Fall baking season means apples and spices

OK, autumn, we're ready for you. Baking season has returned, as well as the season of apples, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Those ingredients are all featured in this bread pudding recipe. But do personalize it to suit your taste.

I used sweet-tart apples -- Honeycrisp and Granny Smith -- because they hold up well, but there are others that work, including Cosmic Crisp and Pink Lady varieties. I also used pugliese bread instead of challah or brioche, because that's more likely to be in the house. (Stale bread, you know.)

And even though I didn't add any mix-ins such as raisins or dried cranberries, don't let that stop you from enhancing your version if you wish.

This version serves a small household well, with not too many leftover servings, but it can be doubled for a potluck or other crowd.

Apple bread pudding

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

1/2 pound of artisan bread, cut into 1-inch bread cubes, about 4 cups

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for baking dish

1/3 cup brown sugar, packed

1 teaspoon cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Pinch of salt

2 to 3 sweet-tart apples, peeled and diced, at least 2 cups

2 eggs

1 egg yolk

2 to 2-1/2 cups half and half or whole milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whipped cream or ice cream and cinammon, for serving

Instructions:

This recipe assumes you don't have bread that is stale enough to soak up the custard. But note: The bread used shouldn't be hard.

Heat oven to 300 degrees. Place the bread cubes in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, stirring once, until the cubes are dry but not brown. Set aside to cool.

Butter a 2-quart casserole or other baking dish. Turn oven heat up to 350 degrees.

Melt the 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet. Add the brown sugar, stirring, until it dissolves. Then stir in the spices and salt, then the diced apples. Saute the apples until they are well-covered with spices, and are just tender. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and egg yolk together, then whisk in the milk or half and half, and the vanilla.

Place the bread cubes in the prepared baking dish. Slowly pour the milk-egg mixture over the cubes, pushing the cubes down with a spoon so the bread absorbs the custard. Gently stir in the apples, including any spiced melted butter still in the pan.

Allow the bread cubes to soak at least 15 minutes. (If you want the mixture to soak longer, cover and refrigerate the dish.)

When ready to bake, push the cubes down in the liquid one more time, then sprinkle a bit of cinnamon over the top of the bread pudding.

Bake 40 to 50 minutes until custard is set and the top of the pudding is golden brown. Allow to cool 10 minutes before serving with whipped cream or ice cream sprinkled with a little more cinnamon. Refrigerate any leftovers.