Apple Bread Budding with Salted Caramel Sauce

What could be more comforting than a big bowl of warm bread pudding laced with cinnamon and apples for breakfast, lunch or dinner? And if you still feel in need of a little lovin’ when it’s all gone, you can always eat the leftover caramel sauce with a spoon. This recipe comes from The Apple Lover’s Cookbook by Amy Traverso who recommends using a firm-sweet apple, such as Gravenstein.

Ingredients:

  • 1 loaf (1#) crusty white bread

  • 11/2 cups caramelized apples (see below)

  • 3 large eggs

  • 2 cups half & half

  • ¼ cup white sugar

  • ¼ cup packed light brown sugar

  • 1 Tbs vanilla extract

  • ½ tsp cinnamon

  • ½ tsp kosher salt

Caramelized Apples

  • 11/2 Tbs salted butter

  • 11/4 lbs firm-sweet apples - cored and cut into 1/2” cubes

  • 1/8 tsp cinnamon

  • 1/8 tsp nutmeg

  • 1/8 tsp ground ginger

  • 1/8 cup apple cider

  • 1/4 cup maple syrup

  • 1 Tbs white sugar

Salted Caramel Sauce

  • 1 cup white sugar

  • 1 cup heavy cream

  • 3/4 tsp kosher salt

Directions:

Caramelized Apples

  1. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the apples and spices, and cook til the apples are softened and lightly browned in spots, stirring occasionally. This should take 10-15 minutes depending on the firmness of your apples.

  2. Add the apple cider, and stir until the cider reduces and becomes a glaze over the apples, about 3 minutes.

  3. Add the maple syrup and sugar, and cook, stirring often, until the sauce is think and glossy and the apples are tender, 4-6 minutes.

Bread Pudding

  1. Butter a 11’x7” baking dish. Set aside.

  2. Trim the sides and ends of the bread loaf; leave crusts on the top and bottom. Cut the loaf into 11/2” pieces, and arrange them evenly in the prepared pan. Tuck the caramelized apples among the pieces of bread.

  3. In a large bowl whisk the eggs, half & half, sugars, vanilla, cinnamon and salt. Pour this mixture over the bread. Cover and refrigerate for 2 to 8 hours.

  4. About 15 minutes before you are ready to bake the pudding, preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and set the rack to the middle position. Remove the baking dish from the refrigerator, and toss the bread and apples with your hands to make sure everything is moistened.

  5. Bake until the top of the pudding is golden brown and the custard is set - about 50 minutes.

  6. While the pudding is baking, make the caramel sauce. Pour 3/4 cup water into a 2-3 qt. saucepan. Mound the sugar in the center of the pot - don’t let it touch the sides. Turn the heat up to high, cover, and cook until the sugar dissolves and the mixture begins to bubble and turn a pale amber, about 12-15 minutes. Resist the urge to stir or swirl the mixture. Reduce the heat to medium, and cook until the caramel darkens to amber. Remove from the heat, and slowly add the cream. (Watch out for a burst of steam.) Add the salt, and stir.

  7. Serve the pudding hot. Pass the caramel sauce to drizzle over the top.