White chocolate bread and butter pudding

Ingredients

• 1 loaf slice bread (buttered and crusts removed, 12-16 slices)
• 500 ml milk
• 100 ml pouring cream
• 200 g caster sugar
• 5 large eggs
• 75 g sultanas
• 110 g white chocolate
• 50 g flaked almonds (optional)
• 0.25 tsp ground cinnamon

Method

1. Butter all the slices of bread and cut off the crusts. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas 4).
2. Put the milk and cream into a large saucepan and allow the mixture to come to the boil. Immediately transfer the milk and cream into a jug.
3. Mix the sultanas with 50g of the sugar. Layer the bread in a 9inch/23cm ovenproof dish and scatter the sultana and sugar mix between each layer of bread. You should end up with three (or four) layers of bread altogether with the sultanas scattered in between each. The top layer should just be bread – do not put sultanas on the top, they will burn.
4. Break the five eggs into a large mixing bowl, add the remaining 150g sugar and beat together until combined. Then add the white chocolate (chocolate drops or a bar, chopped finely) and the cinnamon.
5. Pour the hot milk and cream over the egg and chocolate mixture and whisk well until combined. Slowly pour this mixture (egg, milk, cream, chocolate) over the bread and butter and allow it to stand for about ten minutes to allow the liquid to become absorbed by the bread.
6. Scatter the flaked almonds on the top of the soaked pudding. Put into the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes until the pudding is well-risen and almost set to the touch.
7. Serve with butterscotch sauce and cream.