Steamed Apple Pudding

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 0.5 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp butter
• 0.75 cup milk
• 4 apples
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 0.25 tsp nutmeg

Method

This is a steaming pudding, which means the batter must be light enough to hold air pockets through gentle, moist heat — unlike baked puddings, where the dry oven sets the crumb. The control here is the batter's hydration and aeration before the apples go in.

Sift the flour, baking-powder, and salt together twice. The double sift is non-negotiable: it aerates the flour and distributes the leavening evenly so you won't get dense pockets. Rub the butter into the flour with cold fingertips until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs — irregular crumbs trap air, which the steam will expand later. Add the milk in two additions, stirring with a knife until just combined. The batter should be thick and shaggy, not smooth. Overmixing develops gluten, which tightens the crumb and fights the rise you need.

Peel and core the apples, then cut them into eighths. Mix the sugar, nutmeg, and a pinch of salt in a small bowl — the spice needs distributing evenly through the fruit so you're not biting down on raw nutmeg. Generously butter a 1-litre pudding basin or metal mould. Spread half the batter across the base, arrange the apple pieces on top, scatter the sugar-spice mixture, then cover with the remaining batter. The apples should sit in the middle; they'll sink slightly into the lower batter during steaming and won't sink through to the bottom. Cover the mould tightly with buttered parchment and foil tied underneath — steam must not penetrate. Set it on a trivet in a pot with enough simmering water to reach halfway up the sides. The steam jacket will take about eighty minutes; the top should feel set and spring back when you press it lightly, but not firm. The apples below will have released their juice and softened into the batter, creating a jammy layer.

Turn the pudding out onto a warmed plate — the apples should have sunk slightly, creating a sunken crown where the steam released last. Serve warm with cold custard or a thin vanilla sauce so the temperature contrast sharpens the spice and fruit.