Using store-bought custard and hot cross buns, this recipe for hot cross bun bread and butter pudding is so quick and easy!
It's a simple and delicious baked Easter dessert and a clever seasonal twist on a British classic! You might also like my easy Easter simnel cake muffins!
One of the best ways to celebrate Easter is with a warm and comforting dessert. This Hot Cross Bun Bread and Butter Pudding is the perfect way to do just that! It's easy to make, uses simple ingredients, and is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.
With less than 8 minutes of prep and 30 minutes in the oven, you have a delicious spiced bun and butter pudding oozing with hot, creamy custard. The combination of the sweet and spiced buns with the creamy custard is irresistible!
👩🍳 Love Easter desserts? Try my easy Easter meringues with mini eggs too!
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✔️ Why you'll love this recipe!
- Quick, frugal, and easy Easter dessert.
- Only 6 simple ingredients.
- A great way of using up stale hot cross buns.
- The recipe can be easily doubled to feed a crowd.
- Perfect with cream, ice cream or more custard!
- Serve as a pudding on Easter Sunday using leftover hot cross buns.
🛒 Ingredient notes
- Hot Cross Buns - I use shop-bought hot cross buns but make your own if you have time! Leave the buns to go stale overnight for the best-textured pudding.
- Custard - To save time I use ready-made custard with a couple of added ingredients!
- Milk - thins out the ready-made custard and adds creaminess to the pudding.
- Vanilla Extract - elevates the flavour of ready-made custard. Use a good quality extract and not vanilla essence.
- Butter - slightly softened to spread on the halved hot cross buns.
- Raisins - for sandwiching in the split buns and sprinkling on top of the pudding.
- Chocolate chips (optional).
🔪 How to make bread and butter pudding with hot cross buns
The recipe card with ingredient quantities and detailed instructions can be found at the bottom of the post
One: In a jug whisk together the ready-made custard, milk, and vanilla extract.
Two: Slice the hot cross buns in half with a bread knife and butter both sides of the hot cross bun halves. Sprinkle over the raisins (reserving a tablespoon for the top of the pudding) before sandwiching the hot cross buns back together.
Three: Place the hot cross buns in a baking dish (about 2-litre capacity).
Four: Pour over the custard mixture and sprinkle on the reserved raisins.
Five: Bake in a preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until golden brown and bubbling.
💭 Expert tips
- If you have time, leave the dish for an hour or so before baking it in the oven. This will help the buns soak up all of that delicious creamy custard.
- Don't worry if you forgot to stale your buns first. Halve the buns and place them in the oven for 3-4 minutes.
🍴 Serving suggestions
Serve the hot cross bun and butter pudding with more creamy custard, pouring cream, vanilla ice cream, or even mini egg ice cream for a spectacular Easter dessert!
📖 Variations
- Grate orange zest into the custard for a fruitier taste.
- Spread the split hot cross buns with marmalade for hot cross bun bread and butter pudding with marmalade.
- Use chocolate chip hot cross buns (or even salted caramel hot cross buns) and replace the raisins with chocolate chips.
- Add a drop of your favourite liqueur for a boozy bread and butter pudding. Grand Marnier works well.
- If hot cross buns aren't available use saffron cake, leftover bread, or panettone instead!
- Sprinkle the hot cross bun and butter pudding with chocolate chips and dust with icing sugar for a finishing touch. Alternatively, you could sprinkle with brown sugar after baking - demerara would work best.
- Make a low-fat hot cross bun bread and butter pudding by using reduced-fat ready-made custard and skimmed milk. You can also skip the butter too!
🥡 Storage
The pudding is best eaten fresh from the oven.
Store: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheat: Reheat in the microwave until hot.
Freeze: Place leftovers in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge before reheating in the microwave.
❓ Frequently asked questions
Hot cross buns are spiced sweet buns made with dried fruit, marked with a cross on the top. They are traditionally eaten hot on Good Friday and are symbolic of this significant day in the Christian faith when Jesus was crucified. The spices in hot cross buns represent the spices that were used to embalm Christ after his death.
