Apple Cinnamon Bread Pudding

This apple cinnamon bread pudding is the warm fall dessert that makes a room go quiet in the best possible way. Bread pieces soaked in a cinnamon and apple pie spice custard, layered with apple pie filling, sprinkled with raw sugar, and baked until golden and set in the center. Serve it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream melting over the top and it’s genuinely one of the most satisfying things you can put on a table in the fall. I have been making versions of this for years and this is the one that always gets asked for by name at every gathering.

The raw sugar on top is the detail that makes this look and taste specifically special. It bakes into a delicate crunchy layer over the golden bread pudding that adds a textural contrast to the soft, custardy interior that makes every bite more interesting.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• The custard is made from scratch in one saucepan in about five minutes and produces a richer, more deeply flavored base than any mix or shortcut version can replicate.
• Layering the bread and apple pie filling rather than just mixing everything together ensures every single serving has visible apple filling throughout rather than a few pieces concentrated at the bottom.
• The raw sugar sprinkled over the top before baking produces a slightly crunchy, slightly caramelized top crust that is the finishing touch that makes this look and taste bakery-worthy.
• This works equally well with homemade apple pie filling or a good quality store-bought jar which makes it genuinely weeknight-friendly despite tasting like something you spent all day on.

Ingredients Needed

The Custard

Whole milk and heavy cream together produce a richer custard than milk alone without being as heavy as an all-cream base. Salted butter adds a slight richness and a buttery depth. Sugar sweetens throughout. Salt balances. Vanilla extract adds warmth. Ground cinnamon and apple pie spice bring the warm, specifically fall-flavored character that makes this bread pudding taste the way it does. Four room temperature eggs tempered carefully into the warm custard bind and set the pudding during baking.

The Layers

Bread torn or cut into pieces is the body of the pudding. Day-old or slightly stale bread is best. Apple pie filling layered between and over the bread adds the apple element in every bite. Raw sugar scattered generously over the top before baking produces the delicate crunchy crust that finishes the whole dish.

How to Make Apple Cinnamon Bread Pudding

Step 1: Prep the Pan

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease the baking dish generously with butter or line with parchment.

Step 2: Make the Custard

Combine the milk, cream, butter, sugar, salt, vanilla, cinnamon, and apple pie spice in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk until the butter is melted and everything is combined. Remove from heat.

Step 3: Temper the Eggs

Whisk the room temperature eggs in a separate bowl. Add the warm custard to the eggs slowly a small amount at a time whisking constantly throughout. Once tempered whisk the egg mixture back into the remaining custard.

Step 4: Soak the Bread

Add the bread pieces to the custard and toss to coat. Let sit for a few minutes until the bread has fully absorbed the custard.

Step 5: Layer

Add a layer of soaked bread to the baking dish. Spoon apple pie filling over the bread. Repeat with another bread layer and another apple filling layer. Press down gently to compress. Finish with apple pie filling on top and a generous sprinkle of raw sugar.

Step 6: Bake and Serve

Bake at 350°F for about 40 minutes until firm, set, and deeply golden on top. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Storing and Reheating

Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat individual portions in the microwave for 30 to 45 seconds or cover the dish with foil and reheat in a 325°F oven for 15 minutes. Add a fresh scoop of vanilla ice cream after reheating for the full experience. The bread pudding is excellent the next day as the custard continues to set and the flavors deepen overnight.

How to Serve Apple Cinnamon Bread Pudding

Serve warm directly from the baking dish with vanilla ice cream piled on top. The contrast between the warm bread pudding and the cold melting ice cream is specifically what makes this dessert so good. A drizzle of caramel sauce over the ice cream adds an extra indulgent finish that pairs beautifully with the cinnamon apple flavor.

FAQ

What bread works best for bread pudding?

Day-old or slightly stale bread is specifically better than fresh. Stale bread has lost some of its moisture and absorbs the custard more readily without falling apart during soaking or baking. Brioche produces the richest, most indulgent result. French bread or a sturdy white sandwich loaf produces a more classic, slightly chewier bread pudding. Croissants torn into pieces produce something especially buttery and decadent. Avoid very soft sandwich bread that will disintegrate completely during soaking.

Why temper the eggs instead of just adding them directly?

Pouring warm custard directly onto eggs or adding cold eggs directly to hot liquid causes the egg proteins to cook immediately and produces scrambled eggs rather than a smooth, uniform custard. Tempering adds the warm liquid to the eggs slowly while whisking constantly which gently brings the eggs up to the temperature of the custard without ever letting any single area get hot enough to scramble. It’s a technique that takes about two extra minutes and is completely non-negotiable for a smooth, properly set bread pudding.

Apple Cinnamon Bread Pudding

This apple cinnamon bread pudding layers custard-soaked bread with apple pie filling, cinnamon, and apple pie spice and bakes until golden and set for a warm, buttery fall dessert served with vanilla ice cream.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Servings: 8

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Ingredients

  

• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 1/2 tsp salted butter plus more for greasing
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar plus 3 tbsp
• Pinch salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp apple pie spice
• 4 large eggs room temperature
• Bread torn or cut into pieces
• Apple pie filling homemade or store-bought
• Raw sugar for sprinkling
• Vanilla ice cream for serving

Method

 

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a baking dish generously with butter or line with parchment paper.
2. In a saucepan over medium heat combine the milk, heavy cream, butter, sugar, salt, vanilla, cinnamon, and apple pie spice. Whisk gently until the butter is fully melted and everything is combined. Remove from heat.
3. Whisk the room temperature eggs together in a separate bowl. Slowly add a small amount of the warm custard to the eggs while whisking constantly. Continue adding the custard a little at a time until the eggs are fully tempered. Whisk the egg mixture back into the remaining custard.
4. Add the bread pieces to the custard and toss gently until completely coated. Let soak for a few minutes so the bread fully absorbs the custard.
5. Add a layer of custard-soaked bread to the prepared baking dish. Spoon a layer of apple pie filling over the bread. Add another layer of soaked bread then another layer of apple pie filling. Press down gently to compress the layers. Finish with apple pie filling over the top and a generous sprinkle of raw sugar.
6. Bake at 350°F for about 40 minutes until firm and set in the center and deeply golden on top.
7. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Notes

• Let the bread sit in the custard for a few minutes before layering. You want it to really absorb that creamy cinnamon custard. That’s what gives you a soft, rich center instead of dry pieces of bread throughout.
• Tempering the eggs is the step that prevents scrambled eggs in your custard. Add the warm liquid slowly and whisk constantly. Don’t rush it.
• Day-old or slightly stale bread is specifically better for bread pudding than fresh bread. It absorbs the custard more readily without falling apart and produces a more cohesive, more structured finished pudding.
• Press the layers down gently before baking. Compressing everything together ensures the custard soaks all the way through every layer rather than pooling at the bottom.