Apple Cinnamon Bread Pudding (sweet casserole dish)

A cozy fall dessert made with cinnamon apples, soft custard-soaked bread, and a drizzle of dulce de leche or caramel. With a short soaking and quick prep, it's the perfect way to use stale brioche, challah or leftover sweet breads from special occasions. The result is creamy, golden, slightly crunchy on top, and full of old-fashioned comfort.

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Caramel and cream topped serving of apple brioche pudding on a white plate. White jug, green apple in the gray background.

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Fall apple dessert worth making

Most countries and cultures have a way of using stale bread. Many involve a custard, whether it's an old-fashioned bread pudding or a holiday French toast casserole. This bread pudding with apples and custard is no exception.

There are two parts to this recipe, and together they're magic!

The apples are cooked in a skillet, so they caramelize a little and add more flavor to the dessert. Trust me on this, I tried raw apples and the result was lackluster.

The bread layer is traditional and straightforward, with a custard-like egg mixture. The main difference is that it uses an egg-based and/or sweet bread, and the custard amount is not a lot. My favorites are brioche or challah, but I have tried it with sweeter options like Pandoro bread leftovers from the holidays or Finnish Pulla, and they work very well.

I highly recommend serving it with a sauce like homemade caramel or dulce de leche, and enjoy a caramel apple bread pudding, which is the ultimate flavor combination for fall! A vanilla custard sauce also works really well, but it doesn't have that gooey component.

Paula's Takeaways

The best texture comes from eggy bread cut into cubes and just enough custard to soak it without turning it into mush. Cooking the apples first builds deeper flavor, and caramel or dulce de leche takes it to dessert status.

Rectangular white dish with apple bread pudding. White plates, apples. White background.

Testing Notes

Cook the apples: A quick sauté in butter and cinnamon gives them color and flavor; much better than raw.
Apple texture differences: For apples that stay soft but hold their shape, slice them into medium wedges. If you prefer crunchier apples, cut them into thicker wedges, about 6 slices per half apple. For a softer, almost jammy texture, dice the apples small before cooking.
Type of bread matters: Pandoro, brioche, or challah make this rich and tender. White bread lacks flavor for this pudding, as it doesn't have a lot of custard.
Cut your bread into cubes instead of slices. Cubes soak more evenly and create crispy golden tips as they bake, adding contrast to the creamy custard. This helps the dessert cook uniformly without soggy or underbaked spots.
Milk and cream: the combination makes this dessert rich and creamy. I use regular milk, but low-fat milk can be used. I don't recommend the same for the cream, though.
Soft but set: The custard should jiggle slightly but not feel liquid in the center. Check with a knife or toothpick.

FAQ

Is bread pudding supposed to be soggy?

Yes, but in a good way. It's baked bread with liquid, so it does soften a lot. Make sure it's properly baked, so it's not mushy. There's a difference between creamy and soft versus soggy and mushy.

Can bread pudding be refrigerated overnight before baking?

Yes, it can. Make sure it's covered. Keep in mind that the bread in this recipe is very soft, even if it's stale, so the texture will be more uniform as the liquid will be absorbed more. But you can do it and bake it in the morning.

Lifting a serving of apple bread pudding from dish. Light gray background.

Ingredients

Quantities are listed on the recipe card towards the end of this post. The Ingredients page has more details and lists the brands we use.

Types of apples to use

Depending on the kind of apples you use, you can vary the sweetness of this dessert.

Granny Smith: The green ones, my absolute favorites for baking due to their tartness. They bring some acid to the mix that complements the overall sweetness of the dessert. They hold their shape and don't turn mushy in the oven.
Other popular ones: if you have another favorite that you usually bake with (Pink Lady, Fuji, Gala or Honeycrisp apples), by all means, use it. Red apples are sweeter and soften faster, so take that into account.
A mix of apples: you can also mix them to create different textures and sweetness levels.

Process steps

Making this sweet casserole dish is easy and quick since the bread cubes don't need to soak for a long time before baking, as sometimes happens when using stale French bread.

Light blue ceramic dish with cooked apple slices with cinnamon. White surface.

Apple mixture

The first layer consists of apple slices lightly cooked in butter, sugar, and cinnamon. This step adds more flavor and color, and it's worth it.

Custard

You only need to whisk or stir the custard ingredients; don't beat them.

You want the eggs to be completely integrated but not incorporate extra air into the mixture so that it doesn't rise or puff too much during baking.

The bread

A few important comments about what bread to use and how to cut it.

Types of bread to use: as mentioned before, we use egg-based breads, ideally brioche bread, but have tried it with Italian Pandoro bread, challah and Scandinavian pulla, and it's just as good. Keep in mind that they have different levels of sweetness; you can adjust the sugar if you want to.
Bread cubes: they're easier and faster to soak, and some tips are exposed during baking, so they get crunchy. This adds great texture to the final dessert, which is very creamy. The result is way better than with large bread pieces or slices.
Bread slices: I did try this version, and the custard took way too long to bake fully, and it just didn't work. So, I don't recommend slices. Cubes work much better.

Soaked brioche bread cubes in a rectangular white dish. Light gray background.

Soaking

You only need to whisk or stir the custard ingredients; don't beat them.

You want the eggs to be completely integrated but not incorporate extra air into the mixture so that it doesn't rise or puff too much during baking.

Rectangular white dish with baked bread pudding. Top view.

Baking

The top will bake to a golden brown, especially with an egg-based bread, and it will look like it's done when the specified time in the recipe is up.

But, and this is a big but... always make sure the inside is creamy but completely set, fully baked. You don't want it to be still liquid because it means that the eggs are not set. It will be soupy and not good at all.

Customize it

Cinnamon, vanilla, and lemon are classic flavorings that pair beautifully with baked apples and custard.

For a flavoring variation, try orange zest, apple pie spice, or a hint of cardamom to bring a more complex flavor to your fall dessert.

Add-ins: You can add up to ¼ or ⅓ cup of mix-ins like raisins, chopped walnuts, pecans, or dried cranberries. These bring texture and a burst of flavor that works especially well for holiday versions.

Other bread recipes to try:

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Adapted from an old Bon Appetit magazine.

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