Caramel Apple Bread Pudding with Buttermilk Syrup

I had amassed enough leftover bread bits in my freezer that I felt it was time to make another bread pudding. This time I made caramel apple bread pudding from Our Best Bites.  This dish is absolutely sinful.  It probably should have been served for dessert but as I am a horrible/wonderful mother, I made it for dinner one night.  (Hey.  Don't judge.  It has apples in it.  Apples are healthy.)

I made the changes that a commenter on the original post from Our Best Bites suggested.  I used 5 whole eggs instead of 4 whole eggs and 3 yolks.  I also used 3 cups of skim milk instead of the milk and cream combo.  I also used 3 heaping cups of apples, so it was probably more like 4 cups of apples.  See how much healthier I made this dish!

What really sets this bread pudding over the top, above all other bread puddings, is the Buttermilk Syrup.  There is a link on the Our Best Bites page to their version of Buttermilk syrup, but I used the recipe for buttermilk syrup from Creations by Kara.  The Creations by Kara version uses a white and brown sugar combination, while the Our Best Bites version uses white and Corn syrup.  The CbK version only needs 1/4 cup of butter while the OBB one uses a whole stick.  Oh, and the CbK recipe makes nearly double that of the OBB.  So I chose the OBB one.  Besides, I was all out of corn syrup.

Now I want to talk about that syrup for a second.  When they say use a large pot.  For pity's sake, use one.  Do you see the dirtied up marks that go above the rivets in the picture above?  That is how much the syrup is going to foam up when you add the baking soda.  Please err on the side of caution.  You don't want molten syrup all over your stove, counter, floor or anything really.  You have been warned!

This final picture is of the bread pudding topped with the Buttermilk syrup. So yummy!  We wound up having extra syrup.  It stores very nicely in the freezer.  The syrup doesn't really freeze, but the butter does float to the top.  A few minutes in the microwave, and a good stir brings everything back together again.  Blockette frequently requests this syrup on pancakes/waffle instead of the regular fake maple stuff.  Dare I say she even likes it better than the real live maple tree "blood".

Caramel Apple Bread Pudding from Our Best Bites
5-6 c. stale French bread cubes (about 1/2 of a standard loaf cut into 1″ cubes)
3 c. apples, peeled and chopped into small pieces
4 eggs
3 egg yolks
1 1/2 c. milk
1 1/2 c. heavy cream
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. almond extract
2 tsp. pumpkin or apple pie seasoning
1 Tbsp. butter, chopped
1 recipe Buttermilk Syrup

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease or spray a 9×13″ baking dish with shortening or non-stick cooking spray. In a large bowl, toss together the bread cubes and the apple pieces. Transfer to the baking dish. In the same large bowl, whisk remaining ingredients except for the butter. When combined, continue to whisk while pouring over bread/apple mix (just to make sure the spices are evently distributed). Gently combine the bread and egg mixture, making sure each piece of bread is soaking in part of the egg and milk mixture. Allow to stand for at least 15 minutes (longer, if you can; you could even do this the night before, cover it tightly, and then bake it in the morning). When egg/milk mix mostly soaked into bread, dab butter over bread and place baking dish, bake 40-50 min til center is set but not dry or burned. Remove from oven and allow to stand for 5 min.


Buttermilk Caramel Syrup from Creations by Kara
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter*
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla

In a large saucepan, bring buttermilk, sugars, and butter to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat and stir in soda and vanilla. It will bubble up a lot. Hopefully you used a large saucepan like I told you. :) As it cools, the bubbles will go away.
*Notes: The original recipe calls for 1/2 cup butter. I cut back to 1/4 c.