Apple bread pudding is a decadent breakfast or dessert dish made with day old bread and spiced apples soaked in a creamy apple cider custard. Once baked this bread and apple pudding can be topped with salted caramel sauce, creamy vanilla sauce or powdered sugar.
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Why Should You Make This Recipe
I love a decadent recipe that works just as well for breakfast as it does for dessert. My Pumpkin Bread Pudding, Bread Pudding with Vanilla Sauce, Chocolate Bread Pudding, Savory Bread Pudding and Brioche French Toast Casserole are just a few of the many that I love making. This apple bread recipe is no exception. Here are a couple reasons I know you’ll reach for this easy apple pudding over and over again.
- Easy to make. This cozy and warmly spiced apple pudding tastes like something you could find in a restaurant, but you may be surprised to learn just how easy it is to make! This bread apple pudding recipe comes together easily once all the components are made. All you have to do after mixing all the ingredients is to simply bake it, top and enjoy.
- Perfectly cozy and made for indulgent holiday breakfasts or desserts. There’s nothing more satisfying than enjoying a deliciously indulgent breakfast or dessert everyone will love. This simple bread pudding with caramelized apples is the perfect easy to make breakfast or dessert.
Ingredients
This easy bread pudding with apples recipe requires only a handful of simple ingredients to make and you probably already have them in your pantry and fridge.
Cooked Spiced Apples
Gather apples, light brown sugar, butter, vanilla extract, cinnamon and salt.
Apple Bread Pudding
Gather day old or stale buttery bread, eggs, apple cider, sugar, milk, heavy cream, ground cinnamon and nutmeg, salt and vanilla extract.
Substitutions
This apple bread pudding recipe is as easy to make as it is delicious. Here are my recommended substitutions if you need them.
- Apple Cider: Feel free to substitute with apple juice. If you want to skip reducing the cider, simply use 1 cup total of apple cider or apple juice. Just note that the apple flavor won’t be as prominent.
- Cooked Apples: Feel free to use any good baking apples you like. Look for tart apples like Granny Smith or sweeter apples like Jonagold, Honeycrisp, Fuji, or Pink Lady apples.
- Buttery Bread: The best bread pudding uses buttery bread like brioche bread, challah bread or french bread. Use the one you like the most and already have on hand. This recipe needs 16 ounces, 454 grams of bread cut into 1 inch cubes.
- Eggs: Bread pudding needs eggs. Therefore, this ingredient can not be substituted for this bread pudding with apples recipe.
- Sugar and Light Brown Sugar: Maple sugar is a wonderful refined sugar free alternative.
- Heavy Cream: Use an equal amount of half and half.
- Milk: Whole milk is preferred, but feel free to use any milk you like.
- Ground Cinnamon and Nutmeg: If you don’t have both cinnamon and nutmeg, feel free to use any blend of baking spices you have on hand. Pumpkin spice, chai spice or apple pie spice blends would all work well in this recipe.
- Vanilla Extract: This gives a lovely flavor boost to the spiced apple pudding bread.
How To Make
Learn how to make apple bread pudding in a few easy steps.
Make the apple cider and apple filling
- Pour the 2 cups (480 ml) of apple cider into a sauce pan or small pot. Cook the cider over high heat for about 15 - 20 minutes or until the cider has reduced down to 1 cup (240 ml). Cool the cider to room temperature before using in the recipe. This takes about 30 minutes at room temperature. Alternatively, reduce the cider the day before and warm slightly before using in the recipe.
- While the cider cooks and reduces down, make the the cooked spiced apples. Peel, core and dice about 3 medium apples into ½ inch cubes to measure about 4 cups total of diced apples. Place the prepared apples, sugar, butter, vanilla and ground cinnamon into a medium or large sauce pan. Gently mix to ensure the apples are fully coated. Cook the apples over medium heat for about 10 minutes or until the apples start to become soft and the sugar has fully melted. The apples should resemble a thin apple pie filling in consistency. Cool the apples to warm. This take about 30 minutes at room temperature.
