Pwdin Bara (Welsh Bread Pudding)
A traditional Welsh spiced bread pudding made with soaked stale bread, dried fruit, and warm spices, baked into a rich, dense slab and cut into squares.
- Prep
- 40 min
- Cook
- 65 min
- Total
- 105 min
- Servings
- 9
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 285 kcal
Equipment
- •large mixing bowl
- •fork
- •20cm square baking tin
- •greaseproof paper
- •wire cooling rack
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 285 kcal
- fat
- 9 g
- carbs
- 47 g
- fibre
- 3 g
- protein
- 5 g
- calories
- 285 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Place the torn stale bread into a large mixing bowl.
- 2
Pour the warm milk over the bread and let it soak for 30 minutes.
- 3
Heat your oven to 180°C (160°C fan).
- 4
Grease a 20cm square baking tin and line the base with greaseproof paper.
- 5
Beat the soaked bread thoroughly with a fork until broken down into a rough mash.
- 6
Add the mixed dried fruit, candied peel, brown sugar, melted butter, beaten egg, mixed spice, and nutmeg.
- 7
Stir the mixture well with a wooden spoon until completely combined and thick.
- 8
Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth the top evenly.
- 9
Sprinkle the demerara sugar evenly over the surface for a crunchy crust.
- 10
Bake for 60 to 65 minutes until deep golden brown and firm to the touch.
- 11
Cool completely in the tin on a wire rack before slicing into squares.
Chef's tips
Very stale or dry bread works best because it absorbs the milk without turning overly gluey. Do not slice the pudding while hot, as it needs to cool fully to set firmly into tidy squares. If you prefer a richer flavour, swap half of the melted butter for shredded vegetable or beef suet.
Ingredient substitutions
- unsalted butter → shredded vegetable suet or dairy-free baking block
- whole milk → oat milk or black tea for soaking the bread
- dark brown soft sugar → light brown sugar or dark muscovado sugar
Storage
Store the cooled squares in an airtight tin at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Reheating
Warm individual squares in an oven at 160°C for 8 to 10 minutes or microwave for 20 seconds.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Slicing the pudding while it is still warm, which causes the dense slab to crumble.
- •Using very fresh soft bread, resulting in a soggy rather than cake-like crumb.
- •Not beating the soaked bread adequately, leaving large unflavoured bread lumps.
Serving suggestions
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