Bread & Butter Pudding

Ingredients:
50g currants, raisins or sultanas, or a mixture, optional
3 tbsp brandy, optional
200ml whole milk
Vanilla pod, halved
Zest of ½ lemon
75g slightly salted butter
8 slices of slightly stale white sourdough, fruit bread or panettone, cut into triangles
3 eggs
2 tbsp caster sugar
100ml double cream
1 tbsp demerara sugar
Nutmeg, to grate

Method:

1. If you're using panettone or fruit bread, you can skip this step if you like. Put the dried fruit into a small cup and pour over the brandy to cover. Cover tightly and leave to soak overnight.
2. When you're ready to make the pudding, put the milk into a small pan with the vanilla pod. Bring to a simmer, then turn off the heat, add the lemon zest and allow to cool. 
3. Meanwhile, butter the bread and your baking dish and arrange half the slices in overlapping rows inside. Beat the eggs together with the sugar until well mixed, and then remove the vanilla pod from the milk and discard before beating the milk and the cream into the egg mixture. Pour a little more than half over the bread, add the soaked fruit if using, and leave for 20 minutes. 
4. Pre-heat the oven to 180C. Arrange the rest of the bread in a second layer in the baking dish and drizzle over the rest of the custard. Dot with the rest of the butter, scatter with demerara sugar and grate some nutmeg over the top. 
5. Place in a roasting tin and and fill halfway with water to make a bain marie. Cook for 35 – 45 minutes until golden brown. Allow to stand for 10 minutes before serving. 

Serves 4