Apple Bread Pudding
Delicious Apple Bread Pudding is made with a caramelized layer of cinnamon-spiced apples. The perfect fall dessert recipe when you are looking for cozy comfort food!
This homemade apple bread pudding is a rich dessert that tastes even better when topped with my Homemade Caramel Sauce or a dulce de leche sauce.
What are the best apples to use?
My personal favorite are McIntosh apples, but Granny Smith or honey crisp work great as well. These apples have a great balance of sweet and tart and don’t get mushy when baked.
What type of bread works best for bread pudding?
I use challah bread, but brioche, or French bread are other good choices. These are breads that will soak up the custard without turning mushy. Remember to use at least day-old bread.
With just a few simple ingredients you can make a comfort-food dessert that makes the whole kitchen smell amazing. I like to serve homemade apple bread pudding for Thanksgiving or a holiday dessert. If you love apple desserts, you will probably love Grandma’s Old Fashioned Apple Pie and Maple Apple Crisp as well.
One of the best parts of this bread pudding is the layer of caramelized apples. The apples are cooked until golden and coated in a rich buttery caramel sauce. I made this bread pudding in a square springform pan which showcases the apple layer when inverted, although this recipe still works well in a regular baking dish.
Cozy comfort food desserts
Incredibly delicious old fashioned desserts inspired by my Mom and Grandma.
Apple Bread Pudding
Ingredients
Bread Pudding Custard
- 1 loaf Challah bread about 8 cups (cut into cubes)
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 whole eggs
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Caramelized Apples
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup brown sugar firmly packed
- pinch salt
- 8 apples peeled and sliced
Instructions
- Grease an 8 x 8 baking pan with butter.
- Preheat oven to 350º F.
- Place bread cubes on baking sheet and toast in the oven just until slightly toasted. Keep a close eye on to prevent over-browning.
- Remove from oven and place in large bowl, set aside.
Prepare the Bread Pudding Custard
- In a large saucepan combine heavy cream, whole milk, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks and granulated sugar.
- Remove the cream mixture from heat and add it to the egg mixture, slowly whisking a bit at a time.
- Stir in the cinnamon and nutmeg.
- Pour the cream and egg mixture over the bread cubes and toss to combine coating all of the bread cubes.
- Let the bread filling sit for at least 30 minutes to allow the cream mixture to completely soak into the bread cubes.
Caramelizing the Apples
- Using a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat.
- Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla, brown sugar and pinch of salt into the butter. Stir until the sugar is dissolved.
- Add the apple slices and cook until the apples are caramelized and sugar is a thick, syrup consistency. Pour into the prepared baking pan.
- Next, spread the bread pudding mixture over the apples.
- Bake in 350ºF oven for 50-60 minutes. The top should be golden brown with slightly crisp edges. Insert a knife into the centre. It should come out with no raw custard, just a few moist crumbs.
- Allow to cool slightly, serve warm topped with homemade caramel sauce, ice cream or whipped cream.
Notes
Nutrition
we have Keiffer pear trees in our yard, so anything that calls for apples, I substitute with pears and this one that definitely works! This is a fantastic recipe, even if you use store bought sauce for a topping.
I will say though that it takes more than the 1 hour listed, but it’s worth it!
Cindy, I never thought to use pears, great substitution!
It was great ,thank you
thank you so much Sandy.