Serve this family-style from a baking dish, or divide with a 3-inch round cutter for an elegant presentation. Top it all off with Sautéed Apples and a drizzle of Apple Brandy Crème Anglaise for a spectacular finish.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 large apples, such as Honeycrisp (about 1 1/2 lb.), peeled and cut into 1/4- to 1/2-inch cubes
• 3 cups heavy cream
• 4 large eggs
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 (16-oz.) cinnamon-raisin bread loaf, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
• 4 tablespoons turbinado sugar
• Apple Brandy Crème Anglaise
• Sautéed Apples

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; add apples, and cook, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes or until softened and lightly browned.
3. Whisk together cream and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl until smooth.
4. Stir in bread cubes; let stand 5 minutes.
5. Stir in cooked apples.
6. Sprinkle 2 Tablespoons turbinado sugar into a buttered 13- x 9-inch baking dish.
7. Add bread-and-apple mixture to dish, and spread in an even layer.
8. Sprinkle with remaining 2 Tablespoons turbinado sugar.
9. Bake at 375° for 40 to 45 minutes or until light golden and center is set. (Bread pudding will puff to top of dish and pull away slightly from sides as it bakes.)
10. Cool 10 minutes.
11. Serve warm with Apple Brandy Crème Anglaise and Sautéed Apples.

Cook’s Note

• We tested with Panera Bread Cinnamon Raisin Bread.
• To make ahead, cover and chill baked and cooled bread pudding overnight. Let stand 20 minutes; reheat in a 350° oven 20 minutes.

Apple Brandy Crème Anglaise

Don’t skip out on this luscious Apple Brandy Crème Anglaise. As the finishing touch, we drizzle it over our Apple Bread Pudding.

Ingredients

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons apple brandy or bourbon
• 1 cinnamon stick (optional)

Preparation

1. Whisk together cream, egg yolks, and sugar in a 2-qt. saucepan, and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly (so mixture doesn’t scorch or scramble), 8 to 10 minutes or until mixture thinly coats back of a wooden spoon.
2. Pour through a fine wire-mesh strainer into a bowl.
3. Stir in apple brandy or bourbon.
4. Add cinnamon stick, if desired.
5. Fill a large bowl with ice.
6. Place bowl containing cream mixture in ice, and let stand, stirring constantly, 30 minutes.
7. Remove cinnamon stick.
8. Cover and chill 1 hour to 3 days.