Wonderful warm apple treat, better than apple pie! Comforting apple bread pudding made with easy homemade apple pie filling. Serve it hot and with some vanilla ice cream on top for the ultimate taste experience.
APPLE BREAD PUDDING
Yes, it truly IS a heavenly apple treat!
“Better than apple pie” is a pretty strong claim to make, but I’m sticking by it. As wonderful as a good ol’ apple pie can be, especially the Dutch kind with crumble on top, this is just better. Taking two delicious and comforting desserts and putting them together is what makes this extra special.
As soon as I took the first bite this warm, apple filled bread pudding, with melting vanilla ice cream, my whole body melted into the chair with delight. Hubs and I raced to finish the piece we were splitting and then sat there, enjoying the taste and love it left behind.
The next morning, I couldn’t wait to have some more so I had a slice of this divine apple pie bread pudding for breakfast. Hey, it has eggs and milk, it can totally count as breakfast food!
MORE BREAD PUDDING RECIPES TO TRY:
Coconut Cheesecake Bread Pudding
Ham Leek and Cheese Bread Pudding
Cranberry Bread Pudding with Honey Maple Whiskey Sauce
If you made any of my recipes and shared them on Instagram, make sure to tag me @willcookforsmiles and #willcookforsmiles so I can see all the things you tried!
Connect with Will Cook For Smiles!
Be sure to click below and follow me on my social media, so you never miss a recipe.
Don’t forget to sign up for email, so you won’t miss any new recipes.
Apple Pie Bread Pudding
Ingredients
- 14 oz French bread stale
- 1 3/4 lb gala apples
- 4 Tbsp butter
- 2 1/2 Tbsp flour
- 2 tsp apple pie spice
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup water
- 5 eggs
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter melted
- 2 1/4 cups whole milk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp apple pie spice
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- Optional: ice cream for serving
Instructions
- About 24 hours before preparing this bread pudding, cut bread into 1/2 inch cubes and spread it out on a large baking sheet. Leave it out to get stale for about a day.
- Apple Pie Filling:
- Peel, core and dice apples.
- In a medium sauce pan, over medium heat, melt butter. Add flour and stir well with a whisk. Add 3/4 cup of brown sugar and stir well.
- Add diced apples, apple pie spice and water, stir and cover. Cook over medium heat until the apples are soft, stirring occasionally. (10-15 minutes.)
- Take off heat and strain through a strainer, saving the juices. You will be using the juice to top off cooked bread pudding.
- Let the cooked apples cool a bit.
- Bread Pudding:
- Preheat the oven to 375 and lightly grease a 9x13 casserole dish.
- Spread stale bread in the baking dish evenly. Spread apples all over the bread evenly. Move it around a little to let some apples get between the bread.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk eggs, milk, melted butter, vanilla extract, 1/2 cup of brown sugar, apple pie spice, and cinnamon.
- Pour egg mixture all over the bread and apples. Press down on bread lightly and put in the oven.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes. You can check for doneness by touching in the center, if it feels dense and firm, the eggs are cooked.
- Pull bread pudding out of the oven and pour saved juices from cooking apples all over the bread pudding.
- Serve bread pudding warm and with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
LyubaB says
Hi, Debbie! Sorry the ads were in your way! Unfortunately I do not control where they put them on my page but I will look further into it.
Poppy says
This looks great! Thinking about making it for Thanksgiving. I’ve always made bread with challah, and have loved the results. Would challah be interchangeable for the french bread? Thank you
LyubaB says
Hi, Poppy! Yes, you can change french bread for challah! 🙂
K says
I made this for a family gathering, and everyone loved it. I thought the results were mixed. The only conscious change I made was using more cinnamon and a bit of nutmeg because I didn’t have apple spice. I also added the juice of one orange to the sauce. When I put the dish together, I added two more apples (diced but uncooked) because it seemed to need more. I thought the custard looked skimpy, too, but put the dish in the oven because I was pressed for time. (I used the exact amounts listed in the recipe.) A half-hour later, I decided to add more custard – one egg, a cup of milk and a splash of vanilla. Of course, that meant a longer cooking time. The moral of the story, I suppose, is that you don’t need to be fussy about the recipe. It will take just about anything you throw at it. But like a previous poster, I didn’t think the (gala) apple taste came through. I’ve made better “plain” bread puddings with fewer steps. But, based on the reception, I’ll keep trying. If I’d had time, I planned to add toasted pecans to the top. … Thank you for the recipe. Turns out everyone loves bread pudding.
