Apple Bread Pudding

Ingredients:

80oz (one loaf) hearty white bread, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus 3 tablespoons melted
lemon juice
water
4 large (2 lbs) Honeycrisp apples, divided, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2 pieces
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
2 1/2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
2 1/2 cups heavy cream
Caramel sauce (separate recipe)

Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. spread bread cubes on parchment lined sheet pan in a single layer. Bake, tossing occasionally, until dry. About 15 minutes. Let cubes cool.

3. Prepare water/lemon juice bath for apples in a large bowl. Peel, core, and cube 4 apples and place in the water bath to keep from browning.

4. Melt 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter in a 10" non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add 1/2 cup brown sugar and 2/3 cup of water and whisk until sugar dissolves. Stir in drained apples to the sugar mixture. Increase heat to medium high and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4-5 minutes. Uncover and cook until the apples are translucent and just tender, about 4-5 additional minutes.

5. Drain the apples in a fine mesh strainer over a 4-cup measuring cup, pressing gently to remove as much juice as possible. Set the apples aside and add enough milk to juice to yield 2 1/2 cups liquid.

6. Combine 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp vanilla, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, and 1/2 tsp salt in a large bowl. Whisk in 4 eggs. Whisk in 2 1/2 cups cream and juice/milk mixture until all ingredients are combined. Gently stir in apples.

7. Set aside 1 1/2 cup bread cubes. Add remaining bread cubes to the liquid mixture and turn to coat.

8. Transfer bread/custard mixture to a 2 inch deep half-pan and gently press down with a spatula. Cover with foil. Let soak for 30 minutes, pressing bread cubes into custard half way through.

9. Toss reserved bread cubes with 3 tablespoons brown sugar in a separate bowl. Using fingers, crush bread to create a mixture of small and large pieces. Add 3 tablespoons melted butter and toss to combine.

10. Press the bread cubes into the custard one last time and then top with the sugared bread crumbs.

11. Bake at 350 until the center registers 160-165 degrees (about one hour). Transfer to wire rack and let cool until the pudding is set.

12. Cut into 15 slices. Place on plate and top with caramel sauce.