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Overnight French Toast Bake

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A comforting and crowd-pleasing overnight French toast bake with a custardy interior and crunchy pecan topping, perfect for Easter morning or any lazy weekend breakfast.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 8 cups day-old bread, cubed (about 1-inch pieces) – brioche, challah, French bread, or sturdy sourdough
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 6 large eggs, room temperature
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • ½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted

Instructions

  1. Cube your day-old bread into roughly 1-inch pieces and spread evenly in a 9×13-inch baking dish. If bread is fresh, toast lightly to dry it out.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, whole milk, heavy cream, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt until fully combined and slightly frothy.
  3. Pour the custard mixture evenly over the bread cubes. Use a spatula to gently press the bread down to soak all pieces. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or at least 6 hours.
  4. Before baking, mix brown sugar, toasted chopped nuts, and melted butter in a small bowl and set aside.
  5. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Sprinkle the topping evenly over the soaked bread. Bake uncovered for 50-60 minutes until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

Use day-old bread or lightly toast fresh bread to prevent sogginess. Do not skip the overnight soak for best custard texture. Toast nuts before adding to topping for better flavor. Avoid opening oven door during first 40 minutes of baking to ensure proper custard setting. Let bake rest 10 minutes before slicing to firm up.

Nutrition

Keywords: overnight French toast bake, Easter breakfast, custard French toast, pecan topping, easy breakfast casserole, make-ahead breakfast

Find it online: https://daintydine.com/overnight-french-toast-bake-recipe-5-easy-steps-your-family-will-crave-every-easter-morning/