Apple Bread Pudding

📝 Ingredients

• 250 g stale country bread
• 600 ml semi-skimmed milk
• 3 eggs
• 60 g caster sugar
• 3 apples (about 150 g each)
• 50 g raisins
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 15 g unsalted butter
• 1 pinch of salt

🍴 Utensils

• Large mixing bowl
• Whisk
• Baking dish
• Spatula
• Peeler
• Cutting board and knife

📖 Steps

1. Cut the stale bread into 2 cm cubes, crust included. If it's still soft, spread the cubes on a baking tray and dry them out in the oven at 150 °C for 10 minutes: bread that's too fresh makes a stodgy pudding.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs with the sugar, cinnamon and salt, then add the milk and whisk until smooth. Add the bread cubes, press down to submerge them and leave to soak for 15 minutes, stirring halfway through.
3. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180 °C. Peel the apples with a peeler, remove the core and cut into 1 cm dice. Rinse the raisins under warm water to soften them, then drain.
4. Grease a baking dish of about 28 × 20 cm with a third of the butter. Fold the apples and raisins into the soaked bread with a spatula, mixing gently to distribute the fruit without mashing the bread to a pulp.
5. Pour everything into the dish along with the remaining liquid and press down lightly with the spatula. Dot the top with the rest of the butter, cut into small pieces: it helps the surface turn golden and crisp.
6. Bake for 40 minutes, until the pudding is puffed up, golden brown and set in the centre: a knife inserted in the middle should come out with no liquid. Cover with foil if the top browns too quickly.
7. Leave to cool for 15 minutes before cutting into 6 portions: the pudding holds together better. Serve warm or cold; it keeps for 3 days in the fridge, covered with cling film.