Apple Caramel Bread Pudding

I created this dessert for Christmas Eve dinner. In this busiest of seasons with all the last-minute shopping and visiting that occurs, I like to serve a comforting and delicious dessert that can be made in stages over the course of several days. The apples, custard, and bread can be prepared up to two days before you bake the pudding, which itself can be baked a day in advance. When Christmas Eve finally arrives, the dessert is finished, and I can relax, toast the holiday with a glass of s