Hot Cross Bun Bread and Butter Pudding

Right, can we talk about the best thing to do with leftover hot cross buns? Because I’ve been making this hot cross bun bread and butter pudding for years now and it genuinely might be one of the most satisfying Easter desserts I know. It’s warm, it’s custardy, it’s deeply comforting, and it takes about ten minutes to assemble. What’s not to love?

The funny thing is, I didn’t actually grow up eating it. Bread and butter pudding in our house was made with sliced white bread and a lot of ceremony. It wasn’t until I had a pile of slightly-going-stale hot cross buns after Easter one year (you know the ones, bought in a fit of enthusiasm on Good Friday, half eaten by the kids on Saturday, and quietly forgotten by Sunday) that I thought: I wonder if this works. Spoiler: it absolutely does, and now I make it every single Easter without fail.

I’m going to walk you through everything. We’ll cover the ingredients, how to make the custard, which buns work best, how to get that golden top without drying out the middle, and what to do with leftovers. There’s also a troubleshooting section, because I’ve made every mistake going so you don’t have to.

Why hot cross buns make the best bread and butter pudding

If you’ve never made bread and butter pudding with hot cross buns before, here’s the thing you need to understand: the buns do a lot of the heavy lifting for you. They’re already spiced with cinnamon and mixed spice, they’ve got dried fruit baked into them, and the slight sweetness of the dough means you need far less added sugar than you would with plain bread.

Traditional bread and butter pudding is a brilliant way to use up stale bread, and hot cross bun bread and butter pudding is just that idea taken to its absolute peak. The spiced, enriched dough soaks up the egg custard beautifully and gives you a pudding that’s fluffy in the middle with gorgeous crispy edges on the bits that poke above the custard. It’s got way more flavour than the standard version, and it takes the same amount of effort.

I’d argue it’s also one of the best make-ahead Easter desserts going, which is no small thing when you’re already juggling a roast lamb, roast potatoes, and three children who are already over-excited about chocolate. You can assemble the whole thing the day before, keep it in the fridge, and just bung it in the oven when you need it.

Which hot cross buns should you use?

Honestly? Whatever you’ve got. That’s the beauty of this recipe. But since you asked, here’s my honest opinion on the options:

Classic fruited hot cross buns are the traditional choice and they work brilliantly. The spice and fruit in the buns carry through into the pudding and you get that classic, nostalgic flavour.

Chocolate chip hot cross buns are absolutely gorgeous here. The chocolate melts into the custard as it bakes and you get these little pockets of molten chocolate throughout the pudding. My youngest is completely obsessed with the chocolate version and I’ll often mix and match, using a combination of fruited and chocolate buns for the best of both worlds.

Plain or “no fruit” buns work fine if that’s what you’ve got, but I’d add a little extra flavour to the custard if you go this route. A teaspoon of vanilla extract and a pinch of cinnamon will compensate for what the buns aren’t bringing.

Stale buns vs fresh buns: Slightly stale buns are genuinely better here. When the bread is a day or two old, it absorbs the custard more effectively and you end up with a softer, more yielding middle. Fresh buns will work, but if they’re very fresh, I’d either slice them and leave them out on a wire rack for an hour or so first, or toast them lightly on each side before buttering. Both methods help dry them out a little so they soak properly.

One tip I’ve picked up over the years: mini supermarket buns, the kind that come in a pack of nine, are actually brilliant for this. You can split them and butter them without any fussy cutting, and they fit snugly in a dish without much effort. No plating skills required.

What you’ll need

This is a recipe for 6 people, made in a roughly 20cm x 28cm baking dish (or any similar-sized ovenproof dish you’ve got).

You’ll need:

• 6 hot cross buns (standard supermarket size, or 9-10 mini ones)
• 40g unsalted butter, softened, plus a little extra for greasing
• 3 large eggs
• 250ml whole milk
• 250ml double cream
• 3 tablespoons caster sugar, plus a little extra for the top
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• A pinch of cinnamon (optional, but I like it)

Optional extras: marmalade or apricot jam to spread on the buns before layering, or a handful of chocolate chips or broken up Easter egg chocolate to scatter between the layers.

