British Expatriate Network

Does anyone here have a low-fat recipe for Welsh cakes? Hubby and I love them but they are so high in fat, and I don't know how to reduce the butter content without ruining the recipe.

Also, I am looking for a recipe for an old fashioned bread pudding - not what Americans call bread pudding, I mean the stodgy one with sultanas in!

Talking of which ........ where can I get sultanas?? And don't tell me to get Golden Raisins - they are not the same at all.

I don't know about low fat Welsh cakes, but I sometimes make that heavy, spicy bread pudding!
I make it up as go along, because the quantities of left over bread are never the same.
You would have to play around with it till you got it as you like it.

Here's what I do

Take your left over bread and soak it in enough milk to make it on the wet side of damp but not soggy.
(I have usually saved at least a loaf or sometimes more if I have frozen it.)
With your hands, (this is the fun part!) sqidge it all up so there are hardly any lumps. Ready sliced bread is easy, but stale "crusty" breads can have stubborn lumps that refuse to soften.
Add one or two eggs, depending on the amount of bread, and your favourite spices. Mine are ginger, nutmeg, allspice, cloves and cinnamon. Do taste tests here.
Spice it to your own liking.
You should add some kind of fat, butter flavoured crisco is good, but I tend to leave this out. (I'm cuddly enough!)
Now add your fruit. I can't get sultanas either so I just use regular raisins and sometimes chopped apple. and, I put in lots!
Mix well and put in a pan that allows your mixture to be a couple of inches thick. It's not going to rise much thicker than it is now.

Bake it in a 300 degree oven until it is set in the middle. Keep an eye on it, because if you leave it too long it will get a hard crust.

I'm sorry this a trial and error recipe, but I usually cook by guess work. Even my cakes are made from just "Bunging everything in and mixing it!"
But, I used to cook in "The Big House" many, many moons ago, and had no complaints!
Maybe someone will come to the rescue with a "real" recipe! lol

Good luck!

Melhug, that sounds delicious and I shall write it down and use it for sure! But.....isn't that Bread and Butter Pudding? The bread pudding I am thinking of is thick and chewy and you cut it into squares and eat it with your fingers, maybe sprinkled with a little caster sugar.

I thought bread pudding and bread and butter pudding were the same thing. My mom taught me how to make "American" bread pudding, and its exactly the same as the 'bread and butter pudding' that Ive had here in England.

Ive got a great recipe for a Bourbon sauce for b&b pudding. Ive served it to people who dont like bread pudding, but they liked it like this!!

1 Cup Sugar
1/2 stick butter
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup Bourbon whiskey (Jim Beam or similar)

Melt butter & sugar over low to medium heat in saucepan, add egg. Stir constantly, cook until sauce reaches a light lemon colour and thickens (approx. 5 mins.) cool slightly, whisk in bourbon. Spoon over warm bread pudding.

Kentgirl,
This not "bread and butter" pudding.
That is yellow in colour.
The recipe I gave above is for a very heavy, stodgy, grey/brown coloured slab which you cut into squares and enjoy!
It's texture is solid, dense, almost chewy.
BUT,I did make a mistake in the recipe though, I forgot to say add some sugar, brown or white, to your desired sweetness. Sorry about that!

To me, bread and butter pudding, is bread and butter, layered with an egg/milk/sugar custard type mixture, and then baked.
There is a very definate difference.
When I looked on the internet for "bread pudding" I saw only the "bread and butter" type.
But there must be someone else who knows what we mean! smile

Thank you for clearing that up, Melhug. We are on the same wavelength after all - sorry I misunderstood your recipe! You are right - bread pudding is what you gave the recipe for, and Bread and Butter pudding is as you described! I am glad WE know what we are talking about! wink

I appreciate your help!

As an addendum to mel's bread pudding recipe. Hers is pretty much like mine, but to avoid the crust forming on the top while baking, I cover the top with butter or marg wrappers. I dont tuck them in, just lay them on the top loosley, this is what we used to do at home, and we still do it now when we make bread pud which is not so often because the pounds don't come off as easy as they used to lol

Good recipe Mel..

I usually throw in a bit of bourbon too wink

I find that the "more stale" the bread, the better it is.

Andrew

Thanks the tips!
I use butter wrappers to put over a roast, (lamb especially), but I'll definately try it on my next bread pud!

And, I will definately be trying Andrews suggestion! Can't imagine why I haven't thought of that before!
It will absolutely improve the keeping time of the pud! (At least that'll be my excuse!) lol lol

The bread 'n budder pud I make is out of the good housekeeping cookbook which was a very basic beginners guide, given to me on my 21st! That was 30 somethin years ago, an I still make it. I do leave out the budder now and use canola marg (best quality) instead. I use a greased casserole dish, spread slices and cut each into 4. I'd say about 8/10 average. Cover base of dish with bread pieces corner to top, and overlap making a pattern. In between layers of bread shake on a little caster sugar, nutmeg and sultanas. In a jug measure approx 1 pint milk and heat in microwave, beat 2 large eggs and add to hot milk, (don't boil)! Mix well and pour over bread. Sprinkle top with nutmeg. Press down firmly so all is soaked, let stand, covered for at least an hour, it will swell. Bake at 180 degrees or normal oven for approx 30/40 minutes. Top will be golden and crusty. I also use up fruit bread, or wholemeal!
SSue roll

I made a delicious bread n' butter pudding from a Scot's recipe I got on line.

Here's the link -

http//www.visit-scotland.50megs.com/bread-pudding.html


Being vegetarians we substituted the eggs with a little flour to help bind and thicken the milk and sugar mixture. We also used less liquid and it turned out spectacular! I have a strong distaste for cinammon (ugh) and so I substituted it with nutmeg.

Hubby and I ate half last night and we're looking forward to devouring the rest tonight!

Mel, I *know* the difference between bread pudding and bread n' butter pudding too. My Mum used to bake a delicious bread pudding that would take literally days to digest - very stodgy! lol

UKMocha

Hi KG,

I didn't use it to make Welsh Cakes when I lived over there, but Smart Balance (67%) butter substitute can be used in recipes where you cut or crumble flour/sugar and butter together. It's the hydrogenated (?) fats you want to cut down maybe?

Over here I make Welsh Cakes usually every couple of weeks and use organic butter. I think it is suppose to be OK as you need to have the fatty acids, etc. We just don't eat a lot of them.

Anywhooooo...I am talking through my nose here as it's my husband who keeps up with all the fats and health info. I just make the darned things and enjoy every decadent bite.

:cool: Lauren