Warm Apple Bread Pudding
To make apple bread pudding, tear stale bread into chunks, scatter with sautéed cinnamon apples, and pour over a custard of eggs, milk, sugar, and vanilla. Let it soak for 20 minutes so the bread drinks up the custard, then bake at 175 °C for 40–45 minutes until puffed and golden. Stale, sturdy bread soaks up the custard best without turning to mush. Serve warm with cream, custard, or a scoop of ice cream.
Bread pudding is the thriftiest, coziest dessert there is — it turns a stale loaf and a few apples into a warm, custardy, golden pudding that tastes like far more than the sum of its humble parts. It’s a perfect cold-weather dessert, and it makes a virtue of the heel of bread you’d otherwise toss.
Stale bread is the point
Don’t use fresh, soft bread — it turns pasty. Slightly stale, sturdy bread is what you want: a day-or-two-old baguette, a rustic loaf, or, for something more luxurious, brioche or challah. Stale bread drinks up the custard and holds its structure, baking into tender, custardy pieces rather than mush. Fresh bread? Dry the chunks in a low oven for ten minutes first.
Let it soak
The step that makes or breaks it: let the assembled pudding sit for 20–30 minutes before baking so the bread fully absorbs the custard. Skip it and you get dry bread on top with a puddle of liquid at the bottom. You can even soak it overnight in the fridge and bake in the morning.
The apples
Sauté the diced apples with butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon first — a few minutes to soften and caramelize them slightly — so they melt into the pudding rather than staying raw and crunchy.
Make it yours
- Other fruit: pears, plums, or dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, dates).
- Boozy: a splash of rum or bourbon in the custard.
- Richer: use half cream, or add a caramel or toffee sauce over the top.
- Spiced: nutmeg, cardamom, or a little ginger.
Serve it warm — always warm — with pouring cream, custard, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream melting into the top. It’s humble, comforting, and quietly one of the best desserts you can make from almost nothing.
Frequently asked questions
What bread works best for bread pudding?
Slightly stale, sturdy bread — a day-or-two-old baguette, brioche, challah, or a rustic loaf. Stale bread soaks up the custard without collapsing into mush, and enriched breads like brioche make it especially luxurious. Fresh soft sandwich bread turns pasty. If your bread is fresh, dry the chunks in a low oven for 10 minutes first.
Why let it soak before baking?
Soaking gives the bread time to fully absorb the custard, so every piece bakes up tender and custardy rather than dry in the middle with liquid at the bottom. Twenty to thirty minutes is enough; overnight in the fridge works too and makes it a great make-ahead breakfast or dessert.
Can I use other fruit?
Absolutely — bread pudding is endlessly adaptable. Pears, plums, or dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, chopped dates) all work in place of or alongside the apples. Berries are lovely in summer. It's a great way to use up whatever fruit and bread you have on hand.