BREAD PUDDING CUSTARD BASE RECIPES

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Lightly grease a 28cm loose-bottomed tart tin.
2. Bash 2 tablespoons of demerara sugar in a pestle and mortar until fine, then mix with the remaining demerara so you have a range of textures. Tip into the tart tin and shake around to coat. Tap gently, then tip any excess back into the mortar for later.
3. Slice the edges off the panettone in strips and use them to line the base and sides of the tart tin, pressing down hard to compact and create a pastry-like shell.
4. Halve the vanilla pod lengthways and scrape out the seeds, then put both the seeds and pod into a pan on a medium heat along with the cream, milk and butter, and simmer for 5 minutes or until the butter has melted.
5. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk the eggs and golden caster sugar for 2 minutes, or until smooth. Whisking constantly, add the hot cream mixture to the bowl until combined, then discard the vanilla pod.
6. Now it’s time to build this crazy comfort pudding. Pour one-third of the custard into the base of the tart and leave to soak in for a couple of minutes.
7. Tear up all the remaining panettone into rough chunks, soak them in the bowl of creamy custard for a minute or two (the more it sucks up, the better!), then layer up in the shell you’ve created, snapping up and adding little chunks of chocolate and dollops of marmalade between the layers – there’s no need to be neat about it, you want a range of heights, saturation and textures.
8. Pour over any leftover custard, leaving it to soak in if necessary, then sprinkle with the remaining demerara sugar.
9. Bake for around 25 minutes, or until set. Allow the pudding to rest for 10 minutes, then serve with cream, custard or ice cream, if you like – it’s delicious cold, too, if you’ve got any leftovers!

1. Cut the bread into 1 cm (1/2 inch) thick slices and trim the crusts. Spread half the slices on one side with butter (you will have some butter left over) and then the marmalade, then place the remaining bread slices on the top to make sandwiches. Cut each sandwich into quarters.

2. Use some of the remaining butter to grease a 2 litre (70 fl oz/8 cup) ovenproof dish. Place half of the 'sandwiches' over the base of the dish, trimming as necessary to cover any gaps and form a neat layer. Scatter over half the raisins, if using.

3. Use a balloon whisk to whisk together the eggs, sugar, milk, cream and vanilla until well combined. Ladle half the milk mixture over the bread in the dish. Place the remaining sandwiches over the top, unevenly and at angles. Scatter over the remaining raisins. Ladle the remaining milk mixture evenly over the top, trying to moisten as much of the bread as possible. Set the pudding aside for 30 minutes to allow the bread to absorb as much of the milk mixture as possible.

4. Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F/Gas 3).

5. Dot the remaining butter over the top of the pudding and sprinkle with the extra sugar. Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes or until deep golden and the custard is set in the middle. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature with whipped cream or custard.