Apple Bread Pudding

5 from 1 vote

Indulgent apple bread pudding recipe with aromatic autumn spices, seasonal apples, and a rich homemade custard for fall baking perfection

Prep Time30

Cook Time1

Total Time1 30

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: British

Servings: 2x3 squares

Calories: 269kcal

Author: Rachel

Cost: $18

Ingredients

Apples and Sauce

1 ¾ lbs Granny Smith Apples Peel, core and dice apples. (about 4-5 apples) - other tart apples can be substituted.
6 tablespoon Unsalted Butter
2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
½ teaspoon Nutmeg You can substitute apple pie spice
⅛ teaspoon Allspice
¼ cup Granulated Sugar
½ cup Brown Sugar
1 cup Whole Milk
3 tablespoon All-purpose Flour

Bread Pudding and Custard

16 oz Challah Bread See substitution note
5 Large Eggs
4 tablespoon Unsalted Butter melted
2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
½ cup Brown Sugar
2 teaspoon Cinnamon
½ teaspoon Nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon Allspice
2 cups Whole Milk
¼ cup Heavy Cream
½ teaspoon Salt
Vanilla Ice Cream Optional (for serving)

Instructions

The Day Before

About 24 hours before preparing this bread pudding, tear 16 oz Challah Bread into ½- or 1-inch cubes. Spread cubes on a large baking sheet and allow to rest overnight on a cool, dry place like the counter, in order to stale.

Cook the Spiced Apples

In a medium saucepan, melt 6 tablespoon Unsalted Butter over medium heat. Stir in ¼ cup Granulated Sugar and ½ cup Brown Sugar.
Add 1 ¾ lbs Granny Smith Apples and 2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon, ½ teaspoon Nutmeg, and ⅛ teaspoon Allspice. Stir and cover. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the apples are soft to your liking, about 10-15 minutes.
Take off heat and strain through a strainer, saving the juice. Let the apples cool a bit.

Put Together the Bread Pudding

Preheat the oven to 375 and lightly grease a 9x13 casserole dish.
Spread stale bread in the baking dish evenly. Layer the apples over the bread, gently mixing the pieces so that some apples nestle between the bread.
Whisk together 5 Large Eggs , 4 tablespoon Unsalted Butter , 2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract , ½ cup Brown Sugar , 2 teaspoon Cinnamon , ½ teaspoon Nutmeg , ⅛ teaspoon Allspice , and ½ teaspoon Salt in a large mixing bowl. Add 2 cups Whole Milk and ¼ cup Heavy Cream, continuing to whisk until well combined.
Pour egg mixture evenly throughout and over the bread and apple mixture. Press down on bread lightly to remove any air holes and to work the egg mixture into the top layer of bread. The top layer should be mostly flat (no pieces sticking out) as they may brown too much.
Bake for 35-40 minutes. It should feel bouncy similar to a cake but may jiggle slightly from the eggs. The surface will be browned.

Make the Sauce

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the saved apple sauce with 3 tablespoon All-purpose Flour. Stir until smooth. Slowly add 1 cup Whole Milk to the saucepan. Heat and stir for 2-3 minutes or until warmed through. Taste test and sweeten if necessary (it's pretty sweet though).
Serve warm with sauce on the side or pour over individual servings and top with Vanilla Ice Cream.

Notes

Challah is generally the go-to standard. You can also use Brioche or other rich, eggy breads. Sometimes a good quality french bread will work, but it may soak up more of the egg mixture, so make sure it has set out for 24 hours and hardened a little.

Nutrition