Caramel Apple Bread Pudding

The other day a friend asked if I had any recipes for bread pudding; I didn't and I was surprised that I hadn't made this before. I'm not fond of soggy desserts so I'm sure this was part of the reason. I decided I would give it a try, but I wanted to make one that uses simple ingredients that we all have on hand and it couldn't turn out soggy! Since it's Fall I decided to turn it into a seasonal dish by adding some apples and a warm caramel sauce. It turned out perfect and I look forward to making this a lot more!

Ingredients are as follows:

10 slices of bread (I used sandwich bread)

• 1 1/2 C half-n-half
• 1/2 C brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 2 small apples, peeled and diced
• cinnamon
• sugar
• caramel:
• 1/2 C brown sugar
• 1/4 C butter
• 1 Tbsp. syrup (I used pancake syrup)
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees; grease a 9 x 9 inch baking dish.

Whisk together half-n-half, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla and nutmeg; set aside.

Break up 10 slices of bread into small pieces.

Pour liquid over the bread and mix until combined; set aside.

Mix the diced apples with a little bit of cinnamon and sugar.

Combine bread mixture and apples together; place into the baking dish.

Bake for 50-55 minutes, until the center springs back when touched; set aside.

Mix the brown sugar, butter, syrup, salt and vanilla together; boil for three minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the baking soda. Place back on the stove for another minute to thicken up. Allow to cool for about five minutes.

Slice a piece of bread pudding, drizzle on some caramel sauce and enjoy!