The Ultimate Spotted Dick (British Pudding)

By
Elaine Lemm
Elaine Lemm
Elaine Lemm
Elaine Lemm is a renowned British food writer, classically trained chef, teacher, and author with over 25 years of experience writing about British food and cooking.
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Updated on 11/12/21
Spotted Dick

 The Spruce

Prep: 30 mins
Cook: 2 hrs
Total: 2 hrs 30 mins
Servings: 6 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
414 Calories
18g Fat
58g Carbs
5g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories 414
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 18g 24%
Saturated Fat 10g 50%
Cholesterol 14mg 5%
Sodium 476mg 21%
Total Carbohydrate 58g 21%
Dietary Fiber 2g 8%
Total Sugars 26g
Protein 5g
Vitamin C 2mg 10%
Calcium 165mg 13%
Iron 2mg 14%
Potassium 278mg 6%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Puddings are the backbone of British food; they can be sweet or savory and are often cooked by steaming. One steamed pudding recipe that is most familiar is the spotted dick. The name of this classic English pudding will usually bring about a smile or a look of abject horror, which is why some prefer to use the lesser-known title of “spotted dog pudding," but it doesn't quite sound the same.

Spotted dick is the perfect pudding for a treat on a cold winter's day, filled with the comforting flavors of raisins, currants, and brown sugar; the lemon zest adds an unexpected brightness. This traditional recipe calls for suet, which is the fat that surrounds beef kidneys, giving this dessert a rich taste. If you can't find suet, replace it with butter.

Ingredients

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Spotted Dick Recipe ingredients
    The Spruce

  2. In a small bowl, mix raisins, currants, sugar, and lemon zest.

    Mixed raisins, currants, sugar, and lemon rind
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  3. Sift flour into a large mixing bowl and add suet and salt; mix together to combine.

    Flour in bowl
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  4. Add a little bit of the milk. Using a knife, cut in suet, adding more milk little by little until mixture comes together.

    Milk and knife in bowl
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  5. Use hands to combine mixture into a soft, elastic dough. Add more milk if necessary.

  6. Place dough on a lightly floured surface and roll into a rectangle about 8 by 12 inches.

    Dough on lightly floured wooden board
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  7. Evenly spread pudding filling mixture over dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Using a pastry brush, cover edges of dough with some cold water.

    Mixture on flattened dough
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  8. Starting with the narrow end, carefully roll up dough.

    Rolled up dough
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  9. Soak a clean tea towel or cloth napkin in boiling water for a few minutes. Using tongs, squeeze to remove excess water. (Be careful doing this.) Wrap napkin around pudding, twisting at each end; secure ends with kitchen string.

    Dough roll in towel
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  10. Place pudding roll in a steamer and steam for 2 hours.

    Wrapped dough roll in steamer dish
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  11. Alternatively, wrap pudding suet roll in foil and bake in a hot oven (400 F) for 1 hour 30 mins.

    Dough roll on foil
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  12. Unwrap immediately and cut into thick slices.

    Sliced Spotted Dick roll
     The Spruce

  13. Serve drizzled with custard sauce, if desired, and enjoy.

    Spotted Dick
    The Spruce

Where Does Spotted Dick Get Its Name?

When it comes to the name of this dish, it is the second word that makes people scratch their heads. "Spotted," simply enough, refers to the raisins and currants in the dough. The word "dick" originates from the first word for pudding, a "puddick" or "puddog." The term was shortened to "dick" and became the common name for this dessert.