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    Home / Recipes / Custards & Puddings

    Caramelized Apple Bread Pudding

    Published Mar 23, 2011

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    creme being poured onto slice of apple bread pudding
    I've been wanting to say or do something regarding the disaster in Japan, but haven't known what. Mostly, I feel quite helpless, with a heart full of sadness for those who have lost their lives, their homes, or loved ones on the other side of the pacific.

    But an unexpected opportunity to do something has arisen, and I'm very happy to share it here.

    peeled apples on a chopping board
    Bernal Yoga has been my place of mental, spiritual and physical comfort for the past 5 years (well, not always physical...). No matter how difficult things have gotten in life, walking into the studio always gives me the feeling of finally being able to take a deep breath. I cherish the sense of community at this studio, with students of all different shapes, sizes and ages, classes ranging from restorative to vigorous, and teachers who, even when encouraging you to contort your body into a pretzel, speak their words with loving kindness.

    apples being caramelized
    To help foster this sense of community, the assistant manager, also a yoga teacher and accomplished violinist, Ann, asked Jay and I whether we wanted to participate in a music salon this Saturday. We jumped at the chance, and have been gearing up our ukulele swing band, The Sugar Shakers, for our first real-ish show.Last week, Ann decided to turn the salon into a benefit, with donations going to the Red Cross' relief efforts in Japan.

    loaf of bread
    If you're in the Bay Area this weekend, please stop by to hear us play and donate to this worthy cause; and wear your dancin' socks. Here are the details:

    Japan Relief Benefit Music Salon:
    At Bernal Yoga, 461 Cortland Ave. at Andover, in the Bernal Heights area of San Francisco
    Saturday, March 26, from 8pm to 10pm
    Admission: by donation (all proceeds go to the Red Cross for relief efforts in Japan)
    Music by Ann Lam,The Sugar Shakers, and a reading by Bernal Yogi Erin O'Briant of her newly published novel Glitter Girl

    If you're not able to attend but still want to give, you can donate directly to the Red Cross.

    bread pudding mix poured onto bread
    top down shot of caramelized apple bread pudding in a baking dish
    At our rehearsal last week, Jessa, harmony genius and craftstress extraordinaire arrived carrying a warm bundle in her arms. Peeling back the tea towel revealed two beautiful, bouncing oat baguettes, still warm from the oven, emitting the most tantalizing aroma. One got sliced into rounds and slathered with soft goat cheese. I had more the next morning, toasted and drizzled with honey, which made a comforting breakfast when I couldn't sleep and, uncharacteristically, got up before dawn to bake a loaf of beer sourdough. Jessa, on the other hand, gets up every morning before dawn - another of many reasons that I admire her!

    pastry brush coating bread pudding
    sugar being sprinkled onto the bread pudding
    These baguettes aren't your typical, crusty-chewy french breads; rather, they have the pleasingly pillowy texture of a good American-style pan bread, light yet dense, and flecked with nubby bits of steel-cut oats. I reckoned they'd make a killer bread pudding.

    apple bread pudding in a baking dish
    So for rehearsal last weekend, I sauteed some apple chunks in a skillet, tipped out the apples and deglazed the pan with light cream steeped with vanilla bean, then whisked in eggs, brown sugar, nutmeg and brandy, and tossed everything with the cubed baguettes. As per Cook's rich bread pudding recipe, I added some extra bread cubes and topped them with melted butter and cinnamon sugar. The pudding baked up flavorful and moist, dotted with pockets of soft, caramelized apples, with crunchy bits of cinnamon toast on top. A pour of cool crème anglaise rounded out the flavors nicely.

    square slice of apple bread pudding
    As we chant at the end of yoga class:Lokah samastha sukhino bhavantu, or "may all beings everywhere be happy, healthy and free of suffering. May the thoughts and actions of my own life contribute, in some way, to happiness and freedom for all."

    top down shot of bread pudding
    Hope to see you all this Saturday!

    For more apple dessert recipes:

    • (Gluten-Free) Apple Crisple
    • Über Apple Upside-Down Cake
    • Apple Rhubarb Crisp
    • Super-Moist Pink Pearl Apple Cake

    *Bojon appétit! For more Bojon Gourmet in your life, follow along on Instagram,  Facebook, or Pinterest, purchase my gluten-free cookbook Alternative Baker, or subscribe to receive new posts via email. And if you make this apple bread pudding recipe, I’d love to know. Leave a comment and rating below, and tag your Instagram snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet  and  #bojongourmet.*

    5 from 1 vote

    Caramelized Apple Bread Pudding

    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Quite possibly the best bread pudding you will ever have!
    Alanna Taylor-Tobin
    Prep Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
    Cook Time: 40 minutes
    Total: 2 hours
    Servings: 10 servings.

