Test cook Erica Turner makes Double-Apple Bread Pudding for Julia Collin Davison on Season 25 of America’s Test Kitchen in an episode about pork and apple dishes.
Why This Works: For a bread pudding that was chock-full of apple flavor, we chose bright Granny Smith apples and combined them with cubes of toasted challah and a rich custard laced with autumnal spices. Parcooking the apples in a little water, butter, and sugar prior to combining them with the bread and custard not only helped achieve the perfect texture but also created a fruity apple liquid that we used to boost the flavor of the custard. Toasting the challah bread cubes ensured that they soaked up the maximum amount of custard, giving the pudding a light and fluffy texture. Finally, reserving some of the toasted bread cubes and coating them in melted butter and sugar created a quasi streusel topping that added crunch to the lush pudding.
Before You Begin: If you can’t find challah, substitute a firm high-quality sandwich bread such as Arnold Country Style White Bread or Pepperidge Farm Farmhouse Hearty White Bread. We like the brightness of Granny Smith apples here, but you can use another firm, tart apple variety. Use a glass or ceramic baking dish. In step 3, you may not need all the milk. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, if desired.
Serves 6
INGREDIENTS
- 10 ounces challah, cut into ½-inch cubes (6 cups)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus 1½ tablespoons melted
- ½ cup packed (3½ ounces) brown sugar, divided, plus 1½ tablespoons
- ⅓ cup water
- 2 large Granny Smith apples (8 ounces each), peeled, cored, and cut into ½-inch pieces
- 1 cup milk
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1¼ cups heavy cream
TO PREPARE
STEP ONE. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Spread bread cubes in single layer on rimmed baking sheet. Bake, tossing occasionally, until just dry, about 15 minutes. Let bread cubes cool for about 15 minutes; measure out ¾ cup and set aside.
STEP TWO. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add ¼ cup sugar and water and whisk until sugar dissolves. Stir in apples, increase heat to medium-high, and bring to simmer. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook until apples are translucent and just tender, about 4 minutes longer.
STEP THREE. Drain apples in fine-mesh strainer set over 2-cup liquid measuring cup, pressing gently to remove as much juice as possible. Set aside apples. Add enough milk to juice to yield 1¼ cups liquid.
STEP FOUR. Combine ¼ cup sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, and salt in large bowl. Whisk in eggs. Whisk in cream and milk-juice mixture until com- bined. Gently stir in apples. Add remaining 5¼ cups bread cubes and toss to coat. Transfer mixture to 8-inch square baking dish and gently press down with spatula. Let soak for 30 minutes, pressing bread cubes into custard halfway through soaking.
STEP FIVE. Toss reserved bread cubes with remaining 1½ tablespoons sugar in separate bowl. Use your fingers to crush bread to create mix of small and large pieces. Add melted butter and toss to combine. Press bread cubes into custard once more and sprinkle bread topping evenly over soaked bread mixture. Place dish on rimmed baking sheet and bake until bread pudding is golden brown and center registers 160 to 165 degrees, 1 hour to 1 hour 5 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and let cool until pudding is set and just warm, about 45 minutes. Serve.