Make the Apple Bread Pudding
- Pour a tablespoon (15 ml) of melted butter into the bottom of a 9x13 oven safe casserole dish. Slice day old and stale bread into 1 inch cubes. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs until lightly beaten. Whisk in the cooled reduced apple cider, milk, heavy cream, sugar, vanilla extract, salt and the ground spices until well combined. Pour the spiced cider custard mixture over the cubed bread. Top the custard and bread with the cooled cooked apples. Reserve about ½ cup of cooked apples for topping right before baking (optional). Gently mix the bread and apples into the spiced custard. Allow the bread pudding mixture to rest and soak in the apple cider custard while the oven preheats.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C). After the oven has pre-heated for about 30 minutes top the apple bread pudding with the remaining cooked apples and transfer the bread pudding into the oven. Bake the bread pudding for 45 - 60 minutes. The center should be puffed up as high as the sides. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out with a few moist crumbs. While the bread pudding bakes, make the caramel sauce. Once the bread apple pudding has finished baking, cool the dish for 10 - 15 minutes before serving.
How To Store, Freeze, Thaw and Reheat
- Store: Fully cool the baked apple bread pudding. Cover the dish with plastic wrap or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freeze: Fully cool the baked bread apple pudding. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and a layer of foil. Store in the freezer for up to 1 month. Wait to top the bread pudding with any toppings until the bread pudding has been thawed and warmed for serving.
- Thaw and Reheat: Transfer the entire bread pudding dish (or sliced pieces) to the fridge to thaw overnight. Reheat the bread and apple pudding by baking it in a 350 F (177 C) oven until warmed though or slice into pieces and heat through in the microwave.
M’s Expert Tips
- Prepare the apple cider and spiced apples the day before. Reducing the apple cider and cooking the spiced apple brings even more apple flavor to the bread pudding but can take a while to prepare. If you have the time, great, if not, I recommend prepare the apples and apple cider the day before. Store both in separate air tight containers in the fridge.
- Bring cold ingredients to room temperature. This allows the ingredients to mix together more evenly and easily resulting in a smoother cinnamon banana custard filling.
- Use dried out bread. The best bread pudding used dried out or stale bread. When I make bread pudding, I like to slice the bread and leave it out, uncovered overnight. Alternatively, bread can be toasted or dried out in the oven prior to using in the recipe.
- Evenly cube the bread. 1- 2 inch pieces are the perfect size for baking and eating the best banana bread bread pudding.
- Use a 9x13 casserole dish. This bread pudding really puffs up while baking so make sure to use the correct size dish. For this recipe use a 9 x 13 inch (23 x 33 cm) oven safe dish. If you need to use a smaller dish, cut the recipe in half and bake this in an 8 x 8 (20 cm) dish for about 30 - 35 minutes.
- Top the warm bread pudding with your favorite toppings. Although this dish tastes amazing without toppings, I love topping my apple bread pudding with homemade or store bought caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream or vanilla sauce. If you prefer, simply dust the top with powdered sugar and serve with freshly whipped cream.
FAQs
What is apple bread pudding?
Apple bread pudding is a rich and creamy bread pudding made with stale buttery bread and spiced cooked apples soaked in a spiced apple cider custard. This decadent apple and bread pudding is perfect for a fall or holiday breakfast or dessert.
Does bread need to be stale for bread pudding?
Yes, bread pudding is best made with day old, stale bread. Fresh bread will soak up too much of the custard and will become mushy. Stale bread soaks up just enough custard to retain its shape and still bake up into a delicious bread pudding.
How do you know when bread pudding is done baking?
Bread pudding takes about an hour to bake. The top should be golden brown and no custard should seep through when the center of the bread pudding is gently pressed down.
Other Decadent Apple Recipes
- Puff Pastry Apple Pie
- Cinnamon Rolls and Apple Pie Filling
- Apple Cider Cake
- Apple Spice Cake
- Apple Fritter Bread
If you try this Apple Bread Pudding recipe please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Doing so helps other readers decide if this is a great recipe to bake. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using @olivesnthyme so I can see what you’re baking! Happy Baking! -M
Apple Bread Pudding Recipe
Apple bread pudding is a decadent breakfast or dessert dish made with day old bread and spiced apples soaked in a creamy apple cider custard. Once baked this bread and apple pudding can be topped with salted caramel sauce, creamy vanilla sauce or powdered sugar.
