Somewhere between a summer pudding and a bread pudding but with the benefit over a traditional summer pudding of being tolerant of bone-dry bread and the option of eating half and freezing half for later. Much as I adore a traditional summer pudding with a more than generous helping of clotted cream, once one portion is served it’s a less-than-photogenic portion that remains.

Gorgeous Summer Colours

Thin Slices of Bone Dry Bread

Fruity Yoghurty Layers

Use any mix of summer fruits you like and adjust the sugar to your tastes and the natural sweetness of your fruits. Using mostly cherries barely deserved a sprinkle of sugar.

I got the lemon flavour here from some lemon sorbet that was burning a hole in the freezer. No need to buy any especially – could use lemon ice cream or yoghurt or go for plain/vanilla and get your lemon kick from lemon curd. A dessert spoon or so should do it but work to taste.

1. Ovenproof dish approx 15×25, 10cm deep

1. Prepare your fruit by removing stalks & stones and cutting any larger fruit into roughly even sized pieces. No need to be pedantic.
2. Place the fruit in a saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer. It may need a splash of water to get going but no more – it may look like a pan of dry fruit but there will be delicious purple liquid bubbling away in no time. Better than water, add a splash of your favourite tipple – vodka, port or a berry liqueur all work well.
3. Add a little sugar if you wish – you can taste the berries once cooked & add more then if needs be. They should be fairly sweet as the bread/yoghurt/lemon are all either savoury or tart to complement.
4. Simmer just until the fruit begin to collapse but let them retain some shape. 10 minutes?
5. Drain BUT KEEP THE JUICE!!
6. Allow the fruit to cool – you don’t want to mix hot fruit with yoghurt.
7. Slice your bread into thin-ish slices. You need enough to make three layers in your chosen dish. It can be as stale as you like – anything as long as it’s not fresh. It is going to soak up all the liquid so if it is just masquerading as stale you’ll end up with a soggy pudding. If it’s just past its best but not dry, you could slice it and either leave to air dry for half a day or place in a single layer on a baking tray in a low or cooling oven until bone dry. If taking the oven option, allow to cool before making the pudding. (Note the foresight required for both!)
8. Now for the yoghurt mixture. Mix the yoghurt & melted sorbet together.
9. Add a little vanilla essence and if you wish, another splash of the aforementioned tipple.
10. Add two eggs and whisk to combine.
11. Grease an ovenproof dish.
12. The pudding is simply layers of fruit, bread & yoghurt repeated, with the juice thrown in at opportune moments.
13. Start with a layer of bread. Mine really was bone dry, to the point of brittle.
14. Pour over enough juice to just douse each slice of bread.
15. Add half the fruit in an even layer.
16. Add another layer of bread.
17. Add any remaining juice or optionally keep this for serving.
18. Add half the yoghurt in an even layer.
19. Add the remaining fruit.
20. And a final layer of bread.
21. Cover with the last of the yoghurt mixture – make sure you have enough to completely cover.
22. Cover & allow everything to soak in – about an hour or so.
23. You could bake now but I had a surfeit of cookies looking for a home so opted for a crunchy topping. Take a few biscuits, place in a sandwich bag and bash with anything suitable to make into a crumb.
24. Sprinkle over the pudding.
25. Dot lightly with butter to prevent the biscuits from burning.
26. Bake in a moderate oven (170c ish) for around 30 minutes – until golden & just set.
27. You could eat warm but as a summer pudding I think much better cold with some clotted cream. You could also keep some of the juice & reduce down to a pouring syrup.