Cranberry Apple Bread Pudding with Maple Cream Sauce

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 45

Total Time: 1

Servings: servings

Calories: 588kcal

Author: Jazzmine Woodard

A buttery bread pudding studded with fruit, nuts, and spices--just perfect for the holidays

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Equipment

1 skilet
1 kitchen spoon
1 mixing bowl
1 9 by 9 baking dish
1 saucepan

Ingredients

For the Apple Cranberry Bread Pudding

2 apples
5 tablespoons butter divided
1 loaf French bread
4 eggs beaten
2 cups heavy cream
1 ½ cups half & half
1 cup granulated sugar plus 1 tablespoon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract
⅓ cup dried cranberries
½ cup pecan pieces
1 tablespoon flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon divided
¾ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon sea salt

For the Maple Vanilla Cream Sauce

4 tablespoons butter
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Bread Pudding

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a square 8 x 8 inch baking dish with non-stick oil spray and set aside.
Chop apples into ½ inch pieces and set aside.
Place four tablespoons butter in microwave-safe dish and microwave until melted. Meanwhile, tear French bread into small (about one-inch) pieces and place in rectangular baking dish.
In a large bowl, beat eggs until smooth then add heavy cream, half & half, melted butter, 1 cup sugar, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Mix until uniform. Pour mixture over torn bread pieces and set aside.
Melt remaining tablespoon of butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add chopped apple pieces, dried cranberries, pecans, remaining tablespoon of sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sea salt to pan. Stir until fruit and nuts are evenly coated and cook until tender (about three minutes).
Add fruit and nut mixture to pan with bread pieces and custard. Mix and smooth pan contents to ensure that all pieces are evenly distributed and coated.
Transfer pan to oven to bake for 45 minutes to an hour or until top of pudding is firm (but not hardened) to touch and golden brown. Pudding should slightly pull away from edges of the pan. Allow to cool to room temperature before cutting and serving.

Maple Vanilla Cream Sauce

Make sauce while bread pudding cools: In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add sugar and cream and mix until uniform.
Allow sauce to bubble and thicken for a few minutes then reduce heat to medium low. Stir in maple syrup and vanilla extract and simmer for another five minutes or so. Serve warm with bread pudding.

Notes

Preparation

Use a dense, substantial bread for making bread pudding at home. I typically use a loaf of French bread but you can also use challah, brioche, Texas toast, or even baguette.

Most bread pudding recipes will call for stale bread as a nod to the original recipe and because old bread is easier to cut. But you can use fresher bread in a pinch. I recommend using at least day-old bread.

You can prep the fruit mixture and bread up to three days ahead of time. Just store in an airtight container until ready to use.

You can prep bread pudding and refrigerate it unbaked up to one day in advance.

Troubleshooting

Why is my bread pudding falling? You'll notice that the pudding puffs up while baking then collapses or flattens to be about even with the rim of the baking dish. This is normal as there's no rising agent used in baking bread pudding.

Storage

Store leftover bread pudding with fruit in it in an airtight container and refrigerate. It will keep for up to four days.

Baked bread pudding can be frozen for up to three months. Don't freeze bread pudding with the sauce--reserve that until ready to eat. To freeze, allow the bread pudding to come to room temperature then wrap snugly in plastic wrap then aluminum foil. Reheat in the oven for best texture results.

Nutrition