Hairy Bikers Christmas pudding is a dark suet pudding of sultanas, prunes, glacé cherries and candied peel, soaked overnight in rum, stout or Marsala. And it steams for 3½ hours, then at least 2 more on the day, giving 8 portions of about 540 calories from British Classics.
For Si and Dave, “Christmas isn’t Christmas without a flaming pud”, and this one is built on suet, fresh breadcrumbs and plain flour. But the pudding on their own website swaps the suet for sunflower oil and soaks wholemeal breadcrumbs in stout.
Fold a pleat into the foil before sealing it, since their syrup sponge in Mums Still Know Best pleats its cover to allow for expansion. And that recipe tops the pan up with water as needed, which matters even more over this pudding’s 3½ hours, so I do the same.
Hairy Bikers Christmas Pudding
Description
One long steam now, then somewhere cool until Christmas, and a second steam on the day. So the pudding darkens a little more before it is turned out, and set alight if you like.
Ingredients
For the pudding
To flambé (optional)
Instructions
- Soak the fruit: Put the sultanas or raisins, cherries, prunes, peel and both zests in a large bowl, then pour over the rum, stout or Marsala. Cover with a tea towel and leave it at least overnight, or longer if you like.
- Mix the dry ingredients: Mix the flour, mixed spice and baking powder in another large bowl with a generous pinch of salt. Then add the breadcrumbs, suet, grated carrot or apple and the sugar, and mix thoroughly again.
- Add the eggs and fruit: Stir in the beaten eggs, then add all the soaked fruit and mix again with a wooden spoon. And if you like, let everyone in the house take a turn and make a wish.
- Fill the basin: Spoon the mixture into a 1.25 litre pudding basin, or divide it between two 750ml basins. If yours have no lids, fold a pleat into the centre of a large sheet of foil. Then seal it over the basin with a large elastic band or string.
- Steam: Put an upturned saucer or a folded tea towel in the base of a large saucepan and sit the pudding on top. Then add water to come halfway up the basin, bring it to the boil, cover and simmer for 3½ hours.
- Cool and store: Lift the pudding out of the pan and leave it to cool. Then store it somewhere cool until Christmas Day.
- Reheat on the day: Steam the pudding the same way for at least another 2 hours, since the longer it steams, the darker it gets.
- Turn out and flambé: Run a palette knife around the edge and turn the pudding out onto a serving plate. And to flambé, heat the brandy, rum or vodka in a small pan and light it. Then pour it over at the table while everyone keeps well clear.
FAQs
How is this different from the Christmas pudding on their website?
The traditional pudding on their official website is another recipe, soaking wholemeal breadcrumbs in 120ml of stout and using sunflower oil instead of suet. And it steams for 6 hours, then 2 more on the day, serving 6 to 8.
GoodTo’s copy lists only 2 hours of steaming in total. So go by the official 6 plus 2 if you make that one.
How far ahead can I make it?
Ahead of Christmas is the whole idea, since the method has you store it somewhere cool until Christmas Day. And in British Classics they suggest splitting the mixture into two puddings, because the spare one “will keep perfectly until next year”.
They also suggest everyone takes a turn and makes a wish, which many families do on Stir-up Sunday, the Sunday before Advent.
Can I make two smaller puddings?
Yes, because the recipe lets you divide the mixture between two 750ml basins instead of one 1.25 litre basin. But they give only one time in British Classics, 3½ hours, so I won’t guess at a shorter one for smaller basins.
For another pudding steamed in a basin under pleated parchment and foil, their steak and kidney pudding from Perfect Pies works in a similar way.
Can I make it in a slow cooker?
Not with tested timings, since neither of the two Christmas pudding recipes of theirs I checked gives a slow cooker method. So this one stays on the hob, in a large saucepan with the lid on.
And if you want a festive pudding without the steaming, One Pot Wonders has a Christmas bread and butter pudding with panettone and mincemeat. But their classic bread and butter pudding in British Classics uses brioche and raspberries instead.
What should I flambé it with, and what goes with it?
They write in British Classics to use brandy, rum or even vodka, heating 100ml in a small pan before lighting it. So a bottle of their Christmas pudding vodka can do the job, though that pairing is my idea rather than theirs.
In British Classics they also say to keep everyone happy and make a trifle too. And they point to their Black Forest trifle, with brownies soaked in kirsch under chocolate custard. Or for a trifle made with the pudding itself, their Christmas pudding trifle from Go North layers 250g of it under mango and custard.
