Testing - Apple Drum Bread Pudding: Timbale de pommes grand mère

1 - A good first try. It feels like a real "grandma" recipe, thrifty by using up leftovers, simple and quick to make, and comforting and sweet. I used Ben's farmhouse bread-machine bread recipe, and the bread became custardy, which he liked, but I felt like it was a bit too gluey and a bit slimey. Next I'll try to make is using the Wonder bread. I also discovered that there is a bread-to-other-ingredients-ratio that allows to scale the size of the recipe up or down (see below).
Actually in reviewing the recipe, I see that I totally didn't let it cool and turn it out - we spooned it out of the pot, piping hot. Will try cooling it.

1 lb. of apples (golden de preferance) x layer of bread, peeled and thinly sliced
stale bread, very thinly sliced into 1 oz slices (7 oz. recommended)
1 Tbsp 1/2 cup of butter x layer of bread + more to butter pan
1 Tbsp 3/4 cup icing (castor) sugar x layer of bread
2 Tbsps 1 cup of milk x layer of bread (handy table at bottom)

1. Put oven rack in the middle position and preheat to 325F
2. Butter a charlotte mold (or use a non-stick sauce pan).
3. In layers, starting with a layer of bread slices, follow this order: bread - apple - butter - sugar, and repeat until all these ingredients are used up. Once the layers completed and your container is full, pour over the milk (for quantity, see below).
4. Bake for 1 hour.
5. Allow to cool completely before removing it from the mold and refrigerate.
6. Serve cold in a pool of Crème anglaise.

1 slice	2 Tbsps	1/8 cup
2 slices	4 Tbsps	1/4 cup
3 slices	6 Tbsps	1/3 cup
4 slices	8 Tbsps	1/2 cup
5 slices	10 Tbsps	2/3 cup
6 slices	12 Tbsps	3/4 cup
7 slices	14 Tbsps	3/4 cup + 2 Tbsps
8 slices	16 Tbsps	1 cup