When Christmas morning arrives, we are always looking for easy to do breakfasts so we can enjoy the hot coffee and the kids having fun. This easy French toast bake can be made the night before and rested in the fridge so its ready to go! Make sure to see the options for add-ins at the end of the recipe.
Happy Holidays!
Ingredients
For the bread filling
1 loaf brioche or sourdough bread, or a mix of the two
8 Whole Eggs
2 cups whole Milk
½ cup whipping cream 35%
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
½ tsp ground ginger
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
For the crumble
½ cup granulated Sugar
½ cup brown Sugar
½ cup all-Purpose Flour
½ cup brown sugar (firmly packed)
1 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
½ tsp nutmeg
1 stick cold butter (cut into pieces, plus more for serving)
Serve with Warm local maple syrup
Butter to grease the pan, use a 9-by-13-inch baking pan
Method
1. For the French toast: Grease the baking pan with butter. Tear the bread into chunks, or cut into cubes, and evenly distribute in the pan. Crack the eggs in a big bowl. Whisk together the eggs, milk, cream, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla and spices. Pour evenly over the bread. Cover the pan tightly and store in the fridge until needed, can be made the night before.
2. For the crumble topping: Mix the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and some nutmeg in a separate bowl. Stir together using a fork. Add the cold butter and with a pastry cutter, or your fingertips and mix it all together until the mixture resembles fine pebbles. Store in a re-sealable plastic bag in the fridge. Leftovers can be frozen and used to top muffins.
3. When you’re ready to bake the casserole, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Remove the casserole from the fridge and sprinkle the topping over the top. Bake for 45 minutes for a softer, more bread pudding texture or for 1 hour or more for a firmer, crisper texture. There are so many options for a fun baked French toast.
Here are a few options!!
Add zest and juice of 1 orange to the custard mix and sprinkle in 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries.
Add 1 cup fresh blueberries, juice and zest of 1 lemon and a tsp spoon of fresh chopped thyme.
Add 1 cup chocolate chips to your bread before you pour over the custard.
Add 1 cup fresh raspberries, and the juice and zest of one lemon.
Add 1 cup of diced apples and 1 tsp of cardamom.
Chopped toasted nuts like almond, walnuts and pecans also make a nice addition.
Have fun and enjoy!!
