Grandma's Apple Butter Bread Pudding

Instead of chucking your loaf of day or two old French Bread, transform it into an old fashioned classic, bread pudding.
Bread pudding dates back, way back, and made its debut here in the Americas, by way of immigrants that settled in Louisiana.
Bread Pudding started as a way to utilize stale bread and stretch a buck. Over the years, it has evolved and made its way to even the Michelin starred tables.

A rainy day like today is a perfect day for the warm and inviting smells and satisfaction of a freshly baked bread pudding.  I successfully canned my first batches of Apple Butter this past summer and used some to execute this warm and cozy recipe.  Prep is relatively a cinch and the results can rival any actual Grandma's recipe, because it's made with the same heart and soul.  Of course recipes will vary, depending on your finished apple butter product, but delicious will still be in the description when it's all said and done.

Recipe:

1 lb. day or 2 old Fench Bread, cut into 1/2 inch chunks

1 c. milk, I used 2%

1/2 c. heavy cream, optional, you can use more milk if desired

1 8 oz. jar Apple Butter, preferably Grandma's homemade

4 large eggs, slightly beaten

4 tbsp. butter, unsalted, cut into small chunks

2 tsp. cinnamon

2 tsp. good quality Vanilla extract

Pinch of salt or to taste

Raw Honey to Garnish, optional

Vanilla or your favorite icecream for an extra special experience

Whipped Cream, optional

Instructions:

Combine wet ingredients, cinnamon, vanilla and pinch of salt until well incorporated.

Spray or grease baking vessel with cooking spray or butter.

Place half of the butter cubes along bottom of vessel.

Arrange bread cubes evenly across baking dish.

Pour liquid over bread slowly, giving bread time to absorb. 

Dot with rest of butter pieces.

Cover with foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to overnight. 

Remove plastic wrap, but not foil . You will be baking this covered for the first 30 minutes or more, allowing the custard to rise and set.

Bake in a 350* oven for about 35 minutes, then remove foil for last 15. 

Bake time depends on depth of vessel. 

Bake until golden, also until toothpick inserted towards center, comes out clean.

 I used individual serving cast iron pans and cut the time more than in half. 

Serve Warm or room temperature not Hot for best results.

Looking for a good homemade Apple Butter recipe, I will be posting mine soon.  Be sure to follow up for the recipe!;)