If you’d like to affiliate-link the baking dish, any similar wide, shallow ovenproof ceramic dish works well here. Something in the 1.5-2 litre range is ideal.

How to make hot cross bun bread and butter pudding

I promise this is as easy as it looks. Here’s the whole process:

Step one: prep your baking dish and buns

Preheat your oven to 170C fan (190C conventional, gas mark 5). Grease your baking dish with a little butter. You can dust it with a small amount of caster sugar after greasing too, which gives you the most lovely caramelised edges.

Split your hot cross buns in half horizontally. Butter both cut sides generously. If you’re using marmalade or jam, spread a thin layer on the inside of each bun before pressing them back together. I usually do about half with marmalade (orange goes beautifully with the spice) and leave the rest plain.

Step two: layer the buns in the dish

Arrange the bottom halves of the buns cut-side up in your buttered dish. If you’re using chocolate chips or broken Easter egg chocolate, scatter half of them over the buns now. Then place the top halves on, cut-side down. It’s fine if they’re a bit squished together or overlapping, that’s exactly what you want.

If you want that classic bread and butter pudding look with the tips poking up, reserve a few top halves and arrange them on top of the dish last, at a slight angle. They’ll catch the heat and go lovely and crispy.

Step three: make the custard

In a large jug, whisk together the eggs, milk, double cream, caster sugar, vanilla extract, and cinnamon until combined. You don’t need to warm the milk first, though you can if you want the custard to soak in faster.

Pour the custard slowly and evenly over the buns, making sure to get into all the gaps. Press the buns down gently with the back of a spoon to help them start absorbing the liquid. Scatter any remaining chocolate over the top if you’re using it.

Step four: soak, then bake

This bit is genuinely important. Leave the assembled pudding to soak for at least 30 minutes before it goes in the oven. An hour is better. Overnight in the fridge is best of all. The longer the buns sit in the custard, the more they absorb and the softer and more yielding the middle will be.

Just before baking, sprinkle a thin, even layer of caster sugar over the top. This is what gives you the golden, slightly caramelised surface.

Bake for 35-40 minutes until the custard is set with just a gentle wobble in the very centre, and the exposed bun tops are golden and crispy. If the top is browning too quickly before the custard is set, lay a sheet of foil loosely over the dish and continue baking.

Leave to rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. It’ll firm up a little as it sits.

What to serve it with

Honestly, anything goes, and this is a slightly contentious subject in our house. My husband is firmly a custard man. The kids want vanilla ice cream. I personally think a simple pour of cold double cream is the absolute peak, because the contrast between the warm pudding and cold cream is just perfect. Clotted cream is also an excellent answer if you’re feeling particularly indulgent, which at Easter I think is entirely justified.

If you want to go all out, a scoop of vanilla ice cream alongside a drizzle of cream isn’t the worst idea anyone’s ever had.

Can you make it ahead?

Yes, and I’d actively encourage it. There are two ways to do this.

Assemble ahead and bake later: Butter the buns, layer them in the dish, pour over the custard, cover with cling film and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. When you’re ready to bake, take it out of the fridge 20-30 minutes before it goes in the oven so it comes up to room temperature slightly. Add an extra 5 minutes to the baking time to account for the cold dish.

Bake ahead and reheat: This pudding reheats really well. Let it cool completely, then cover the dish tightly with foil and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat, put it in a 160C fan oven, covered in foil, for about 20 minutes until warmed through. The foil stops the bun tops from catching and burning during the reheat.

Variations worth trying

This recipe is a great starting point but it’s endlessly adaptable. A few combos I’ve genuinely loved:

Chocolate orange: Use chocolate chip hot cross buns, add the zest of one orange to the custard, and scatter a handful of dark chocolate chips over the top before baking. This is my personal favourite and it’s absolutely the version I’d make for a dinner party.

Boozy grown-up version: Add a tablespoon of Grand Marnier, Cointreau, or even a splash of brandy to the custard. Keep this one for after the kids are in bed.

Marmalade and ginger: Spread the buns generously with marmalade and add a teaspoon of ground ginger to the custard. It sounds unusual but it’s really lovely.

