Bread Pudding French Toast Recipe
baked in a custard with apples & cinnamon, served with fresh berries & maple syrup
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Ingredients
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Bread pudding custard & base
Apples & fruit garnish
Finish & optional toppings
Method
Bread pudding custard & base
- 1
Prep and preheat
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9x9-inch or similar (about 2-quart) baking dish with 1 teaspoon unsalted butter.
- 2
Toast the bread (optional)
If the bread is very fresh, spread the 1-inch cubes on a baking sheet and toast in the oven 6–8 minutes until slightly dry but not browned. This helps absorption. Allow to cool slightly.
- 3
Make custard
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 5 large eggs, 1 cup whole milk, 1 cup heavy cream, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, 3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 1 teaspoon fine salt until smooth and sugar is dissolved.
- 4
Combine bread and custard
Place the 6 cups cubed bread into the prepared baking dish. Pour the custard evenly over the bread, pressing gently so most cubes are soaked. Let sit at room temperature 15–20 minutes (or refrigerate up to 1 hour) to allow bread to thoroughly absorb the custard. If any dry pockets remain, press them down and spoon extra custard if needed.
- 5
Bake
Place the dish in the preheated 350°F oven and bake uncovered for 30–40 minutes, until the custard is set at the edges and slightly jiggly in the center or an inserted knife comes out mostly clean (a few moist crumbs are fine). Rotate the dish halfway through baking for even color.
Apples & fruit garnish
- 6
Cook apples
While the pudding bakes, melt 1 tablespoon unsalted butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the 2 thinly sliced apples, 1 tablespoon maple syrup and 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until apples are tender and beginning to caramelize, 6–8 minutes. Remove from heat and keep warm.
- 7
Prepare berries
Rinse and gently dry 1 cup fresh mixed berries. If using large strawberries, quarter or slice them. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
Finish & serve
- 8
Rest and portion
Remove the baked bread pudding from the oven and let rest 10 minutes to finish setting. This makes slicing cleaner and improves texture.
- 9
Plate
Spoon a portion of the warm bread pudding onto plates. Top each portion with a generous spoonful of the sautéed apples and a handful of fresh berries.
- 10
Garnish and serve
Dust lightly with powdered sugar, if using, and serve immediately with warm maple syrup (about 2 tablespoons per serving) on the side for drizzling.
