Nan's Bread Pudding - Low Cal

Written by McDonald, T.  |  Date 30th of December 2022

I grew up on this.  It is easy to make, makes the kitchen smell amazing and there is no better comfort than this Victorian pudding!  However, this old fashioned pudding can harbour a huge amount of calories.  With this in mind, I decided to reduce the calories and make it a less frightening bit of fun.  So, since it is the new year and you have been dieting in the lead up to Christmas, why not indulge one last time before you get back on that diet? 

For the full fat version, follow this link.

Notes

• My Nan used to make this all the time when I was a boy.  I have kept very close to the original old English recipe, but reduced the fat and sugar.  Obviously, I have replaced animal products with vegan options.

• My Nan would say you don't need to use dark brown sugar, as white granulated will do and is cheaper.  She was right, so I leave the choice to you, but I used dark brown sugar. 

• You only need the mixed spice if you are short of money or spices, but if not, the extra cinnamon makes it better.

• The vegan butter is a luxurious extra, so you can leave it out to make it even lighter. 

• You don't need the orange zest, but if you have oranges in the house, it is a good way to use up the peel that you might otherwise throw away.

• If you don't like to waste anything, use bread with a soft crust.  After cutting the crust off, cut them into small pieces. 

• You can use any kind of vegan milk, for instance, I have used coconut milk drink (not the stuff in a can) since it is low in calories.

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Serving suggestions 

Serve hot or cold with either:

• Vegan custard.
• Vegan cream.
• Vegan ice-cream.
  

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10 – 12 servings  

Time, 2hrs 

Ingredients 

• 500 g of old bread
• 125 ml of coconut milk drink
  
• 475 ml of water
  
• 150 g of sultanas or currents
• 15 g of vegan suet
• 20 g of vegan butter and some extra for greasing the tin
  
• 1.5 tbsp of mixed spice
• 1 tsp of cinnamon 
• 1/2 tsp of ground clove 
• Zest from one orange
  
• 100 g of dark brown sugar
• 2 flax egg
• Nutmeg for the topping
  
• Granulated sugar for the topping 

Apparatus

• Baking tin 30 cm x 20 cm  (12 inch x 9 inch)
  
• Large mixing bowl
• Wooden spoon 
• Spatula
• Measuring scales
  

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Method

1. Soak the currents/sultanas in the 475 ml of water

2. Break up the bread and put in a bowl.

3. Pour the vegan milk and water from the currents/sultanas over the bread and let soak for 30 minutes.

4. Use a fork to combine the mixture. 

5. Add the mixed spice, cinnamon, ground clove, flax egg, vegan suet, melted vegan butter and dark brown sugar.  Mix with a wooden spoon until completely combined.

6. Leave to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes to allow everything to settle and the flavours to infuse.
   

7. Grease the baking tin with butter and pour in the mixture. 

8. Bake in a preheated oven in the middle lower shelve for 1.5 hrs at 180C.  After 1 hr, take it out, turn it around and put it back in the oven for the last 1/2 hr with the heat turned down to 150C.  Keep an eye on it because you don't want it to burn.
   

9. Once out of the oven, allow it to cool for about 1 hr. Cut into small rectangles using a wooden spatula while it is still in the tin if you are having trouble getting it out of the tin. Another method is to put a large chopping board over the tin and turn the whole thing upside down very carefully. 

10. You can serve it warm or even cold. 

Sprinkle with nutmeg before baking in the oven.

Results

Obviously not as sweet, but still just as good! 

I hope that you liked this blog and if you do try this recipe, please let me know how you got on and what it turned out like. You can leave a comment in the comments below.