Apple Cinnamon Bread Pudding

Apple cinnamon bread pudding is a warm custard dessert baked in layers of bread cubes and spiced apples. The bread soaks up the egg mixture as it bakes, turning tender and custardy throughout. Baking it in a water bath keeps the custard silky instead of rubbery.

Ingredients for Apple Cinnamon Bread Pudding

Cubed bread forms the base and absorbs the custard. Milk and heavy cream make the custard rich and set properly. Eggs bind and thicken the mixture, so they must be tempered to stay smooth. Sugar sweetens the custard and helps it cook evenly. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla extract flavor the whole dish. Butter greases the pan and adds richness. Apples contribute tartness, texture, and their own spice notes. A pinch of salt balances the sweetness.

Why This Apple Cinnamon Bread Pudding Works

Bread pudding relies on eggs to set the custard without baking it too long and making it tough. Tempering the eggs means slowly heating them while whisking in hot milk, so they cook gently and stay creamy. If you pour cold eggs into hot liquid without tempering, they scramble into bits.

The water bath surrounds the baking dish with steam, cooking the custard evenly from all sides. This keeps the edges from setting faster than the center, which would make them dry and rubbery. The bread cubes soak up liquid, so they thicken and soften as they bake rather than staying crumbly.

Layering apples throughout the dish means every bite has fruit and spice. Tossing them with a little cinnamon before layering keeps the flavors bold and even. The pudding pulls from the oven when a knife inserted near the center comes out with just a little wet custard clinging to it, not runny liquid.

Mistakes To Avoid

Pouring untempered eggs into hot milk scrambles them into bits instead of making a smooth custard. The pudding will have grainy texture and will not set right. Always whisk eggs in a bowl and add hot milk slowly while whisking.

Overbaking cooks the custard too much, making it shrink from the pan edges and turn grainy or spongy. The center will be firm all the way through with no creamy texture. Pull the pudding from the oven when a knife near the center still has wet custard on it.

Using fresh bread instead of day-old bread makes the pudding mushy and falling apart. Fresh bread has too much moisture and no structure to hold up during baking. Dry your bread cubes in a 250°F oven for 10 minutes if you cannot find day-old bread.

Skipping the water bath causes the edges to bake faster than the center, turning them dry and crusty while the middle stays wet. The temperature difference bakes the custard unevenly and ruins the texture. Always use a hot water bath for bread pudding.

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Ingredients

• 6 cups bread cubes, from day-old bread
• 4 large eggs
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar (100 grams)
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 medium apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar for apples
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon for apples
• Hot water for the water bath

Step-by-step Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter a 9×13 baking pan and add bread cubes in an even layer.
2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, warm milk and cream until steam rises and small bubbles form at the edge, about 5 minutes. Do not boil.
3. While milk heats, whisk eggs and 1/2 cup sugar in a large bowl until pale, about 2 minutes. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and salt. Whisk until smooth.
4. Slowly pour hot milk into eggs while whisking constantly to temper them. Whisk until fully combined and smooth, about 1 minute.
5. Toss sliced apples with 2 tablespoons sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon in a small bowl. Scatter half the apples over the bread, then pour half the custard over them. Add remaining apples, then remaining custard. Let sit 5 minutes so bread absorbs liquid.
6. Place the baking pan inside a larger roasting pan. Pour hot water into the roasting pan until it reaches halfway up the sides of the baking pan.
7. Bake at 350°F for 45 to 50 minutes until the top is light golden and a knife inserted near the center comes out with a small amount of wet custard on it, not liquid or fully set.
8. Remove from the water bath and let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before serving.