Instructions:
One day before preparing your bread pudding, cut your French bread loaf into small cubes and place on a cookie sheet to dry out or ‘stale’ over night.
Apple Filling:
Peel, core and dice your Starr Ranch Growers Gala apples. In a large pan, melt butter and add flour and brown sugar, stirring well until completely absorbed by the flour. Next, gently toss in diced apples, adding apple pie spice (or pumpkin pie spice) and water – continuing to sauté and stir for the next 10 minutes with a wooden spoon until soft and golden. Be sure to keep an eye on this and stir regularly to avoid juices sticking to the pan. Once finished, remove from heat and strain the apple mixture – saving the apple juices in a separate bowl to use later as a drizzle.
Bread Pudding:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and grease a casserole dish (a large ceramic pie dish works too!) Spread the stale bread pieces out in the dish, followed by the apples, and mix gently to incorporate it all together. Top it off with your egg mixture, consisting of whisked eggs, whole milk, melted butter, vanilla extract, apple pie spice, 3/4 cup brown sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon and pour this mixture evenly over the bread pudding. Press down slightly into the bread, and place into oven for 35-40 minutes. Prick the center of the bread pudding with a fork or tooth pick and remove when firm to touch.
Pour the apple filling juices over the bread pudding. Allow to cool for about 10-15 minutes, and garnish with confectioners sugar and top with vanilla bean ice cream for serving. Enjoy!