LyubaB says
I am so glad you liked it! 🙂
Bobbi says
Made this for Thanksgiving. It was awesome! I got a couple bags of baguette slices from day-old-bread section. Put them on a tray for a day to dry out then broke in half. I used Fuji apples (my favorite). It was so moist and yummy! Will definitely make again. Thanks for sharing.
LyubaB says
Bobbie, I am so happy you liked it! 🙂
Janis Rasmussen says
I’ve made this recipe several times for family and friends – everyone loves it! I did add a crumble topping from my apple crisp (flour, brown sugar, butter, oats, and chopped pecans) which adds a nice crunchy texture. I serve the bread pudding warm with vanilla ice cream and spoon the reserved warmed juiced over the ice cream and pudding as a “sauce” Yummy!
LyubaB says
Hi, Janis! I am so glad you liked it and made it your own! 🙂
Trisha says
How exactly did you prepare the crumble topping? Did you cook it?
S Underwood says
Just note that there is a type in the recipe notes. It says a “school” of vanilla ice cream instead of “scoop”.
LyubaB says
Thanks, I’ll fix that 😉
Nana says
Absolutely loved this when I made before and guests loved it too but now with social distancing can you tell me how to make for just two people. Thanks
LyubaB says
Hi, Nana! I am so happy to hear you like my bread pudding! You can definitely make this in a smaller portion, you can half this recipe and use a 8×8 casserole dish.
Ann says
Can this be made thru step 12 the day before and refrigerated?
LyubaB says
Hi Ann,
You can prep apples and bread ahead of time. (Still drain it and save apples and juices separately. You can put them in some tupperware and keep in the fridge until ready to use.) Putting it together and whisking egg mixture doesn’t actually take much time at all. So you can put the bread pudding together and pop it in the oven when ready. (I’m just thinking that if you let bread stand with eggs for too long, it would be a little too soggy.) I hope you enjoy it!
Trisha says
Hi your recipe says 14ounces of bread- should I use a measuring cup or a kitchen scale to measure the bread?
Angie says
Absolutely Superb! So Delicious. I try many recipes on Pinterest but this is the best.
LyubaB says
Thank you, Angie! This made my day, I am so happy you like it!
Kayla Prior says
This sounds delicious! However, I am allergic to gluten and eggs. Has anyone used subsitutes for these ingredients in this recipe?
LyubaB says
Hi Kayla,
As far as gluten you can absolutely use gluten-free bread, my personal favorite brand to use is Schar. As far as eggs I am not completely sure since I have not tried it. You can try an egg replacement that you can find at the local grocery store or some other vegan recipes call for mixing flaxseed with the milk, you could look up some vegan bread pudding recipes to look for other substitutions. I hope you’re able to make it! 🙂
Catherine Baptiste says
Love it!!
LyubaB says
Thank you, Catherine! I love that you love it!
Lauren says
Can I bake this and then reheat it the next day? I dont have enough time to make it day of so im wondering how I should go about it
LyubaB says
Hi Lauren,
You can prep apples and bread ahead of time. (Still drain it and save apples and juices separately. You can put them in some Tupperware and keep in the fridge until ready to use.) Putting it together and whisking egg mixture doesn’t actually take much time at all. So you can put the bread pudding together and pop it in the oven when ready. (I’m just thinking that if you let bread stand with eggs for too long, it would be a little too soggy.) I hope you enjoy it!
Nancy Silva says
This was so easy and amazing. I used a loaf of stuffing bread and added walnuts.
LyubaB says
Yum! So glad you liked it! I bet the walnuts were really good with it!
Debbie says
Would this work with almond milk? I am allergic to cows milk.
Debbie says
Can I use almond milk? I’m allergic to cows milk.
LyubaB says
Hi Debbie,
Yes, you can use almond milk. I hope you enjoy it!
Nancy says
Loved the recipe. It was so moist and the apple topping really made it soooooooo good. Would highly recommend.
LyubaB says
Thanks, Nancy! I love that you loved it! 🙂
Shirley says
Can you do this in a slow cooker?