My apple bread pudding is a sweet dessert that is quick and easy to make. It tastes fabulous and is a great way to use up old bread. Granny Smith or other cooking apples are baked up in a delicious, cinnamon-y custard. This recipe also uses brown butter for more nutty depth of flavor. I love using brioche but this recipe also works wonderfully with Challah or French bread!
One of the desserts I grew up on was bread and butter pudding, it's a simple English dessert my mother threw together quickly with us kids running around. Over the years I took her recipe and made some updates to make it even better. This apple bread pudding is based on my bread and butter pudding recipe, don't miss all of my favorite bread puddings. It uses brown butter, which adds a nutty, carmely undertone to the dish. Bread and butter couldn't be easier you take some stale bread and add a custard that soaks into the bread. As the custardy bread pudding bakes you'll end up with some crunchy, chewier pieces that dry up and more custardy pieces on the bottom. The contrasting textures are one of my favorite parts.
The Ingredients Behind That Custardy Texture
- Brown Butter: I always brown the butter for this recipe because I've found it adds a deep nutty, caramel-like flavor that makes the pudding taste so much richer. Check out my detailed post on how to brown butter.
- Stale Bread: I prefer slightly stale brioche because I've found it soaks up the custard without turning soggy.
- Granny Smith Apples: I like using tart apples here because they balance the sweetness and hold their shape as they bake.
- Heavy Cream + Whole Milk: In recipe testing I've found using both gives the custard a richer texture while still keeping it soft and silky.
- Cinnamon: I always add cinnamon with apples because it gives the pudding that warm, cozy flavor that makes it feel especially good in fall.
Our favorite apple bread pudding topping are Bird's custard, a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce or whipped cream.
For ingredient quantities please reference the recipe card below. On the recipe card there is a button for US or M (Metric) measurements.
Step-by-Step: Cozy Custardy Bread Pudding
My favorite way to enjoy this is with Custard but cold ice cream against the warm bread pudding is also absolutely fabulous.
Liz's Tips for Success
- Bread pudding is best made with stale bread, as it will soak up the custard mixture better. Be careful it is not too stale though, bread that is rock hard is not good.
- Don't skip letting the bread pudding rest before going into the oven, this time allows the bread to really soak up the custard
★★★★★ Please let me know if you make this recipe by leaving a star rating and comment below!
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Brown Butter Apple Bread Pudding
My apple bread pudding is a sweet dessert that is quick and easy to make. It tastes fabulous and is a great way to use up old bread. Granny Smith or other cooking apples are baked up in a delicious, cinnamon-y custard. This recipe also uses brown butter for more nutty depth of flavor. I love using brioche but this recipe also works wonderfully with Challah or French bread!
- Total Time: 1 Hour
- Yield: 9-12 Servings 1x
Ingredients
- 4oz (½ Cup) Butter, divided
- ½ Lb (8oz) Loaf of Stale White Bread, I prefer Brioche but Regular or French Bread work well
- 2 Large Granny Smith or Cooking Apples*, peeled, cored and cut into ½" pieces
- 150 Grams (¾ Cup) Light Brown Sugar Sugar
- 1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- 8oz (1 Cup) Heavy Cream
- 8oz (1 Cup) Whole Milk
- 2 Tablespoons Pure Vanilla Extract
- ¼ Teaspoon Salt
- 3 Large Eggs
Instructions
- Slice the bread into large chunks, at least 1-inch in size, and place in an 9-inch square baking dish.
- In a large pot over medium-low heat brown the butter, stirring frequently until it is golden brown and has a nutty aroma. Make sure you watch the butter carefully as the butter can burn easily, check out his post on how to brown butter. You should end up with about 3oz of butter, pour 2oz of the brown butter on top of the bread and set aside. In the same pan add the diced apples, sugar and cinnamon. Stir to combine then put back on the heat and cook over low-medium heat for a few minutes. The apples should slightly soften up. Take off the heat and scatter around the bread pieces.
- In a large bowl whisk cinnamon, heavy cream, milk, vanilla, salt, and eggs, until fully combined, you do not want any trace of egg left behind.
- Pour the cream mixture evenly over the bread and apples. Cover the bread and butter pudding with a wet paper towel and let marinate for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350F/180C, when the oven is heated place pudding into the oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown, the internal temperature should be a minimum of 170F/77C, the inside of the pudding should be set but still have a slow wobble. Let cool for 10 minutes then serve. Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. Delicious served warm or cold, with custard or ice cream.
Notes
- *Cooking Apples: Granny Smith, Honey Crisp, Fuji, Gala, Braeburn, Cortland
- Make Ahead Instructions: This can be made the night before or morning of before you want to bake it. Once you've poured the custard mixture on top of the bread cover it tightly with plastic wrap and store it in the refrigerator. When you are ready to bake remove the plastic wrap and bake according to recipe instructions, you may need an extra 5 minutes bake time.
- Reheating: Reheat the apple bread pudding in the oven at 350F/180C for 10 minutes or in the microwave for 45 seconds to a minute depending on the size of the piece of pudding.
- Prep Time: 30 Minutes
- Cook Time: 30 Minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: English
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