This is a classic British dessert perfect for hot summer months.  It’s a layer of bread soaked in fruit juice encasing loads of amazing summer fruit and it’s so easy to put together with minimum equipment or ingredients and no baking!  This one’s made with homemade sourdough bread which holds well and gives the pudding an extra touch of character and digestibility but any bread can be used including gluten-free.  The fruit filling’s sweetened with a little pure maple syrup but sugar and honey are also fine.  For an extra special touch cassis (blackcurrant) liqueur can be mixed in with the final soaking juice.  The fruit traditionally used is any mix of berries or summer fruits like blackberries, raspberries, cherries, blackcurrants, redcurrants and strawberries.  My first prototype was made with a frozen pack of fruits of the forest and it was lovely.  My second had fresh fruit and was wonderful – wish I’d made a bigger one though.  My brother, his wife and my niece had just arrived in Barcelona on a visit and I thought they might like a bit of summer pudding after a hard day’s air travel.  It was a resounding success and demolished in about 5 minutes.  Was so pleased yet sad – really miss it now!!  🙂  It’s hard to go wrong with this dessert.  It’s so delicious served with greek or soy yoghurt, ice-cream or try skyr an icelandic cultured dairy product!  I suggest you get a bowl and give this easy relaxed recipe a go to dig into your own healthier (sourdough) summer pudding! 🙂

RECIPE

This summer pudding’s adapted from various online recipes.  The main one’s on the delicious magazine website, based on Richard Bertinet’s recipe which involves both sourdough bread and cassis liqueur.  You can use standard gluten-free bread or brioche too.  I made mine smaller and lined the bowl with plastic film just to be safe but it’s possible to avoid using plastic by lightly oiling the bowl instead.  Next time I’ll be brave and try that.  Mine’s also a little healthier sweetened with maple syrup instead of sugar.  It was delicious with some skyr (Wikipedia article here) and if you’re a non-vegan maybe check it out because it’s like a cross between yoghurt and cream – delicious, low calorie and slightly tangy with a great thicker consistency!  Apparently modeIs eat it.  Lol. Just discovered it last week at Lidl’s here in Barcelona.

Quantities

Approximate quantities are given for a small 500ml sized bowl and a pudding that isn’t too sweet but they’re flexible depending on your bread and kinds of fruit. Use any sized bowl you like and adapt.  I’d suggest heating more fruit rather than less because you can always reserve some to serve with the pudding.  If you do find there isn’t enough to fill the bowl warm up more fruit.

Equipment 

A pudding-shaped bowl (contains 500ml or 500g water) – mine was 14cm diametre at the top, 8cm high and 8cm diametre at the base.

Timings

Make the day before so it can chill in the fridge overnight before turning it out.  It takes about 30 minutes to make.

Ingredients

The bread:  use any kind.  Sourdough bread is exciting because it’s so flavoursome and digestible.  It also holds well and the slices have a kind of triangular shape so fit nicely together – you just need to plug the holes a bit.  My only concern is you cut away the crust which is a really tasty part but if you have lots or it’s going stale then it’s worth using because summer puddings are absolutely delish!  Otherwise please feel free to use other bread and if it’s soft let it go a bit stale before.

You almost don’t need to weigh anything and could do it by eye.  The measurements below are approximate to give you a general idea.

• 450-500g (about 1lb or more) mixed fresh or frozen fruits like berries and currants:  blackcurrants, raspberries, cherries, raspberries, blackberries, redcurrants and strawberries (separated).  Note:  the strawberries don’t get heated up – leave separate and add in when filling the bowl later.
  
• 2-4 tablespoons pure maple syrup, to taste (or sugar/honey) – I used 3
• 1-2 tbsp water, more if needed – I used 2
• 1/4 to 1/3 of a medium sourdough loaf (depends on the height and shape of your loaf) – the armount of bread I used weighed around 250g with crust.
• 1-2 tbsp cassis (blackcurrant liqueur), optional (could be replaced with blackcurrant juice or omitted) mixed with 3 tablespoons or so reserved fruit juice.
• To serve:  creamy yoghurt or ice-cream (optionally soy/vegan), skyr or cream and some optional extra fresh fruit as decoration

Method

Follow the instructions in the illustration going in a spiral from left to right.  Note:  if your bread is quite soft maybe don’t soak it before lining the bowl – the pre-soak is optional.  It it’s a small pudding the slices should be quite thin (6mm) but for a big pudding you could have thicker slices.

After soaking bread in steps 5 and 8, reserve extra juice for Day 2.  On Day 2, stir cassis liqueur or blackcurrant syrup into juice before spooning over pudding.

DAY 1

DAY 2

My first prototype was left unadorned…

…but the second got decked out with fruit.

Whatever you prefer – they’re both delicious!

Storing and eating

Serve with lovely dollops of creamy stuff.  Store in the fridge in airtight tupperware and eat within 2 or 3 days (if there’s any left after the first 10 minutes, sob).  Very nice for breakfast, tea, dessert, … any time!  Part of your five-a-day you know. 😉

So let’s have some very yummy taste-explosiony healthier sourdough summer pudding!

Farewell again dear reader!  Hope you haven’t been too hot over on this side of the world (or too cold on the other) and that you’ll enjoy lots of summery edibles to keep you going.  Happy no-baking and eating! 🙂 Lili x