I'll need lemon marmalade as I can't have orange.

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  2. Pudding sounds fab - I agree about the crusts

    Speaking of crusty - good segue - I would love to see the movie though am not sure I will get to

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  3. Hurrah - it's not just me! I'm rather partial to some crust left in my B&B pud too!

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  4. I have been "dying" to see that movie, Cakelaw. I'm not much of a movie goer. I think the last time I was to the movies was for the Sex In the City Movie eons ago, lol...Saving Mr. Banks intrigues me and now that you have given some insight into the plot and the actors I am more intrigued!

    Bread pudding is real comfort food in my book and when it is time to make room in the freezer, the bread is usually the first to go!!! I'll be saving this recipe because I never remember to coat the bread with marmalade:) Thank you so much for sharing...

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  5. Although I just ate a homemade pecan sandie, I now want some bread pudding!

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  6. I'm looking forward to seeing Saving Mr Banks eventually - I suspect we won't get to it at the movies but will wait for DVD / TV down the track. Glad you enjoyed some of the discoveries it provided! This looks like a great dish to follow a movie with too :)

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  7. I'm eager to see that movie. Hopefully on a plane or at the cinema before it finishes! :)

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  8. I read the Mary Poppins books when I was very young and loved them. I am looking forward to this movie.

    And this bread pudding. It looks fun and easy to make.

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