Christmas pudding - how long to cook?

Cherrytree59 Here is a pizza base without yeast, if you are interested:

Pizza base (half this is enough for a base though because it makes as lot)
225 g self raising flour
3 ml salt
50 g butter
250 ml milk

Method
1.Sift flour, salt & rub in butter.
2.Add milk & mix to soft dough.
3.Roll out in circle, 200/225mm diameter.
4.Place on buttered baking sheet.
5.Add topping of choice.

Oven: 220°F
Time: 20 mins

For Pilchard Pizza use the scone base and use these ingredients:

Topping
2 tomatoes, thinly sliced
3 rashers bacon, chopped
4 spring onions
30ml capers
1×425 g tin pilchards
15 ml mixed herbs

Add tomatoes, bacon, spring onions & capers on top.
Add pilchards & top with grated cheese & herbs.

Oven: 220°F
Time: 20 mins

Sounds good to me.

lemongrove I think that family do not give a thought to your age and capabilities- I never did when I was 50 years younger!

I would make the virus work in your favour and have a quiet, relaxed Christmas cooking exactly what you want and eating when you want.

Charleygirl ?
I usually have to cater for nine people on Christmas Day, which a few years ago I did with relative ease, but nowadays am finding it a strain.Last year DH was ill, so we didn’t have Christmas really, the next one I think that having lots of family around indoors could be ruled out by this virus.Then I may never go back to a busy Christmas Day again, and the thought suits me just fine.

Callistemon I really do not mind- I am fond of red but it really does not "go" with a fish dish and I loathe rose. Cannot get the accent on this machine but you know what I mean!

A bottle of dry white lasts me around 3 days so I do not think the AA is waiting in the wings because I only open a bottle every 2-3 weeks.

Twinlolly thank you so much for your doughnuts without yeast recipe.?

Years ago I would often make non yeast doughnuts ( for the office or school fetes etc ) to a recipe given to me by my great aunt.

Healthy eating and diets put paid to the doughnuts.

Unfortunately after such a long time, I can no longer remember the ingredients and quantities required to make the doughnuts.

The method is the same as yours OP, except that I would make a hole in the doughnuts before frying with a floured finger and would spin the doughball gently round iyswim.
After frying dip in sugar or icing sugar.

When my great aunt died, I asked if I could see her hand written recipes, but alas they had been chucked on the bin

I agree with other posters who have suggested using the slow cooker to cook your 'C' pud

I'm wonderin which dry white, Charleygirl?

That sounds rather splendid.

John Dory I hope ??

lemongrove Christmas is a time when I am pleased I live on my own and have no living relatives in England or Scotland so I really can do what I like. I normally have an upmarket fish dish supplied by Waitrose only at Christmas- that and a bottle of dry white-and hopefully something watchable on TV, who needs company?

My mum used to fry leftover C*******s pudding in butter. But not with bacon.

That’s a lot of fried stuff Paddyanne.....can feel my arteries clogging up just reading it.

Charleygirl ?
I really wish I could get away with cooking two boiled eggs each at Christmas.....frees up more time for slurping Baileys.

It was traditional to keep a tier of wedding cake for the christening of the first child,of course that was in the days when weddings went before babies...lol.I always have spare christmas puddings in the back of the cupboardfor use during the year,its a favourite of my OH , and its very good fried in butter with bacon for breakfast .Alternatively we use a clootie dumpling which isn't quite as rich but just as delicious fried ..or just hot with custard .

Have I been asleep for 6 months? Why did none of you wake me? I have missed Christmas dinner this year, no time to buy never mind cook so it will be two boiled eggs instead.

DanniRae sorry about your mum. Mine passed on in 2016, a year & 2 months after dad. It still hurts...

To everyone who has been messaging on this page - thanks for your suggestions and tips.

Which reminds me, on a different note.... I believe my parents wedding cake was a heavy fruit cake that Nana had made had been iced with Royal Icing. They kept the top tier in the freezer until me and my twin were born, 3 or 4 years later. They got the remaining top tier out for the christening and decided to see how things were.

The cake was duly defrosted a few days before the christening. But to try it? Well, the Royal Icing was so royal - it had to be chiselled off, short of taking a stick of dynamite to it. The cake underneath was still delicious. So my parents poured some cherry or brandy over it and had it re-iced for the christening. Apparently the cake had aged well and tasted delicious.

Good old Nana and mum! Loved their recipes!

Why didn’t I think of using the slow cooker? So obvious really!

I cook Xmas puddings in the slow cooker and leave them on low for about 8_10 hours.

Just wanted to say that I have a recipe in my recipe folder hand written by my darling mum. She died a good few years ago but seeing her hand writing always brings her back to me. She was a lovely mum

I boil mine (a 2 pint pudding basin full) for 5-6 hours, water coming about 2/3 of the way up the basin. It needs topping up regularly with boiling water.
On the day I just microwave it for about 15 minutes - works fine.

Actually, it's not too early. It will mature by C*******s
I was thinking of reheating a rather old Christmas pudding tomorrow but my backside seems to have increased since lockdown so perhaps some fruit might be better!

Don't bother with the skewers; it will be cooked through after an hour, probably, but they are always cooked for much longer.

Forget the sprouts. September is plenty soon enough to start boiling them.

I wish I'd typed up MIL's and GMIL's handwritten recipes. I threw them out because they were in such a state.

? I know it's waaaaay to early to ask re Xmas pudding, however I'm typing up my late mother's handwritten recipe book from photographs my sister emailed me.

So far, so good, I've typed them all up with a couple of queries outstanding because some recipes are missing parts and some of the pages are not in their proper places; but for the life of me and my sister - we can't remember Nana's xmas pudding cooking time.

It's those queries that are niggling me because I want to get my recipe folder finished, and print those with queries off (before I forget). Unfortunately Xmas pud was one!

Fortunately for the computer era - we can save our things. Silly though - I do like to have a printed version of the recipes rather than read it from my laptop. But now that they are on the laptop - DH has backed them up on to a hard drive and I've emailed them to my sister as well so that is an extra copy in case all soups hit the roof!

Thanks for the suggestions for cooking time. So anything from between 5 to 8 hours. As soon as a skewer comes out clean - it should do it.

Thanks again!

For those with a sweet tooth - here is a Doughnuts without yeast recipe:

8 oz plain flour
½ tsp salt
1 tsp B/P
1 ½ oz castor sugar
1 egg
4 Tbs milk
Oil for frying
Topping
1 tsp cinnamon
2 oz castor sugar

METHOD

1.Sift flour, salt & B/P.
2.Add butter, cut & rub in.
3.Add castor sugar.
4.Mix egg, milk & other ingredients. Use fork to mix to a rough dough.
5.Turn out on floured surface, knead lightly.
6.Roll to ¼” thickness and cut using a 2” cutter. Use smaller cutter to cut the middle out. (I used to use a bottle top!)
7.Fry in hot deep oil for 5 mins, drain well.
Topping:
8.Mix ingredients & roll warm doughnuts in mixture.

My initial reaction was....isn’t it bad enough having Covid around without mentioning the dreaded Ch word.

Cater !? After.

Cater lockdown I’m a bit of a heavy bottomed pan.

Whatever method or cooking time you choose - it’s the second heating for Boxing Day breakfast that counts - poach for 15 mins in brandy butter on a very low heat in a very heavy bottomed pan ?

My thoughts on this? ?It’s early June......ask again in December if you are not too busy elsewhere.