Hot cross buns are sweet, and flavoured with ground mixed spice, grated orange zest, and dried fruits such as currants.
The hot cross buns must be left to stale overnight to prevent the pudding from becoming soggy and heavy.
Yes, you can prepare the recipe ahead of time and refrigerate it until you are ready to bake it. You may need to add a few extra minutes to the cooking time if the dish is cold when you put it in the oven.
Yes, you can use other types of dried fruit, such as cranberries, cherries, or apricots, or even fresh fruit, such as sliced apples or pears. Experiment and see what you like best!
Yes, you can use gluten-free hot cross buns or bread to make this recipe gluten-free. Just make sure to check that all the other ingredients are also gluten-free.
😋 More Easter recipes
- Easter Rocky Road
- Creme Egg Brownies
- Mini Egg Tiffin
- Mini Egg Brownies
- Mini Egg Nests
- Easter Meringue Nests
You might also like my easy sherry trifles recipe!
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Recipe
Hot Cross Bun Bread and Butter Pudding Recipe
Equipment
- Kitchen Scales
- Measuring Spoons
- Measuring Jug
- Large Baking Dish
- Chopping Board
- Knife
- Whisk
Ingredients
- 6 Hot Cross Buns halved
- 400 ml Custard ready made custard
- 200 ml Whole Milk
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 2 tablespoon Butter softened
- 50 g Raisins
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°c (160 fan/ Gas 4) and grease an ovenproof baking dish.
- In a jug whisk together the ready-made custard, milk, and vanilla extract.400 ml Custard, 200 ml Whole Milk, 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- Slice the hot cross buns in half with a bread knife and butter both sides of the hot cross bun halves. Sprinkle over the raisins (reserving a tablespoon for the top of the pudding) before sandwiching the hot cross buns back together.6 Hot Cross Buns, 2 tablespoon Butter, 50 g Raisins
- Place the hot cross buns in a baking dish (about 2 litre capacity).
- Pour over custard mixture and sprinkle on the reserved raisins.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and bubbling.
- Sprinkle with chocolate chips, more raisins and dust with icing sugar if desired.
Notes
- If you have time leave the dish for an hour or so before baking in the oven. This will help the buns soak up all of that delicious creamy custard.
- Don't worry if you forgot to stale your buns first. Halve the buns and place them in the oven for 3-4 minutes.
- If there are any bits of hot cross bun not covered in the custard, lightly brush with some melted butter before baking.
- Grate orange zest into the custard for a fruitier taste.
- Spread the split hot cross buns with marmalade for hot cross bun bread and butter pudding with marmalade.
- Use chocolate chip hot cross buns (or even salted caramel hot cross buns) and replace the raisins with chocolate chips.
- Add a drop of your favourite liqueur for a boozy bread and butter pudding. Grand Marnier works well.
- If hot cross buns aren't available use saffron cake, leftover bread, or panettone instead!
- Sprinkle the hot cross bun and butter pudding with chocolate chips and dust with icing sugar for a finishing touch. Alternatively, you could sprinkle with brown sugar after baking - demerara would work best.
- Make a low fat hot cross bun bread and butter pudding by using reduced fat ready-made custard and skimmed milk. You can also skip the butter too!
Dannii
This is always our go-to way to use left leftover hot cross buns at Easter time. SO good.
Emily Flint
This pudding turned out perfectly. Although mine didn't look quite as pretty as yours, it tasted delicious!
Sharon
You definitely took hot cross buns to a new and exciting level with this dessert. It will be going on my Easter menu for sure.
Gina
Wow - this was delicious! I sometimes find hot cross buns a the drier side so this was the perfect way to fix that!
Soniya
Oh my goodness... Two of my favorite dishes in one.... Definitely making them this weekend.. super excited to try it.
Susan
Loved this so very much I made two. So yummy and makes the kitchen smell so good. This will be my new Easter tradition.