This indulgent cheesy croissant bread and butter pudding makes the ideal lazy breakfast to share with friends. Prep the dish the night before and chill in the fridge, to buy yourself more time in bed in the morning.
Serves 4-6
Knob of soft butter for greasing the dish
6-8 croissants, depending on the size, ideally a day or two old
8oz (200g) gruyère cheese, grated
5oz (150g) ham hock, finely shredded
8.5 fl oz (250ml) whole milk
15 fl oz (450ml) double cream
3 medium free-range eggs and
2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
5 tbsp finely chopped chives
2 tsp English mustard powder
Heat the oven to 350F/160°C fan/gas 4.
Halve the croissants horizontally and lay them on a baking sheet. Put them in the oven for 5 minutes, then remove them to cool – you can turn off the oven now as you won’t need it for a bit. This helps the croissants dry out so they’ll greedily soak up the custard.
Arrange half the halved croissants, cut-side up, in the baking dish. Scatter over half the cheese and all the ham, then arrange the rest of the halved croissants, cut-side down, on top.
Stir the milk and cream in a pan and warm until just steaming. Remove from the heat, whisk in the eggs, yolks, chives and mustard, then season with salt and pepper. Slowly pour the mixture evenly over the croissants, then cover and chill for an hour or overnight. If you can, tilt the dish from time to time and baste the croissants with the custard to make sure it’s absorbed.
Reheat the oven to 350F/160°C fan/gas 4.
Remove the dish from the fridge, scatter over the rest of the cheese, put the dish on a baking sheet to catch any drips, then bake until the custard is just set and the cheese is bubbling (30-35 minutes). Let it sit for 5-10 minutes before serving with whatever your heart desires (within reason).
delicious. tips
* It only takes 15 minutes to prep but it needs time in the fridge, so if you’re not the type to get up early, make it the night before to the point where it’s soaked in the custard, then cover it, put it in the fridge and cook it the next morning.