    Ingredients

    Caramelized Apples:

    • 3 large, tart, baking apples (such as Grannies, Pink Ladies or Fujis)
    • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
    • 3 tablespoons sugar
    • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
    • pinch salt

    Bread and custard:

    • 2 1/2 cups half and half
    • 1 cup whole milk
    • 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and scraped
    • 3 large eggs
    • 1/2 cup light or dark brown sugar
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
    • 2 tablespoons brandy (or whiskey, or dark or gold rum)
    • 12 ounces bread (such as Jessa's Oat Baguettes; see headnote for more suggestions), in 1" cubes (about 6 cups; 1 cup reserved for the topping)
    • 2 tablespoons butter, melted
    • 1 tablespoon sugar
    • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
    • crème anglaise, for serving (below)

    Crème Anglaise (Makes 2 cups, or 12 servings)

    • 1 cup whole milk or half and half
    • 1 cup heavy cream
    • 1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped
    • 4 egg yolks
    • pinch salt
    • 6 tablespoons sugar

    Instructions

    Caramelize the apples:

    • Peel the apples, cut them off the core and into 3/4 - 1" chunks. In a heavy-bottomed 10 - 12" skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the sugar, cinnamon and salt, stirring until the mixture bubbles, then toss in the apples to coat them. Let the apples sit, undisturbed, for 1 minute to sear a bit, then toss them again, and let them sit another minute. Repeat this for about 10 minutes, until the apples are deeply golden and tender. Remove from the heat and scrape the apples and their juices into a bowl; don't wash the skillet - you will use it to make the custard.

    Make the custard and assemble the pudding:

    • Pour the half and half and milk into the caramelly-appley skillet. Add the vanilla pod and scrapings and heat over a medium flame, stirring and scraping up any good stuff the apples left behind, until the dairy is steaming and small bubbles form around the sides of the pan. Turn off the heat, cover the pot (with a lid if you've got one, or use a large plate or platter) and let steep for 20 - 30 minutes.
    • When the dairy has finished steeping, in a large bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the eggs, brown sugar, salt, and nutmeg to combine. Whisk in the brandy. Remove the vanilla pod from the dairy and slowly whisk the warm dairy into the egg mixture, including any vanilla seeds which may have sunk to the bottom.
    • Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325ºF. Brush a 2-quart gratin dish or casserole with some of the melted butter.
    • In a small bowl, combine the tablespoon of sugar with the 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon.
    • Place 5 cups of the bread cubes in the buttered dish and pour the custard over the top. Let soak for 20 minutes, pressing the bread down occasionally to moisten it. After 20 minutes, scatter the caramelized apples and their juices over the bread. Scatter the remaining cup of bread cubes over the apples and press them to partially submerge in the custard. Brush the exposed bread cubes with the rest of the melted butter, and sprinkle evenly with the cinnamon sugar.
    • Bake the bread pudding until puffed all over and golden, about 1 hour. When you peek into the center, there should be no wet custard. Remove the pudding from the oven and let cool and settle, at least 30 minutes. Serve warm with crème anglaise or vanilla ice cream.
    • The pudding can be cooled and stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days; reheat in a 350º oven until warmed through.

    Crème Anglaise

    • In a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the milk and cream with the vanilla pod and scrapings until steaming and small bubbles form around the sides of the pan, swirling occasionally. Cover and steep off the heat for 20 minutes.
    • Place a fine mesh sieve over a large, metal bowl and set aside.
    • In a medium bowl, whisk together the yolks, salt and sugar until well combined. Reheat the milk until steaming, then dribble it into the yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Pour the mixture back into the pan, and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a heat-proof spatula or wooden spoon, until the mixture reaches 175º and thickens to the consistency of heavy cream, 5 - 10 minutes.
    • Immediately pour the mixture through the strainer and into the bowl to stop the cooking. Place the bowl in an ice bath, stirring the custard occasionally, until well-chilled. (If you overcooked your custard and it is lumpy, just whizz it in a blender or with an immersion blender until smooth.)
    • Store the creme anglaise in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

