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Traditional Christmas pudding

Christmas pudding bursting with flavour and lovely wintery aroma
Print Recipe
Course Dessert
Cuisine British
Servings 5

Ingredients
  

  • 225 g plain flour
  • 1 tsp cinnamon ground
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg grated
  • 1/2 tsp allspice ground
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 100 g breadcrumbs fresh
  • 550 g raisins seedless
  • 350 g sultanas (golden raisins)
  • 350 g currants
  • 150 g candied peel sugar coating removed, chopped
  • 50 g almonds blanched, chopped
  • 225 g dark brown sugar
  • 225 g suet shredded (or soft margarine instead)
  • 4 eggs
  • 200 ml milk
  • 100 ml brandy (or milk instead)
  • melted butter for greasing

Instructions
 

Mixing ingredients

  • Flour, spices and salt sift into a large mixing bowl.
  • Stirring, add breadcrumbs, dried fruit, peel, almonds and sugar.
  • Add the suet (or soft margarine) into the bowl. Stir it properly to make sure that all ingredients are well mixed.
  • Check freshness of the eggs on side and add them to the mix.
  • Add milk and brandy. Instead of brandy, you can use the same amount of milk instead, if you want to make a virgin Christmas pudding. Stir it well with all dry ingredients.

Preparing moulds

  • Cooking pudding in special pudding basins or moulds, use melted butter to lightly brush them.
  • Use non-stick baking paper to cover the top of each mould. Leave an excess (pleat) to allow the mixture to expand.
  • Cut to the similar size pieces of cloth. You can use cheesecloth (muslin) or unbleeched calico but you can use foil instead
  • Use butter to brush the baking paper.

Mixture goes into the moulds

  • Put mixture into the moulds. Level it with rims.
  • Cover it with greased and pleated non-stick baking paper.
  • Cover it with a cloth or foil.
  • Tie it securely with string.

Boiling

  • Place trivet of a piece of folded cloth in a large saucepan.
  • Add water to come half-way up the mould.
  • Bring it to the boil.
  • Add the puddings.
  • Put lid on the saucepan and boil it for 5 hours or for individual puddings for 2 hours.
  • If more water is needed, top it up with additional boiling water.

Cooling

  • Boiled puddings take out of the saucepan to let them cool down.
  • Replace the non-stick baking paper and cloths with fresh ones.
  • Store the Christmas puddings in a dry, cool, airy place. You can store it for up to 1 year.
Keyword best Christmas pudding, Christmas pudding, traditional Christmas pudding