Gingerbread Bread Pudding

By contessawannabe

Ingredients

• For the Gingerbread:
• Nonstick cooking spray
• 1 ¾ c all-purpose flour
• 1 t baking soda
• 2 T ground ginger
• 1 T ground cinnamon
• ¼ t ground cloves
• ¼ t salt
• ¾ t finely ground black pepper
• 4 oz unsalted butter, softened
• ¾ c light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• ¾ c molasses
• ½ c boiling water
• For the Custard:
• 3 c whole milk
• 4 oz fresh ginger, sliced
• 1 T whole black peppercorns
• 4 large eggs
• ¾ c granulated sugar
• 1 t vanilla
• 1 t ground ginger
• Pinch of salt
• For the Candied Apple garnish (optional):
• 4 tart, firm apples (like Granny Smith or Honeycrisp)
• 2 c apple cider
• ¾ c light brown sugar

Details

Servings 8
Adapted from readymade.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x9-inch square pan. Sift flour, spices, and baking soda together. With an electric mixer or in a mixer bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter until fluffy, about 5-7 minutes.
Add brown sugar and egg until combined. Slowly mix in molasses. Add sifted flour and spice mixture just until combined. Add boiling water and stir until combined. (It’s OK if your batter appears separated at this point.)
Pour batter into pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Let cool in the pan placed on a rack.
Over medium-high heat, simmer milk, ginger, and peppercorns just to the point before boiling to infuse the flavor of the spices.
Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, vanilla, ground ginger, and salt. Slowly ladle 1 cup of scalded milk into the egg mixture while whisking. Once mixed, add the rest of the milk. Strain custard through a fine sieve.
Preheat oven to 300°F. Cut cooled gingerbread into ½-inch squares and use it to fill an ungreased 9x13-inch dish. Pour custard so it just covers the bread. Let sit for 15 minutes, then top off with any remaining custard. Cover with foil and bake for 30-45 minutes, until custard sets and a knife comes out cleanly. Let cool slightly.
Peel and thinly slice the apples. Combine with cider and brown sugar in a large skillet. Simmer over medium heat until apples are glossy and the cider thickens, about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Top gingerbread pudding with candied apples and crème fraîche to serve, if desired