Apple Pudding Bake with Cinnamon Ice Cream

Prep Time: 45 mins

Cooking Time: 5 mins

Total Time: 50 mins

2 cans (3 ½ cups) full-fat milk (if you are allergic to dairy products, go for an equal amount of coconut milk for the best taste)
½ cup raw sugar (unrefined sugar like brown sugar tastes great)
1 tsp quality vanilla extract
1 pinch xanthan gum (optional)
½ tsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp cinnamon sugar
1 piece of toast (grated or scraped with a knife; use vegan toast if opting for a vegan version)

Add your preferred milk to a saucepan over medium heat. Add sugar; stir, and bring to a boil while whisking along.
Remove this mixture from heat and stir in the vanilla extract, cinnamon and xanthan gum (optional). Whisk to combine well.
Transfer to a glass bowl and cover it with plastic wrap once it is no longer steaming hot. Refrigerate it for around 6-8 hours or until chilled.
Once the mixture is chilled, transfer it into the bowl of your ice cream machine and churn per the manufacturer’s instructions.
Once the ice cream is nearly done (after about 35-40 minutes), sprinkle half of the cinnamon sugar and toast flecks. Keep churning.
When the ice cream machine stops, transfer it to a freezer-safe container and sprinkle in the rest of the cinnamon sugar and toast flecks, swirling with a knife to incorporate just slightly.
At this point, you may either consume it soft and creamy, or pop it in the freezer to harden. Thaw for 10 minutes before serving.

Prep Time: 30 mins

Cooking Time: 45 mins

Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins

4-5 large apples
¼ cup butter (if you are allergic to dairy products, use any of your favorite plant-based butter here or a healthy vegetable oil)
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ cup brown sugar
¾ cup maple syrup
⅓ cup whipping cream (for vegan alternative, use thick coconut cream for a rich flavor)

5 cups bread cubes, stale (Use any good quality bread like Brioche, French, Italian or Belgian bread is good too.)
1 cup whipping cream (if you are allergic to dairy products, use 1 cup coconut cream for the best taste)
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
1 cup milk (if you are allergic to dairy products, use 1 cup coconut milk for the best taste)
2 eggs (or ⅔ cup chickpea flour )
2 egg yolks (skip this one if you are making a vegan version as ⅔ cup chickpea flour does the job here)
⅔ cup sugar (brown sugar works best for an added caramelized kind of flavor; also an added advantage of it being unrefined)
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp baking powder
Pinch salt

Peel and cut the apples into thick long slices.
Take a skillet/pan over medium heat, melt the butter and add the cinnamon and brown sugar.
Cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is bubbly.
Add the apples and sauté until the apples are just fork tender but not too soft or mushy.
Remove the apples from the sauce to a flat plate to stop carry-over cooking.
Now, add the maple syrup to the same skillet full of left-over caramel sauce and simmer it (for around 5-6 minutes) to reduce it to a slightly thickened bubbling consistency.
Add the whipping cream and simmer for an additional couple of minutes (for around 5 minutes).
Return the apples to the sauce to keep them warm until you prepare the bread pudding.

Grease a baking dish well.
Take a bowl, toss the bread cubes with the nutmeg and cinnamon.
Now, spread the spiced bread cubes onto the greased baking dish.
Now, add the whipping cream (or coconut cream), milk (or coconut milk), egg yolks+eggs (or chickpea flour), vanilla, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a large bowl and whisk to combine well. There should not be any lumps of chickpea flour in the mixture; you may need to pass it through a sieve for quicker and best results.
Pour this mixture over the bread, pressing down slightly to make sure all the cubes are soaked. Also, add the prepared cinnamon apples over it all. Let it soak for around 30 minutes.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 45-50 minutes until the custard is set and no longer liquid in the center.
Let the prepared bread pudding stand for about 10-15 minutes before serving.
Serve with the homemade Cinnamon ice-cream.