Custardy apple cinnamon bread pudding
Easier-to-swallow option below ↓The top bakes to a deep gold while the inside stays soft enough to eat with a spoon. Torn bread soaks up a cinnamon6 kcal custard of whole milk149 kcal, cream and eggs72 kcal, and the apples turn tender and buttery in the oven. It comes to the table warm, fragrant and very easy to eat.
Day-old bread is the right bread here. It drinks up the custard without falling apart, so you get distinct, pillowy pieces instead of mush. Warming the apples in a little butter102 kcal first means they finish the bake fully soft, with no firm bites hiding in the middle.
Why it works
Each serving carries around 580 calories from the cream, whole milk, eggs and butter, but the texture is so soft that it never feels like work to eat. We bake it on a Sunday and reheat squares of it gently through the week.
The wobble is the test. If the center still trembles slightly when you nudge the dish, take it out and let it rest ten minutes.
Custardy apple cinnamon bread pudding
Ingredients
- 6–8 slices day-old bread (or brioche if you have it), torn into pieces
- 3 eggs
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/3 cup sugar or maple syrup52 kcal
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2–3 apples, peeled and chopped small
- Butter for the dish and a little extra for the apples
- Pinch of salt
Method
- Heat the oven to 170°C (150°C fan). Butter a medium baking dish.
- Warm the apples in a little butter and a pinch of cinnamon until they just begin to soften.
- Whisk the eggs, milk122 kcal, cream, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and salt.
- Scatter the bread and apples in the dish, pour the custard over and press down gently so everything is soaked. Dot with extra butter.
- Bake 30–40 minutes until the top is golden and the custard is just set with a slight wobble. Rest 10 minutes before serving.
A pour of cold cream or warm custard over the hot pudding is one of the simplest luxuries.
Make it your own
- Make it the night before and bake in the morning. the custard soaks in even more.
- Raisins85 kcal, sultanas or a handful of chopped dates66 kcal stirred through add little pockets of sweetness and calories.
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