"Apples & Honey (Bourbon)" Challah Bread Pudding. You're Welcome.

The air is getting cooler, the days are getting shorter, and it's time for new beginnings and the smells of warm challah, fresh apples, and honey ... bourbon.

Eating apples and honey to symbolize a sweet year ahead is a lovely tradition. A few years ago, I added my own Southern* spin on the tradition by creating an apple-challah-bread-pudding dish featuring a honey-bourbon-sauce. Several folks have requested the recipe, and this year I decided to go ahead and go public with it, because joy shared is joy doubled, right? ;-)

Enjoy, and may your coming year be a sweet, happy, and healthy one. L'shana tova!

Beth’s "Apples & Honey (Bourbon)" Challah Bread Pudding

The Bread Pudding – Ingredients

So. Good.

·         Ten cups of challah (approximately one big loaf*), torn into chunks

·         One (12 oz.) can of evaporated milk

·         One cup milk

·         One cup half-and-half

·         Eight eggs, beaten

·         ½ cup granulated sugar

·         ½ cup honey

·         ½ cup butter

·         One tsp. vanilla extract

·         One tsp. cinnamon

·         Two tsp. baking powder Dash of salt

·         Two cups of peeled, chopped apples

The Sauce – Ingredients

·         ½ cup sugar

·         ½ cup light corn syrup

·         ¼ cup butter

·         ¼ cup honey bourbon

Step One: Prep the pudding

First, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9"x13" baking dish. Place the challah chunks in a large mixing bowl. In a different bowl, mix together milk, evaporated milk, half and half, eggs, sugar, butter, vanilla, cinnamon, baking powder & salt. When thoroughly combined, pour mixture over challah chunks. Let it sit for about 10 minutes so the challah can absorb all the deliciousness. Then, add the apples, and spoon everything into the baking dish. Bake for approximately 35-45 minutes, until the bread pudding is a beautiful light golden color. Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes before serving.

Step Two: Simmer the sauce

While the bread pudding is cooling, make the sauce! Just combine sugar, corn syrup, and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer; cook for about a minute, stirring it constantly. Remove from heat; stir in the honey bourbon.

Step Three: Serve it up

Immediately drizzle one tablespoon of sauce over each serving of bread pudding. ENJOY. (If you’re traveling with the dish, you can either bring the sauce and re-heat there, or go ahead and drizzle it over the whole bread pudding – it won’t be as gooey-and-fresh, but will coat the dish nicely and still be delicious when eaten.)

With sweet wishes to all for a new year of health, happiness and love,
Beth

* I prefer "Southern" to "boozy"