Equipment
- 1 small sauce pan (to reduce the apple cider)
- 1 medium pan (to cook the apple filling)
- 1 knife and vegetable peeler
- 1 9 x 13 inch (23 x 33 cm) baking dish
Ingredients
Spiced Apple Filling
- 4 cups diced apples
- ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons (57 g) unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Apple Bread Pudding
- 1 pound (454 g) buttery bread, cubed
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup (240 ml) reduced apple cider
- 2 cups (480 ml) milk, room temperature
- ½ cup (120 ml) heavy cream, room temperature
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
Instructions
- Pour the 2 cups (480 ml) of apple cider into a sauce pan or small pot. Cook the cider over high heat for about 15 - 20 minutes or until the cider has reduced down to 1 cup (240 ml). Cool the cider to room temperature before using in the recipe. This takes about 30 minutes at room temperature. Alternatively, reduce the cider the day before and warm slightly before using in the recipe.
- While the cider cooks and reduces down, make the cooked spiced apples. Peel, core and dice about 3 medium apples into ½ inch cubes to measure about 4 cups total of diced apples. Place the prepared apples, sugar, butter, vanilla and ground cinnamon into a medium or large sauce pan. Gently mix to ensure the apples are fully coated. Cook the apples over medium heat for about 10 minutes or until the apples start to become soft and the sugar has fully melted. The apples should resemble a thin apple pie filling in consistency. Cool the apples to warm. This take about 30 minutes at room temperature.4 cups diced apples, ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar, 4 tablespoons (57 g) unsalted butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon , ¼ teaspoon salt
- Pour a tablespoon (15 ml) of melted butter into the bottom of a 9x13 oven safe casserole dish. Slice day old and stale bread into 1 inch cubes.1 pound (454 g) buttery bread, cubed
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs until lightly beaten. Whisk in the cooled reduced apple cider, milk, heavy cream, sugar, vanilla extract, salt and the ground spices until well combined. Pour the spiced cider custard mixture over the cubed bread. Top the custard and bread with the cooled cooked apples. Reserve about ½ cup of cooked apples for topping right before baking (optional). Gently mix the bread and apples into the spiced custard. Allow the bread pudding mixture to rest and soak in the apple cider custard while the oven preheats.4 large eggs, room temperature, 1 cup (240 ml) reduced apple cider, 2 cups (480 ml) milk, room temperature, ½ cup (120 ml) heavy cream, room temperature, ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon , ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- Pre-heat the oven to 350 F (177 C). After the oven has pre-heated for about 30 minutes top the apple bread pudding with the remaining cooked apples and transfer the bread pudding into the oven. Bake the bread pudding for 45 - 60 minutes. The center should be puffed up as high as the sides. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out with a few moist crumbs.
- Once the bread apple pudding has finished baking, cool the dish for 10 - 15 minutes before serving. Right before serving, top the bread pudding caramel sauce and ice cream, vanilla sauce or simply dust with powdered sugar and serve with freshly whipped cream on the side.
Notes
Store: Fully cool the baked apple bread pudding. Cover the dish with plastic wrap or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Tips:
- If the bread isn’t stale enough, toast the slices of bread in a toaster oven or bake in a 350 F oven for about 10 - 15 minutes or until the bread is dried out.
- Prepare the reduced apple cider and cooked apples up to 1 - 2 days before assembling the apple bread pudding. Store the reduce cider and cooked apples in seperate, airtight containers in the fridge.
- Top the warm bread pudding with your favorite toppings. Although this dish tastes amazing without toppings, I love topping my apple bread pudding with homemade or store bought caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream or vanilla sauce. If you prefer, simply dust the top with powdered sugar and serve with freshly whipped cream.
did you make this recipe?tag @olivesnthyme on Instagram
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