A nutty, creamy apple and bread pudding, apt for fall and winter parties…
I am glad to have another American bake coming up on this month’s Bakeathon, themed “Fruit n Nuts”. When we went to New York, the hotel we stayed gave us breakfast packs that had an apple. Since no one would eat the apples, we ended up collecting all of them and bringing them back home. The fun part about the apples were that even though we carried them in our backpacks, no one would eat them even while being extremely hungry during those walks. We walked around New York quite a lot hoping onto buses and subway in the process, and even though it was just one day, it was quite overwhelming. If you ask me, what I loved about US, then it was the silent and calm suburbs than the glitzy and busy NY. It is totally my opinion… 😀
OK, so coming back to the apples, apart from baking them into a lot of cakes during Eid, we made this simple apple bread pudding for a get together that my sister had at her house. Just like any bread pudding, it had bread, an eggy custard pudding base, some nuts and raisins for a bite factor and then the apples. The apples we used were quite sturdy and refused to bake in the oven. When we redid the recipe, I stewed the apples for a while before tossing in the rest of the ingredients. Then it got done perfectly. So if you are using crunchy apples, then cook it for some time just till half done. However, if you would like more crunch, then you can skip the stewing step.
Even though I wouldn’t mind to serve this apple pudding as is, I felt that cold custard went amazingly well with it. Hence I have shared a recipe for that as well. Otherwise, you can serve it with simple vanilla ice cream and drizzled with caramel sauce. It is a very warm dessert that is awesome to cook and share on a cozy ladies only night with friends… Off to the recipe…
Apple Bread Pudding
Ingredients
- 4 crunchy apples cored and chopped
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Half pack bread I used brown
- 1/2 cup mixed nuts toasted and crushed
- 1/4 cup raisins or sultanans
FOR PUDDING BASE
- 500 ml milk
- 170 gm cream pack
- 1/4 cup sugar increase for sweetness
- 4 eggs large, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
FOR CUSTARD
- 750 ml milk
- 2 tbsp custard powder heaped
- 1/4 cup sugar
Instructions
- The custard needs to be cold, so we can make that first. Whisk all the ingredients together and cook till boiled. The custard won't be thick, it will be flowy. Allow to cool completely and refrigerate till serving.
- For the pudding base, beat eggs for a couple of minutes till homogenous. Add the milk and sugar and whisk. Keep on low flame and cook till the mixture is slightly glossy, thick and cooked. Add the vanilla and switch off.
- In a small saucepan, toss the apples, brown sugar, cinnamon and vanilla extract. Cook for around 10 minutes, just for the apples to soften slightly.
- Into a deep dish pan, layer the apples. Add the chopped bread, the nuts and raisins and toss everything together.
- Pour the pudding mixture all over allowing it to soak for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
- Bake for 20 minutes if you need a little fluid in your final pudding or for 30 minutes for a harder one.
- Serve warm with the cold custard.
I am sure this warm pudding makes this winter time very satisfying..your pudding looks so inviting Rafeeda…I have previously made single serving pudding, this method also sounds excellent!
Clever idea to make apple and bread pudding with those apples. Your bake sounds absolutely comforting. I an addict to baked apple desserts and would love to knock on your door right now for a serving:-)! Love it!