¼ cup raisins
¼ cup rum
10 slices thick white bread, crusts removed
50g (1.76 oz) unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
150g (5 oz) caster sugar
2 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
500ml coconut milk
4 eggs
Coconut or vanilla ice cream, to serve
Preheat oven to 160°C/320°F. Lightly grease a 6-cup capacity ovenproof dish with softened butter.
Heat rum in a small saucepan until simmering. Remove from heat and add raisins to soak. Set aside for 15 minutes.
Butter one side of each slice of bread. Layer slices, slightly overlapping, into the greased ovenproof dish. Sprinkle over rum-soaked raisins.
Place sugar, Chinese five-spice, coconut milk and eggs into a large bowl. Whisk until well combined.
Pour liquid mixture over the bread. Stand for 10 minutes so the bread absorbs some of the liquid. Then pop the whole thing into your preheated oven for 45-50 minutes or until the pudding is just set and the top is golden brown.
Serve warm with ice cream.
To bake ahead and reheat: Pudding can be baked ahead, cooled and then reheated when ready to serve. To reheat, cover with foil and warm for 20-30 minutes in a 160°C/320°F oven. Or bake in a microwave-proof dish and reheat in the microwave
