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Savory apple cheddar bread pudding is a wonderful dish to make for your next brunch gathering.
Apples are one of the fruits that instantly connects most people to the change in seasons. We all have wistful memories of changing leaves, apple picking, and warm cups of cider, regardless of whether we’ve actually enjoyed those autumnal traditions.
While most of us are used to having apples available every moment of the year, I’m one of those people who ramps up the apple consumption in fall. Some varieties of apple, like the Honeycrisp, are really only available right now, which means we go cuckoo when we spy them on sale. But hey, an apple a day keeps the doctor away, right? So extra apples just means we’re super extra healthy.
I tend to add apples to sweet recipes, like my super-easy Apple Tartlets, but apples work equally well in savory recipes. One of my son’s favorite dishes is apples, cabbage, and pork, and partly due to my Wisconsin upbringing I tend to combine apples with cheese.
Cheddar crumble apple pie is a favorite dish, but I wanted to make something that was even more savory and even easier to whip up. Bread pudding is a perfect solution for both. Because you mix it up hours in advance (even the night before) you won’t need to be rushing around to get this savory apple cheddar bread pudding together. To give it even more of a savory flavor, I used freeze-dried thyme for some herbal notes.
It makes for a really lovely brunch dish, especially if you’re tired of the same-old sweet puddings.
Aged cheddar adds great savory flavor with a mild sweet note. For this recipe I used Kerrygold’s Aged Cheddar with Irish Whiskey, but you can use your favorite cheddar. Sharp cheddar is a great complement to apple!
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Savory Apple Cheddar Bread Pudding
Ingredients
- 6 cups cubed French bread
- 2 cups diced apple
- 4 ounces cheddar, crumbled or shredded
- 4 large eggs
- 1 1/4 cup milk
- 1 1/4 cup half-and-half
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh or freeze-dried thyme
Instructions
- In a 2-quart baking dish, combine bread, apple, and cheese.
- In a bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, half-and-half, maple syrup, salt, and thyme, beating until frothy. Pour over bread and stir a bit to ensure even coverage.
- Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375°F and remove pudding from the refrigerator to bring up to room temperature.
- Bake for 1 hour 30 minutes, until nicely browned on top. It will puff up while baking but deflate as it cools. Serve warm.
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Nutrition
Nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate based on online calculators. Any nutritional information found on Stetted should be used as a general guideline only.
About Megan
I focus on fresh ingredients and easy methods, with spins that keep meals interesting. Dinnertime shouldn’t be stressful or complicated, and I’m here to help you enjoy the time spent in the kitchen. Read more…
Love this flavor combo, Megan! Familiar yet sophisticated and a bit unexpected. Just lovely!
Love this flavor combo, Megan! Familiar yet sophisticated and a bit unexpected. Just lovely!
Oh, this is such a fabulous brunch dish! Love the combo of apples and cheddar and I’m always a sucker when it comes to bread pudding.
YUM. I have to say, I miss my Ohio apples. There are orchards close enough and all, but it’s just not the same.
My husband loves bread pudding – and I like the idea of adding some savory flavors to it with cheese!
This looks amazing! Need to make this the next time I have brunch!
Savory apple bread pudding – what a great idea! Like you, I associate apples with cooler weather and so this bread pudding will be perfect for a Sunday brunch when all I want is eggs, bread and cheese in a one-dish meal. Apples and thyme are wonderful together and must make this bread pudding simply divine.
I love the apple cheddar combo it screams fall
The texture of your bread pudding is amazing! Really gorgeous, and full of wonderful flavors.
This sounds perfect for brunch; or maybe a blogger get together I’m doing next week…yep think I will do it. We’re doing crafts. 🙂
I don’t like the sweet puddings so this one is sort of made for me! It’s gorgeous and so full of nice savory flavors.
I totally amp up the apple consumption once fall hits, too – there’s just something about enjoying them in-season (they taste better)! This bread pudding would be so perfect for an autumn brunch, it souns amazing.
What a lovely recipe! I’m with you on increasing my apple consumption in the fall. Especially with so many wonderful varieties available. Just might go apple picking this weekend myself!
I actually made this recipe today . At the 70 min mark I checked on it and it was done! Maybe a little dark. So do check for done-ness before the 90 min mark .
I’m not a huge fan of it. It was ok but not on my repeat list .
This recipe sounds fab, but I’m in the UK, whats half and half?
Hi Debs, half and half is half cream and half milk. I believe the correct UK substitute would be single cream.