Apple Cinnamon Bread Pudding

Ingredients

• 1 large loaf french bread
• 2 cups milk
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups applesauce, divided
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp cinnamon
• 1 small lemon, zested
• 2 Tbsp butter, optional
• 1 cup raisins, optional
• As needed non-stick spray

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Slice the French bread into 1 inch pieces. If the bread is already stale, go straight to the custard. If it is fresh, scatter it across a baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes, stirring once, so it dries out enough to drink up the custard.
2. While the bread dries in the oven, make the custard. In a large bowl, whisk the milk, eggs, 1 cup of applesauce, cinnamon, sugar and lemon zest until everything is smoothly combined.
3. Coat the inside of a glass casserole dish with non-stick spray. A large 9×11 dish works here; an 8×8 dish will make a deeper, taller bread pudding. Add the bread pieces to the dish, pressing them down a bit if you need to.
4. Pour the custard over the bread, aiming to moisten it as evenly as you can. Scatter the raisins across the top, then stir gently so the raisins and custard are distributed through the bread. Dot the top with butter if desired, using 2 Tbsp total. Add the remaining 1 cup of applesauce before baking by spooning dollops over the top and nudging them between the bread pieces, or add it after baking for a cool contrast.
5. Bake the bread pudding at 325 degrees for 45 minutes. Serve hot.