Easy Apple Pie Bread Pudding

Easy apple pie bread pudding with apple pie filling is what we’re calling this but you can just call it delicious!! The perfect Fall dessert made from scratch below with only 5 main ingredients and fruit on top we love.

Salted Caramel Apple Bread Pudding

Ok so this creation started at a friends house……. Our families were hanging out and amongst our conversations her husband spoke up and said “ok, I have what you need to make next. You need to combine bread pudding with like apple pie filling together!!” So I went to work the next day.

You can use a loaf of bread from the store and just leave out overnight or if you have day old French bread loaf that is even better. With some sugar, eggs and milk you just soak it to make the base until tender. After baked in the oven just spread any fruit pie filling on the top.

Apple Bread Pudding Recipe

I LOVE new ideas so if you have something in mind you seriously need to send me an email and tell me your thoughts. Who knows…it might end up on the blog like this apple pie bread pudding!!

• I have made it both ways using bread cubes.
• French bread is great if I happen to think of grabbing a loaf when I’m at the store.
• BUT another way that has worked well is using thick slices of bagged bread like the Artesano you see above.
• You’ll need a large bowl for your sugar and egg mixture etc…and a 9×13″ baking dish. Cooking spray is kinda’ a must if you ask me so you can get the pieces out easily too.

Here’s a peek at the steps for putting together our bread and apples mixture. I do not use fresh fruit, canned pie filling works a lot better!

Apple Bread Pudding with Apple Pie Filling

I went back to my easy banana bread pudding recipe I made years ago to look at how I made the bread pudding portion of that, grabbed some apple pie filling and started layering.

• He had suggested, bread pudding, pie filling, then bread pudding again but using 1 loaf of French bread there wasn’t quite enough to cover the bottom.
• I decided to skip the top layer and just put it all on the bottom and it worked great.

Let me tell you that not all of my creations turn out, so this really was an experiment. I threw it into the oven and checked it about 30 minutes later and it looked like it was working……

One of the most important parts in making the perfect homemade bread pudding is the cook time. You DO NOT want to overbake it, it should be very moist. BUT you need to ensure the egg is cooked too, it’s a fine balance.

Tips for Making Apple Bread Pudding

• Always preheat oven to 350 degrees before putting it inside
• Do NOT overtake it
• Add spices you love to the egg/bread mixture for added flavors
• Use day old French bread or bagged that is a bit stale.
  • If not, the pieces will just fall apart and become mush when mixing ingredients
• Gently spread apple filling on top as a top layer, don’t mix it together. Make sure it is spread evenly so one part isn’t thicker than the rest.
• Ensure the egg is cooked before taking it out, but not overcooked (tricky part, but after 1 batch you’ll know what to look for – no clear egg left, very lightly browned. on top)
• Allow to cool just slightly so it solidifies just enough so you can cut a clean piece like you see here
• Serve it warm, just my opinion but that’s best
• Add just a bit of frosting – I’m lazy and just melt some vanilla frosting out of a tub and drizzle it on the top

Tell me this doesn’t look absolutely delicious??!! You could scoop 1/2 cup of vanilla ice cream on top of the bread pudding servings too. Oh yes! I was SO upset that the last piece was snagged by my husband (I hid it in the fridge to enjoy the next day).

Oh yeah, you can make this with other pie fillings too. Strawberry bread pudding is like this but if with berries of course. When to do more in the near future I will share those too, but if you prefer another fruit then go for it!!

Who invented bread pudding?

 It is said to have begun in the early 11th and 12th century by frugal cooks. They were looking for ways to use stale leftover bread instead of letting it go to waste. In the 13th century, bread pudding was known as “poor man’s pudding”, all I can say that it is pure comfort food.

Apple Pie Bread Pudding Recipe Ingredients

1. Make your own homemade apple pie filling or use a can of apple pie filling (seen below)
2. Loaf of day old French bread – I buy one, fold the end of the bag and clip it overnight then it’s perfect the next day
3. Eggs
4. Milk – I use 2%, nonfat wouldn’t be as good
5. Sugar
6. Vanilla
7. Cinnamon
8. Could add a bit of nutmeg if you wanted
9. Tub of vanilla or cream cheese frosting melted is a great topping
10. Or drizzle some caramel sauce on top….or both!!! OMG

Pie filling desserts

• Apple pie monkey bread muffins are fun to make with your kids, finger food sweets we call them
• Raisin bread pudding is a version of this but without the pie filling
• Cherry cheesecake monkey bread is a fun one if you like ooey gooey breakfast ideas
• Cherry pineapple dump cake recipe for birthdays in our house
• Dump peach cobbler recipe here is over the top delish
• If you have a pressure cooker you can make Instant Pot bread pudding too!

Can you freeze bread pudding?

Frozen bread pudding, baked ahead of time, is fine stored in airtight containers for 2 to 3 months. To reheat leftover bread pudding in the microwave do so in 30 second intervals. Cutting your piece in half before heating will give you a more even heating too which helps and adding frosting to the top will make it more moist too.

For another fall favorite you should try our pumpkin pie sheet cake after this one.

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