Gluten-Free Apple Bread Pudding

I kid you not. This delightfully light and moist gluten-free apple bread pudding came to me in a dream. You’re welcome.

Bread pudding is definitely the ultimate global comfort dessert! So many countries across the map make their own version. In Puerto Rico, it’s soaked in coconut milk and served with a guava rum sauce. In Hong Kong, it’s served with vanilla cream dressing, and in Hungary, they bake it with whipped egg whites on top. Here in the US, it’s popular in the south, especially in Louisiana where it’s served with a sweet sauce spiked with rum or whiskey. Can you say “YUM!”

How to make gluten-free apple bread pudding:

Bread: Bread is the most important ingredient in bread pudding. Hard to believe? Right? For this recipe, I use sliced gluten-free brioche bread from Trader Joe’s. It’s got a soft, sturdy texture that’s perfect for bread pudding or French toast. If you don’t have access to a TJ’s, don’t fret. This recipe works great with any rustic white or egg bread (like Challah), with or without gluten. All you have to do is cube up the bread set it on a baking sheet, drizzle with melted butter, and toast in the oven.

Apples: Use your favorite baking apple. I really like the sweetness level of Honeycrisp apples. Other good choices are Pink Lady, Granny Smith, Jonagold, or McIntosh apples. Peel and cube the apples. Sauté in butter, deglaze with a little apple brandy, and gently toss with the buttery toasted bread cubes.

Custard: This recipe uses whole eggs and egg yolks. Egg yolks make the custard extra rich, flavorful, and creamy! Get a big bowl, crack them in, and whisk in some milk of your choice, cream, sugar, and spices. That’s it. Easy peasy!

Warm Vanilla Sauce:

Vanilla Sauce: This sauce is so dang yummy, I could just drink it! All you do is heat the milk, cream, and sugar to just below simmering. Next, temper the egg yolks by whisking a small ladle of the hot milk mixture into the yolks before adding them to the milk. This will ensure that you don’t end up with scrambled eggs. Stir the sauce until it thickens and coats the back of a spoon, then spike with your favorite apple brandy, and whisk in the spices.

Secret Weapon: Chinese Five Spice. You heard it right. Chinese Five Spice is a blend of spices that include cinnamon, star anise, fennel, ginger, cloves, white pepper, and licorice root. It’s typically used in savory dishes. This exotic spice blend is incredibly versatile. It works wonderfully in desserts and is a match made in heaven for bread pudding. It lends interest to the dessert and brings a warm and alluring flavor to the vanilla sauce.

“Life is short and unpredictable. Eat the dessert first.” HELEN KELLER –

Gluten-Free Apple Bread Pudding

• Author: cllombardi
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
• Yield: 6–8 servings 1x
• Category: Desserts
• Method: Oven
• Cuisine: World

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Description

This gluten-free apple bread pudding with warm vanilla sauce is what dreams are made of!

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Bread

• 1 pound gluten-free brioche or hearty white bread, cut into 2” cubes
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

Apples

• 1 large Honeycrisp or Granny Smith apple, peeled and chopped small
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 teaspoon apple brandy (I like Clear Creek Distillery or Calvados)

Custard

• 5 large eggs
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1.5 cups milk (your choice)
• 1.5 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup sugar
• 1.5 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon Chinese five-spice

Vanilla Sauce

• 3 large egg yolks (reserve whites for another purpose)
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 cup milk (your choice)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/8 teaspoon Chinese five-spice
• 1/2 teaspoon apple brandy (optional)

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
2. Butter a 9 x 13 baking dish.
3. Set bread cubes on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or silicone. Drizzle melted butter over bread cubes and lightly toss. Bake for 10-13 minutes (stirring halfway through) or until toasted light brown. Toss into the buttered baking dish.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together all of the custard ingredients (eggs, yolks, milk, heavy cream, sugar, vanilla, and spices). Mix well and set aside.
5. In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon butter and the chopped apples. Sauté apples for 3 minutes then deglaze the pan with apple brandy. Shake the pan and cook for one minute. Toss into the baking dish over bread cubes. Gently spread the apples out so they are evenly distributed throughout the baking dish.
6. Give custard a quick whisk and pour over bread cubes and apples. Gently press down to make sure all of the bread cubes are soaked with the custard. Cover and let stand 20 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, prepare the water bath. Fill a kettle with water and heat to a boil. Set the baking dish in a larger roasting pan and carefully pour boiling water around the baking dish until it reaches halfway up the baking dish. Carefully transfer the bread pudding in the water bath to the oven and bake for 45 minutes or until custard is set and a knife comes out clean.
8. Very carefully remove pans from the oven and let cool for 20 minutes.
9. Make the vanilla sauce. Whisk the egg yolks, 1 tablespoon sugar, vanilla, and cornstarch in a small bowl and set aside.
10. In a medium pot over medium-high heat, heat the milk, heavy cream, and 2 tablespoons of sugar until it comes to a low simmer. Stir constantly to avoid burning on the bottom. Whisk a small ladle of the hot cream mixture into the egg yolk mixture to temper, then whisk the egg yolk mixture into the pot. Stir constantly until thickened.
11. Stir in Chinese five-spice and apple brandy. Serve warm vanilla sauce over the bread pudding.

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Keywords: gluten-free apple bread pudding, bread pudding, apple bread pudding, apples, vanilla sauce