Apple Bread Pudding

Two parts to this recipe:

1. Apples. You have two options: you can cook them first in a skillet and they will caramelize a little, adding more flavor to the dessert, or you can use them raw, which means they will be light in color and crunchier. Both ways work, it's a matter of personal preference.
2. Bread pudding. The bread layer is very simple and traditional and uses an egg mixture, similar to a custard. The main difference is that it uses some sort of egg and/or sweet bread (today is Pandoro bread that I had leftover from the holidays, but brioche, challah, or Finnish Pulla also work) instead of white or French bread.

Together, both layers are magic!

Ingredients

• Apples: Granny Smith apples, the green ones, are a must to balance out the richness and sweetness from the rest of the ingredients.
• Bread: use any sweet/eggy/buttery leftover bread you like such as Pandoro (I had some leftover from the holidays), Challah, Brioche, or Pulla. They are softer and sweeter than the regular white bread used in old fashioned bread pudding, so take that into account when adding sugar.
• Sugar: white granulated or light brown sugar, both work well.
• Milk and cream: the combination makes this dessert rich and creamy. I use full fat, but low-fat milk can be used. I don't recommend the same for the cream though.
• Eggs: they are essential for the structure of this dessert, otherwise the liquid will never firm up. The extra yolk adds richness.
• Flavorings: since there are apples in here, I added cinnamon, which pairs wonderfully with the vanilla. Also, I like to add some lemon juice and/or zest to cut through some of the sweetness.

How to make this pudding

Making this dessert is easy and pretty quick since the bread cubes don't need to soak a long time before baking, like it sometimes does with stale French bread.

Apple mixture

When making the apple layer you can use them raw (image 1), or partially cooked and lightly caramelized first (image 2) which is what I do because there's more flavor and color. It's all explained in the recipe card at the end of this post.

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 breads that are egg-based, like Italian Pandoro bread, challah, Scandinavian pulla, or brioche bread, but favorites like cinnamon bread also work.
• Bread cubes: I cube the bread slices because they're easier to soak and also some tips are exposed during baking so they get crunchy which adds great texture to the final dessert, which is very creamy inside. The result is way better than with slices.
• Bread slices: I did try this version and the custard took way too long to fully bake and it just didn't work. So I don't recommend slices, cubes work much better.

The custard mixture

You only need to whisk or stir the custard, not beat it.

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

Baking it

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 fully set. It will be soupy and not good at all.

My top tips

• Organization: always read the recipe first and make sure you have all the ingredients, at the right temperatures, and also the rest of the equipment and space to make it. This will make the process so much easier!
• Baking time: keep in mind that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look the same or very similar. The baking time in my recipes are as accurate as I they can be, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer that is placed inside the oven (like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is the right temperature. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust. 
• Apples: if you want crunchier apples cut them in thicker wedges (about 6 slices from each half apple) and if you like very cooked fruit I suggest you dice them.
• Topping: you can cut bread cubes or slices. Both ways work, but the former tend to have crunchier parts because they get more exposure as the apple dessert bakes.
• Flavorings: I love cinnamon, vanilla, and lemon because they go so well with lemon, but let your palate decide. Orange, apple pie spice mix, even a dash of cardamom if you're familiar with it also work.
• Add-ins: there are several ingredients that can be added to the apple layer such as raisins, walnuts, pecans, cranberries. Use ¼ or ⅓ cup (total) of one of them or a mix.
• Serving it: this is the ultimate apple dessert to serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and caramel drizzle on top. A delicious fall dessert! I usually drizzle some dulce de leche sauce or caramel on top of the bread pudding, directly in the baking dish before serving.