Baked French Toast with Fruit and Pecan Crumble
When it comes to brunch, do you prefer savory or sweet? As personal chefs, we’re big fans of eggs for their versatility. When it comes to brunch and breakfast foods, they have no trouble fitting both genres. Here’s our recipe for an elegant Baked French Toast that will please the whole crowd.
If you’re hosting a group, like a Galentines’ Brunch, taking advantage of make ahead recipes will give you more time to sip coffee, refill mimosas, and enjoy chatting with your guests. This French Toast Bake can be made the night before, and all you have to do is finish it in the oven.
The best part about this Fresh Toast Bake is its versatility. You can use your favorite in-season fruit to give it a beautiful seasonal flourish. This recipe can be adjusted to use apples in the fall or winter, or peaches and raspberries in the summer.
Baked French Toast with Fruit and Pecan Crumble
Equipment
- 9x13 baking dish
- food processor
Ingredients
- 1 1 lb loaf challah
- 1 tbsp butter, for greasing baking dish
- 4 large eggs
- 4 egg yolks
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 cups peavns
- 2 tbsp butter chilled, cut into pieces
- 2 tbsp light brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 3 peaches, apples, or seasonal fruit sliced for serving
- maple syrup for serving
Instructions
- For french toast: Spread out bread on a rimmed baking sheet; let stand overnight.
- Butter a 13x9" baking dish. Cut bread in slices of 1" thickness. Arrange, overlapping, in rows in buttered baking dish.
- Whisk eggs, egg yolks, cream, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a medium bowl. Pour over bread, pressing bread to help it soak up custard. Cover and chill at least 2 hours.
- For pecan crumble and assembly: Preheat oven to 375°F. Pulse pecans, butter, brown sugar, and salt in a food processor until nuts are coarsely chopped.
- Scatter pecan crumble over soaked bread. Place dish on a rimmed baking sheet and cover tightly with foil. Bake until warmed through (a knife inserted into the center should feel warm to the touch), 25–30 minutes. Remove foil and bake until deeply browned, 35–40 minutes longer. Let cool slightly before serving with maple syrup.
Notes
