Sweet Bread Casserole with Apples and Raisins Recipe
This sweet casserole is a dessert version of baked bread with milk, a bit like a cross between a Polish sweet bun and an English bread pudding. Bread rolls, apples and raisins are baked in vanilla milk with eggs, creating a soft, cinnamon-scented dessert. It tastes great warm, especially on a chilly afternoon.
This casserole is the essence of the Polish idea of ‘something sweet from what’s left’ – a way to use up stale rolls that tastes like straight from a home kitchen. The combination of sautéed apples with cinnamon, soaked bread and vanilla milk gives a soft, creamy center with a slightly crisp, buttery top. It’s a dessert that smells like an autumn evening but is as simple as an everyday supper.
Chef's tips
The rolls shouldn’t be completely fresh – slightly stale ones soak up the milk-and-egg mixture better and won’t turn into mush. Make sure the milk is only warm, not hot, otherwise the eggs may start to set in the bowl and form lumps. During baking, check after 25 minutes – if the top is browning too quickly, cover the casserole with a piece of aluminium foil.
How to serve
It’s best served warm, with a spoonful of thick cream, Greek yogurt or a scoop of vanilla ice cream – especially after Sunday lunch. To drink, tea with lemon, warmed milk with honey or a mild milky coffee are perfect. On cold afternoons it also works well as a sweet supper after coming back from a winter walk or ice skating.
Ingredients
- wheat bread roll can be stale - 5 pieces
- apple medium, preferably slightly tart - 4 pieces
- raisins - 60 g
- milk - 500 ml
- egg - 3 pieces
- sugar - 70 g
- vanillin sugar - 1 teaspoon
- ground cinnamon - 1 teaspoon
- butter 20 g for the dish and top, 10 g for the apples - 30 g
- breadcrumbs for dusting the dish - 1 tablespoon
Preparation
- Pour hot water over the raisins and set aside for 10 minutes to soften, then drain.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (top and bottom heat). Grease a baking dish with 10 g of butter and dust with breadcrumbs, shaking out the excess.
- Cut the rolls into slices or larger cubes. Arrange them loosely in the dish.
- Peel the apples, remove the cores and cut into thin slices or small cubes. Melt 10 g of butter in a pan, add the apples, half of the sugar and half of the cinnamon. Fry for 5–7 minutes over medium heat, stirring, until the apples soften slightly but don’t fall apart.
- Distribute the apples and raisins evenly among the pieces of bread in the dish.
- Gently heat the milk in a small saucepan (it should be warm but not hot). In a bowl, whisk the eggs with the remaining sugar and the vanillin sugar, then slowly pour in the warm milk in a thin stream, whisking constantly.
- Pour the milk-and-egg mixture evenly into the dish so the bread soaks well. Leave for 10 minutes to let the liquid soak into the bread.
- Cut the remaining 10 g of butter into small pieces and scatter over the top of the casserole. Sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon.
- Place the dish in the preheated oven and bake for about 30–35 minutes, until the top is golden and the egg mixture has set (the center is no longer liquid).
- After removing from the oven, let the casserole rest for 5–10 minutes. Serve warm, optionally dusted with icing sugar.
Storage
Store cooled leftovers covered in the fridge and reheat gently in the oven or microwave before serving. Best eaten within 1–2 days.
