Instead of making French toast slice by slice, assemble it bread pudding-style the night before. When you wake up, slide the dish in a cold oven, turn it on (so the dish heats up without cracking), take your shower, dress for skiing, whatever. When you’re done, breakfast will be ready.
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 1 hr 15 min |
| Prep: | 30 min |
| Cook: | 45 min |
| Yield: | 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter, softened
- 1 loaf (about 1 pound) cinnamon bread, challah, brioche, or any soft, egg-enriched bread
- 6 large eggs
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 1/2 cups milk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 firm-ripe Anjou or Comice pears, cored and cut into chunks
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Freshly grated nutmeg
- Maple syrup
Instructions
- The night before, make the French toast: smear the butter over the bottom and sides of a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish or other shallow 2-quart baking dish. Tear the bread into small pieces and scatter in the dish.
- In a large measuring cup or small bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar until light. Add the milk and vanilla and whisk well. Pour over the bread evenly. Tamp down the bread with a spoon or spatula to submerge each piece in egg mixture. Cover with foil, gently pressing down so the foil is right on the surface of the mixture. Refrigerate overnight.
- The next morning, remove the dish and slide it into a cold oven with the foil on. Turn oven on to 350 degrees F. After 25 minutes, gently pull off and discard the foil. Continue to bake until pudding is puffed and golden brown, about 20 more minutes.
- In the meantime, prepare the spiced pears: melt butter in a wide frying pan (preferably nonstick) over medium-high heat then add the pears. Stir until pears are coated well with butter, then sprinkle sugar, cinnamon, and a good pinch of fresh nutmeg; continue to cook about 3 minutes until pears begin to soften. Pour in 1/4 cup of maple syrup; cook until bubbly then remove from heat.
- To serve, spoon bread pudding onto plates and top with spiced pears. Pass additional maple syrup at the table.
Reviews
This recipe was really easy and perfect for Sunday breakfast. I cooked the bread pudding 10 minutes longer than the recipe said and it was great.
I made this for my family and it was so good! It did take me a little longer than I expected to soften the apples, but other than that, the french toast was good!
This is a meal that everyone is pleased with!
Made it for a Mother’s Day Brunch and it was a huge hit. Very easy to make, It did take about 10 minutes longer to cook than the recipe said.
Easy to prepare. We ate it without the pears and it was very tasty on its own with syrup.
I was nervous about making an overnight french toast casserole as many other recipes reviewed as being too eggy or too mushy, but this was just perfect…more like bread pudding. The spiced pears make it special…I used 3 pears to make sure there was enough sauce. I used a raisin challah loaf also and added a little nutmeg and cinnamon to the egg and milk mixture. I served it at a brunch and everyone loved it..will definitely make this one again!
I made it for a birthday breakfast potluck for a co-worker. Everyone loved it and want the recipe.
My family loved this dish. I prepared it for breakfast on Christmas. It was delicious. I prepared it with raisin Challah bread…YUMMY! Plus it really was easy and I wasn’t standing by the stove all morning. I was seated at my holiday table with my family enjoying my meal…and it was still hot.
Very easy to prepare. The spiced pears were a nice addition.
I was looking for something to make for a breakfast pot luck and came across this recipe becasue I wanted to make my own regular french toast but realized it would not be fresh for the the breakfast. I made it and added my own flare. It got rave reviews and had lots of people asking for the recipe. Out of everything I make, I consider this my speciality and its so easy too. I love it.
This recipe is now one of my favorites to make for a Sunday brunch. I find it very easy and quick to make, and the results are just delicious!