Bread Pudding with Apples
I haven’t always loved bread pudding. But there’s a simple reason why — I’d never had great bread pudding.
Even though I’ve spent five years trying to hone my instinct for casseroles (both sweet and savory), I knew that this one deserved a recipe. It’s just close enough to baking that I wanted to start with the science. And when I need peer-reviewed recipes, I tend to go for Cook’s Illustrated. They had just published a Classic Bread Pudding recipe, which I followed down to the little t in each teaspoon. It was wonderfully creamy, the bread and custard mixture had a perfect texture, and the flavor was balanced between egg and cream. But no nutmeg? Why, CI, would you eliminate the spices? I wasn’t invested in their interpretation of classic, so I aimed for delicious by adding spices and apples. It worked — I was trying to be sneaky about nabbing a bite after it had been out of the oven for only six minutes. Which begs the question: for whom was I so delicately covering up the evidence of my nibble?
If you’re in Portland, I recommend the rotating flavors of bread pudding at Crema. They use chocolate a bit too much for my taste, but I’m inspired by their other flavors. Upcoming variations will include pecans, figs, berries, pears, and/or ginger. Check out the recipe after the jump.
Classic Bread Pudding with Apples
Ingredients
| 1 | tablespoon light brown sugar |
| 3/4 | cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon |
| 1 | (14-ounce) loaf challah bread, cut into 3/4-inch cubes (about 10 cups) |
| 9 | large egg yolks |
| 4 | teaspoons vanilla extract |
| 3/4 | teaspoon salt |
| 2 1/2 | cups heavy cream |
| 2 1/2 . | cups milk |
| 4 | tablespoons unsalted butter |
| 3/4 | teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg |
| 1 | teaspoon ground cinnamon |
| 1 | apple (avoid Golden or Red Delicious and Granny Smith), cored and sliced thinly |
Instructions
1. Adjust oven racks to middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Spread bread cubes in single layer on 2 baking sheets. Bake for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, and switching trays from top to bottom racks after about 8 minutes. Bread should be just dry. Cool bread cubes about 15 minutes and set aside 2 cups.
3. Mix together brown sugar, 1 tbs. granulated sugar, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp. nutmeg. Heat 2 tbs. butter in a skillet, add apple and saute for 2 minutes. Add sugar mixture and saute for 2 more minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from skillet and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
4. Whisk yolks, remaining 3/4 cup sugar, vanilla, salt, 1/2 tsp. of the cinnamon, and 1/2 tsp. of the nutmeg together in large bowl. Whisk in cream and milk until combined. Add remaining 8 cups cooled bread cubes and about half of the apple slices; toss to coat. Transfer mixture to 13 by 9-inch baking dish and let stand, occasionally pressing bread cubes into custard, until cubes are thoroughly saturated, about 30 minutes.
5. Melt 2 tbs. of the butter. Spread remaining apple slices evenly over top of soaked bread mixture. Add reserved bread cubes and gently press into custard. Using pastry brush, dab melted butter over top of unsoaked bread pieces. Place bread pudding on rimmed baking sheet and bake on middle rack until custard has just set, and pressing center of pudding with finger reveals no runny liquid, 45 to 50 minutes. (Instant-read thermometer inserted into center of pudding should read 170 degrees.) Transfer to wire rack and cool until pudding is set and just warm, about 45 minutes. Or six minutes. Serve.
Tags: dessert, recipe, vegetarian
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