    Notes

    This recipe requires several steps: cooking the apples, steeping the dairy with vanilla bean, making the crème anglaise, and (if you are totally hardcore) baking Jessa's fabulous oat baguettes. Many of the steps can be done ahead: you can bake the bread weeks in advance (double-wrap and stick in the freezer after a week) and cook the apples and steep the dairy with the vanilla bean up to several days ahead (store both in the fridge).
    The pudding can also be baked in advance, left at room temp for up to 2 hours (or refrigerated for up to 4 days), and reheated in a 350º oven, or cut into individual squares and reheated.
    I love the flecks of steel-cut oats here, and these baguettes have the perfect light-dense texture for bread pudding. Lacking them, I wouldn't use a typically crusty baguette, but rather a firm, white sandwich bread (with a bit of whole grain in it, if possible) such as challah, brioche, pan de mie, orRudi's Organic Country Morning White. My multi-grain loaf would probably work, too; though I might leave out the flax seeds.
    Caramelized Apples:
    Adapted from Good to the Grain (from the Apple Graham Coffeecake recipe).
    Bread and custard:
    Inspired by Cook's Rich Bread Pudding.
    Nutritional values are based on one of ten servings.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 495kcalCarbohydrates: 53gProtein: 10gFat: 26gSaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 202mgSodium: 380mgPotassium: 260mgFiber: 2gSugar: 31gVitamin A: 1025IUVitamin C: 3.2mgCalcium: 166mgIron: 1.6mg
    Making this? I'd love to see!Tag your snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet and #bojongourmet!

    Caramelized Apple Bread Pudding

    Makes about 10 servings

    A few notes:

    • This recipe requires several steps: cooking the apples, steeping the dairy with vanilla bean, making the crème anglaise, and (if you are totally hardcore) baking Jessa's fabulous oat baguettes. Many of the steps can be done ahead: you can bake the bread weeks in advance (double-wrap and stick in the freezer after a week) and cook the apples and steep the dairy with the vanilla bean up to several days ahead (store both in the fridge).
    • The pudding can also be baked in advance, left at room temp for up to 2 hours (or refrigerated for up to 4 days), and reheated in a 350º oven, or cut into individual squares and reheated.
    • I love the flecks of steel-cut oats here, and these baguettes have the perfect light-dense texture for bread pudding. Lacking them, I wouldn't use a typically crusty baguette, but rather a firm, white sandwich bread (with a bit of whole grain in it, if possible) such as challah, brioche, pan de mie, orRudi's Organic Country Morning White. My multi-grain loaf would probably work, too; though I might leave out the flax seeds.

    Caramelized Apples:
    Adapted from Good to the Grain (from the Apple Graham Coffeecake recipe)

    3 large, tart, baking apples (such as Grannies, Pink Ladies or Fujis)
    3 tablespoons unsalted butter
    3 tablespoons sugar
    1 teaspoon cinnamon
    pinch salt

    Bread and custard:
    Inspired by Cook's Rich Bread Pudding

    2 1/2 cups half and half
    1 cup whole milk
    1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and scraped
    3 large eggs
    1/2 cup light or dark brown sugar
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
    2 tablespoons brandy (or whiskey, or dark or gold rum)
    12 ounces bread (such as Jessa's Oat Baguettes; see headnote for more suggestions), in 1" cubes (about 6 cups; 1 cup reserved for the topping)
    2 tablespoons butter, melted
    1 tablespoon sugar
    1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
    crème anglaise, for serving (below)

    Caramelize the apples:
    Peel the apples, cut them off the core and into 3/4 - 1" chunks. In a heavy-bottomed 10 - 12" skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the sugar, cinnamon and salt, stirring until the mixture bubbles, then toss in the apples to coat them. Let the apples sit, undisturbed, for 1 minute to sear a bit, then toss them again, and let them sit another minute. Repeat this for about 10 minutes, until the apples are deeply golden and tender. Remove from the heat and scrape the apples and their juices into a bowl; don't wash the skillet - you will use it to make the custard.

    Make the custard and assemble the pudding:
    Pour the half and half and milk into the caramelly-appley skillet. Add the vanilla pod and scrapings and heat over a medium flame, stirring and scraping up any good stuff the apples left behind, until the dairy is steaming and small bubbles form around the sides of the pan. Turn off the heat, cover the pot (with a lid if you've got one, or use a large plate or platter) and let steep for 20 - 30 minutes.

    When the dairy has finished steeping, in a large bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the eggs, brown sugar, salt, and nutmeg to combine. Whisk in the brandy. Remove the vanilla pod from the dairy and slowly whisk the warm dairy into the egg mixture, including any vanilla seeds which may have sunk to the bottom.

    Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325ºF. Brush a 2-quart gratin dish or casserole with some of the melted butter.

    In a small bowl, combine the tablespoon of sugar with the 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon.

    Place 5 cups of the bread cubes in the buttered dish and pour the custard over the top. Let soak for 20 minutes, pressing the bread down occasionally to moisten it. After 20 minutes, scatter the caramelized apples and their juices over the bread. Scatter the remaining cup of bread cubes over the apples and press them to partially submerge in the custard. Brush the exposed bread cubes with the rest of the melted butter, and sprinkle evenly with the cinnamon sugar.

    Bake the bread pudding until puffed all over and golden, about 1 hour. When you peek into the center, there should be no wet custard. Remove the pudding from the oven and let cool and settle, at least 30 minutes. Serve warm with crème anglaise or vanilla ice cream.

    The pudding can be cooled and stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days; reheat in a 350º oven until warmed through.

    Crème Anglaise
    Makes 2 cups, or 12 servings

    1 cup whole milk or half and half
    1 cup heavy cream
    1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped
    4 egg yolks
    pinch salt
    6 tablespoons sugar

    In a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the milk and cream with the vanilla pod and scrapings until steaming and small bubbles form around the sides of the pan, swirling occasionally. Cover and steep off the heat for 20 minutes.

    Place a fine mesh sieve over a large, metal bowl and set aside.

    In a medium bowl, whisk together the yolks, salt and sugar until well combined. Reheat the milk until steaming, then dribble it into the yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Pour the mixture back into the pan, and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a heat-proof spatula or wooden spoon, until the mixture reaches 175º and thickens to the consistency of heavy cream, 5 - 10 minutes.

    Immediately pour the mixture through the strainer and into the bowl to stop the cooking. Place the bowl in an ice bath, stirring the custard occasionally, until well-chilled. (If you overcooked your custard and it is lumpy, just whizz it in a blender or with an immersion blender until smooth.)

    Store the creme anglaise in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

    close up of caramelized apple bread pudding

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jessa says

      March 23, 2011 at 6:39 pm

      You say such nice things! I'm all blushy. Thanks for the link, and for publicizing my (dubious) kazoo-mastery. Heh.

      It is lovely to hear that the salon has become a benefit, and am happy to be able to perform and make a difference! Now I have to pick out a cute pair of socks to wear!!

      A note on the recipe: this bread pudding was DELICIOUS. Perfectly balanced between sweet and rich and bready-comfort-food, with the cool creaminess of the creme anglaise providing a counterpoint to the warmth of the pudding. I would eat this for any (every!) meal of the day.

      Reply
    2. alanna says

      March 24, 2011 at 5:51 pm

      I'm so glad you liked the pudding. Thank you again for the beautiful baguettes!

      Reply
    3. Lotuspixie says

      January 04, 2014 at 10:10 pm

      This was a wonderful base recipe for a bread pudding--nice and eggy (some recipes taste too much like just dry bread). I would, however, add way more apples, and mix them throughout the pudding instead of just near the top. Thank you for the recipe!

      Reply
      • Alanna says

        January 05, 2014 at 1:36 am

        Hi Lotuspixie, I'm so glad you liked the pudding! Hooray for more apples - that sounds like a fabulous idea. :)

        Reply
    4. Anonymous says

      February 10, 2014 at 6:41 am

      I used this recipe tonight to use up an extra loaf of a type of sweet bread I made last week and it was to die for! I'm sitting in bed right now already anxious to wake up in the morning to eat a slice with my coffee. The creme anglaise was creamy and perfect per your instruction on the pudding was just the right texture, flavor, warmth and sweetness. Thanks for an excellent bread pudding recipe! Well worth the effort, and it really isn't much for the end result.

      Reply
      • Alanna says

        February 10, 2014 at 8:10 pm

        Aw! What a sweet note! I'm so glad you gave this pudding a go and enjoyed the results so much. :D

        Reply
    5. Anonymous says

      June 23, 2014 at 8:40 pm

      I have a modified version in the oven. In place of carmelized apples I used chai applesauce. In the fall my apples are bountiful so several years ago I came up with a chai applesauce. Very elegant tasting. Hope it does your recipe proud. Dawn

      Reply
      • Alanna says

        June 23, 2014 at 10:11 pm

        Oooh, that sounds phenomenal. Let me know how you like it!

        Reply

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