I had a bread disaster, using a starved sourdough starter for a Sally Lunn. The bread came out rubbery. In spite of that texture, it was filled with bubbles, so not a complete brick. Bread pudding ended up a great way to repurpose the failed Sally Lunn. I’ve always enjoyed the pudding from the Station House Café in Point Reyes, but this one has no raisins and more apples.
Adapted from The Station House Café: 25 Years, 25 Recipes, Point Reyes Station (1999). The pan I used was a 11-by15 inch Pyrex dish, with a capacity of about 4 quarts.
Ingredients
- 10 ounces rich bread including crust, such as Sally Lunn, brioche, or challah
- 1 1/4 pounds tart-sweet apples (e.g., Granny Smith, Braeburn, Golden Delicious, Jonagold), peeled and chopped into 1/2 by 1 inch pieces
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 1/2 cups half and half; or, just half whole milk and half heavy cream.
- Garnishes: caramel sauce, cajeta, dulce de leche, crème anglais, etc.
Method
- Butter a ceramic or glass baking dish and preheat the oven. I set the oven to 350ºF degrees on the “convection baking” setting.
- Prepare the bread: Cut into 1-by-2 inch pieces and toast lightly so that the outside is crisp, but not completely dry throughout. The bread should still be soft on the inside, so when you squeeze a piece, it should give a bit. Set the bread aside in a large bowl.
- In another bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar and half and half.
- Mix the chopped apples with the bread, then pour the egg mixture over them. Allow the bread to partially soak up the liquid, about 10 minutes.
- Pour the mixture into the baking dish, and bake for about 20 minutes. Lower the temperature to 325ºF degrees, and bake for another 20 to 30 minutes until the custard has set and the apples (at the top) have browned at their edges.
- Serve with the aforementioned garnishes. Keeps well in the refrigerator, and can be reheated in the microwave.
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