Walnut and Apple Bread Pudding
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 6 cups levain or country bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch (or smaller) cubes
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon or apple pie spice
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- ½ cup raisins
- 4 cups whole milk
- ½ cup sugar
- 4 large eggs
- Whipped cream or ice cream, for serving
- Brown sugar, for sprinkling
Instructions:
Apples and walnuts ripen at about the same time, and are often grown in the same region.
- Coat the interior of the slow cooker insert with the butter.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the bread, apples, cinnamon, walnuts, and raisins and mix them together as thoroughly as possible. (I use clean hands, the best mixing device I know of.) Place the bread and apple mixture in the slow cooker insert.
- In a blender, combine the milk, sugar, and eggs and blend thoroughly. Gently pour the liquid over the bread, using a spoon to press the bread down into the liquid.
- Cover and cook on low for about 3 hours, or until the liquid has been absorbed by the bread and a crust is beginning to form.
- Turn off the slow cooker and allow the pudding to settle for 15 to 20 minutes, then spoon individual portions into bowls and top each portion with a generous serving of whipped cream and a sprinkling of brown sugar.