Extra fruit: Scatter a handful of fresh or frozen raspberries over the top before the final 15 minutes of baking. They add a lovely tartness that cuts through the richness of the custard.

Troubleshooting: when things go a bit wrong

I’ve had a few disasters over the years, so let me save you some time.

The middle is still wobbly after 40 minutes: Your oven might be running slightly cool, or the dish is deeper than mine. Cover the top with foil and give it another 10 minutes. The custard is done when it barely wobbles in the centre, like a just-set jelly.

The top is burning but the middle isn’t set: Cover immediately with foil and drop the oven temperature by 10 degrees. This usually happens if the oven is running hot or the dish is quite shallow.

The pudding is too soggy: Either the buns didn’t get enough soaking time, or there’s too much liquid for your dish size. Try a slightly larger, shallower dish next time so there’s more surface area for the custard to set. You can also put the baked pudding back in the oven uncovered for a few more minutes if it comes out wetter than you’d like.

The pudding is too dry: The buns probably absorbed all the custard before it had a chance to bake around them. Add a little more custard next time, or try reducing the soak time slightly so the buns aren’t completely saturated before baking.

The buns are going soggy on the bottom but crispy on top: This is actually quite normal with a deep dish, and a lot of people love it. If you want more uniformly cooked buns, try using a slightly wider, shallower dish so the layers aren’t as deep.

Storing leftover bread and butter pudding

Keep any leftovers in the dish, covered tightly with cling film or transferred to an airtight container. It’ll keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can eat it cold (genuinely underrated, it has a sort of firm, almost-cake texture when chilled) or reheat it as described above.

I wouldn’t recommend freezing it. The custard goes a bit grainy when frozen and defrosted, and it loses that lovely texture. Since it keeps so well in the fridge and gets eaten so quickly, it’s never been a problem in our house.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to use double cream, or can I use just milk?

You can use all milk if you want a lighter pudding, but the double cream is really what gives it that rich, custardy texture in the middle. If I had to choose between the two I’d rather have all cream than all milk, but a half-and-half mixture like the recipe uses is genuinely the sweet spot. Whole milk works much better than semi-skimmed here.

Can I make this with chocolate hot cross buns?

Absolutely yes, and it’s brilliant. The chocolate chips in the buns melt into the custard during baking and give you gorgeous little pockets of chocolate throughout. You can also add extra chocolate chips between the layers if you want it to be even more indulgent, which at Easter seems entirely reasonable.

What size dish do I need?

For 6 standard-sized hot cross buns, you want a dish with roughly 1.5-2 litres of capacity. Something around 20cm x 28cm works well. If your dish is much smaller, the layers will be deeper and the custard will take longer to set. If it’s much larger, the custard layer will be thinner and the pudding can end up a bit dry. Don’t stress too much though, it’s a very forgiving recipe.

How long does it need to soak before baking?

The minimum is about 30 minutes, but longer is genuinely better. If you can assemble it the night before and refrigerate it overnight, you’ll notice a real difference in the texture of the middle. The buns fully absorb the custard and you get a much softer, more cohesive pudding rather than pieces of bread sitting in custard.

Can I use other types of bread if I don’t have hot cross buns?

Definitely. This recipe works with brioche, croissants, panettone, fruit loaf, or even a good white bloomer. Just note that you may want to add a bit more spice to the custard if you’re using a plain bread, since the hot cross buns do a lot of the flavour work in this recipe. Brioche gives a particularly lovely, rich result.

Is this suitable for children?

Yes, completely, as long as you skip the boozy variations. The custard is cooked through in the oven so there’s no raw egg issue. My eight-year-old has been eating this since she was tiny and it’s firmly in her top five puddings. The chocolate chip version is the most popular with all three of mine, if that helps.

A pudding worth planning for

Hot cross bun bread and butter pudding is one of those recipes that genuinely earns its place in the Easter menu every single year. It’s easy enough that you can make it without much fuss, impressive enough to bring out at a family lunch, and flexible enough to adapt to whatever buns you’ve got and whoever you’re feeding.

If you make it, I’d love to know how it goes. Drop a comment below and let me know which version you tried, and whether you’re firmly in the custard camp or the ice cream camp.

 

See more of my desserts here!