Happy Fall! Caramel Apple Bread Pudding!!


I'm baaaack! Yes I know I have been gone for over a year but that does not mean that I haven't been cooking, baking and collecting new recipes!  I have had some interesting changes since my last post but it has all been good!

So let's get this party started!  It's fall!  Happy Day!  Warm afternoons and cool evenings, apples, pumpkins and cranberries!  Believe me I have recipes for it all!  As soon as October comes along, I start thinking about comfort foods and what I can make in my crock pot. I'm also looking to use up anything I have around the house that might be on it's last few days because I hate to waste anything.

Since we were talking about Thanksgiving that morning, I began to think about how I make my stuffing/dressing in the crock pot in order to reduce the fat and calories (more about that later).  Then I realized I had a few apples that had been hanging around the fruit bowl a little too long, a loaf of day old Italian bread and some eggs that had taken up residence in my garage refrigerator.  Oh yeah and I also some fat-free caramel apple dip in those little cups you pack in the lunch bags, that no one ever wanted in their lunch bag.  Ta-dah!  Caramel apple bread pudding!  Why not?  If it didn't work out, it would all get tossed anyway so using a little ingenuity, here's how it went down.

I got out a large bowl, peeled, sliced and diced the apples and tossed them with a little Fruit Fresh to keep them from turning brown. (I used a combination of 2 Granny Smiths, 1Golden Delicious and about 3 small Gala apples).  Then I sliced the bread into 1" slices, tore them up and tossed it in the bowl with the apples. I used a pair of tongs to really mix the bread and apples together, then I set it aside. 

I shamelessly have to recommend a product here. I own a Pampered Chef Batter Bowl. This thing is fabulous because, not only can you mix in it, it doubles as a measuring cup, has a pour spout and a lid! You can make a big batch of pancake mix and them store it in the fridge for quick breakfast during the week. I love it!   OK, so now I cracked eggs into the batter bowl, added 2 cans of evaporated milk, 1c. 2% milk, Cinnamon, Vanilla, Nutmeg, Ginger, Granulated Sugar and Brown sugar.  I mixed it really well with a wire whisk and then poured it over the bread and apples. Now I'm sure you're wondering, where's the fat? Where's the butter? There is none!!  Save those calories for later!

I use crock pot liners in my crock (best invention, ever!) and sprayed it with a little non-stick cooking spray.  I poured the whole wet, eggy bread mixture into the crock, covered it and let it bake for 3 hours on low.

At the end of the cooking time, I took 3 of those caramel cups and pulled their lids off.  I took a large tablespoon and made a few slits in the fabulous smelling bread pudding. I then scooped the caramel out and dropped it/drizzled it over the top of the hot pudding.  I left it on warm for about 10 minutes and put the lid back on, letting the caramel soak in.

It was delicious!  I served up scoops of the pudding with whipped cream on top.  There was enough to feed about 10 people from the one loaf of bread. My kids heated some up the next morning and ate it with butter and syrup.  Happy Eating!!

Recipe:

•  loaf Italian or French bread or white country bread, cut into cubes
• 1-1 ½  cup apples, peeled, cored and small diced (about 5-6)
• 4-6 eggs or egg substitute
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 3 cups milk (evaporated milk + 2% is fine!)*
• Caramel sauce
• Vanilla ice cream

Preparation

Spray slow-cooker with non-stick cooking spray or  use a greased pot-liner.
In a large bowl, combine bread and apples. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, salt, vanilla and milk until well combined. Pour mixture over bread. Transfer to slow cooker. Cook on high for 2 hours or low for 3 hours.
When pudding is done but still hot, poke holes in it with a spoon and drizzle caramel sauce over the top, letting it soak in. Spoon up with a dollop of whipped cream on top or serve in individual serving bowls and top with a drizzle of caramel sauce and a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

* You may need an additional egg and some milk depending on the amount of bread and its density.  The mixture should be very wet and eggy.