How to make bread & butter pudding with a third of the fat

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Posted at 12:02PM, 18 October 2011 by Lily Barclay - Writer, bbcgoodfood.com

Bread and butter pudding is the ultimate childhood comfort food, but unfortunately the calories don't come in kid-sized portions. Puddings don't get much more indulgent than combining oodles of custard with butter and sugar. But this great British pud has become even richer over the years, with extra double cream, chocolate and even croissants being thrown into the mix.

What could be better than a big bowl of comfort without all the calories?

Enough is enough! Angela Nilsen goes back to the pudding's roots to create a deliciously lighter version, which uses lemon zest, generous handfuls of fruit and plenty of ingenious tips to ditch two-thirds of the fat while keeping all of the rich, creamy flavour:

Here's how she did it...

Angela cut down on the number of eggs for the custard by including a little custard powder.

She used semi-skimmed milk instead of full-fat, and half-fat crème fraîche instead of cream. Angela then maintained the flavour by adding lemon, vanilla and brandy.

She reduced the caster sugar by adding extra dried fruit - including apricots, which are a good source of beta-carotene.

Finally (and ingeniously) Angela cut back on the butter for the bread by softening it, so it goes further, before spreading a thin layer of jam on top.

What could be better than a big bowl of comfort without all the calories? With the evenings drawing in and winter on its way, there's now no reason not to warm up the whole family with this old-fashioned favourite.

Make Angela's ultimate makeover: Bread & butter pudding

More traditional pudding recipes

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Got a favourite family tip? Let us know your ultimate bread and butter pudding suggestions below...

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