Mrs Beeton's Bread Pudding

I was disappointed with how mine turned out. I spread the breadcrumbs on the bottom of the baking dish and then spread the melted jam all over the breadcrumbs - this had the effect of creating an impermeable barrier between the breadcrumbs and the eggy liquid so when the concoction was through baking the breadcrumbs were toasted and dry as a bone! None of the eggy liquid had managed to saturate the bread crumbs. Next time, I will gently pour about 1/3 to 1/2 of the eggy liquid over the breadcrumbs, then drop dollops of jam (leaving space between the dollops) and then pour the remaining eggy liquid over the jam. I also found it needed about an hour and a half to cook but that could just be my oven thermostat is not set properly. Hope this helps someone in future!

Mrs B knew a thing or two! Just a few tweaks because—>2021 and this is what we do:
I used a 1.5 quart, deep glass pie dish. I placed it with a sheet pan under it in - just in case. I took the crusts off of a challah and tore the bread into small cubes (ish). I melted the seedless raspberry jam and drizzled it over the bread. I melted the butter, let it cool a bit before I combined it with the egg mixture. I also added pinch of nutmeg and a pinch of cinnamon and a tsp of vanilla to the liquid. This was VERY delicious, rich, but light, lovely pudding. Huge hit.
Just try it, you’ll like it!