SERVES:
makes one 9 x 13-inch pan
INGREDIENTS:
one buttered 9 x 13-inch baking dish
one 1-pound loaf of cinnamon raisin bread (see procedure and hints)
5 large eggs
3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 1/4 cups milk
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups 1/4- 1/2 inch diced apple
ice cream or whipped cream for serving
PROCEDURE:
Plan ahead and lay the sliced bread out on a baking tray overnight to help the bread dry out a bit before cutting it into 3/4-inch cubes. (Flip the slices over at some point if you can)
You'll end up with about 8 cups of cubed bread and you'll also need to butter one 9 x 13-inch baking dish and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Next, make the custard by adding 3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar to 5 large eggs and add 1 1/4 cups each of heavy cream and milk.
Then add 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon and 1 tsp of vanilla extract and whisk it up.
At that point, add the cubed bread to the bowl and toss to combine to start absorbing the custard.
All that's left is to core and dice about 2 cups of apples and add those to the bowl and then transfer that to the prepared baking dish and place it onto the center rack of the preheated oven.
That's going to take just about 45 - 50 minutes to bake.
It'll be fairly firm to the touch when it's done and you can serve it warm or room temperature, or chill it down, and serve it with a dollop of ice cream or whipped cream.
HINTS:
You could make the bread pudding without drying out the sliced bread first but it may end up being a bit more one dimensional texture wise.