Plum pudding, also known as Christmas pudding or figgy pudding, originated in England during the 15th century. A type of steamed porridge, plum pudding does not actually include plums but rather the name refers to dried fruit in general. By the end of the 16th century, plum pudding had shifted from savory to sweet, and during the 17th century it became customary to serve it as a dessert at Christmas. Brought to the United States by British colonists, the earliest American recipe for plum pudding appeared in 1742 in The Williamsburg Art of Cookery by Helen Bullock.
Recipe Servings: 6
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
3 hours 5 minutes
Total Time
3 hours 20 minutes
Vegetarian
Vegan
Gluten Free
Dairy Free
Kosher
Halal
Ingredients
- 5 slices of bread, cut into cubes with crust removed
- 1 cup (237 ml) milk
- ½ cup (95 g) shortening, melted
- ½ cup (160 g) molasses
- ½ cup (83 g) raisins
- 1 cup (120 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (100 g) diced candied citron
- 2 tsp (5.2 g) ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp (4.8 g) baking soda
- ½ tsp (3 g) salt
- ¼ tsp (0.5 g) ground allspice
- ¼ tsp (0.5 g) ground cloves
- 1 cup (220 g) brown sugar
- ¼ cup (56 g) butter
- ½ cup (118 ml) half and half
- ½ cup (160 g) light corn syrup
Directions
- Grease a 4-cup heatproof pudding mold.
- Place bread cubes in large bowl and pour milk over them.
- Stir in shortening and molasses.
- Add raisins, flour, candied citron, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, allspice, and cloves, stirring until well combined.
- Pour mixture into the mold and cover with foil.
- Place mold on a rack in a Dutch oven and pour in boiling water up to the level of the rack.
- Cover Dutch oven with its lid and bring the water to a boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer the water for 3 hours or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the pudding comes out clean, adding water to the Dutch oven as needed to prevent it from drying out.
- Place brown sugar, butter, half and half, and corn syrup in a saucepan set over low heat, cooking for about 5 minutes and stirring occasionally.
- Unmold pudding, pour sauce over it, and cut it into slices, serving warm.
Notes
- Granulated sugar may be used in place of brown sugar.
Recipe introduction and directions © Copyright 2016-2025 World Trade Press. All rights reserved.