SAUSAGE BREAD PUDDING

Sausage Bread Pudding image

Provided by Martha Stewart

Number Of Ingredients 13

Unsalted butter, for baking dish
8 large eggs
8 cups 1-inch cubes country-style bread, crusts removed
2 cups thickly sliced bacon, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/2 pounds cooked Chicken, Apple, and Calvados Sausage, coarsely chopped (about 4 cups)
2 cups peeled, cored, and chopped apple, such as Granny Smith
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups grated Gruyere cheese
2 cups warm milk

Steps:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter a large, deep baking dish; set aside.
Whisk eggs in a large bowl for about 1 minute. Add bread cubes and toss until fully coated. Set aside.
In a large skillet over low heat, cook bacon until fat is rendered and meat is crispy. Add sausage and cook until it just begins to brown. Add apple, onion, sage, and thyme; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
Transfer sausage mixture to bowl with bread; add 1 cup Gruyere. Slowly add milk, gently folding so that bread maintains its shape. Transfer bread mixture to prepared baking dish; sprinkle with remaining 1 cup Gruyere.
Transfer baking dish to oven and bake until golden and bubbly and internal temperature reaches 170 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand 30 to 45 minutes before serving.