I’ll never forget the first time I made baked French toast for breakfast. It was a busy Thanksgiving weekend, and my entire extended family was packed into my not-so-large house. I was busy cooking Thanksgiving dinner, all the while stressing about how I was going to pull off a delicious breakfast for such a big crowd. As I was slicing baguette for appetizers, it hit me: I could use the extra slices for baked French toast. And so, the lifesaver of my holiday breakfast was born with the recipe below.
I layered a baking dish filled with the extra sliced French bread, topped it with traditional French toast batter, and popped it in the fridge. The batter soaked into the thick-cut French bread as it sat overnight, creating the most amazing texture. The next morning, all I had to do was pop it in the oven and bake it. Talk about the perfect no maintenance, no fuss breakfast! This luscious French toast is delicious on its own, but it's also great topped with whipped cream or fresh berries.
Caramel Pecan French Toast Bake
Ingredients 1 stick butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 loaf French bread, cut into 1 1/2-inch thick slices on the diagonal
4 eggs
1 cup whole milk or half and half
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions1. Grease a 9x13 pan with butter or cooking spray and set aside.
2. In a small bowl, combine the melted butter, brown sugar, and chopped pecans. Spread the butter mixture over the bottom of the prepared pan.
3. Add the French bread slices to the pan, arranging them so they are in one even layer without overlapping.
4. In a medium-sized bowl, beat the eggs with the milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla extract until the eggs are well incorporated.
5. Slowly pour the egg mixture over French bread slices. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for one hour. It can sit as long as overnight in the fridge.
6. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Bake the French toast pan, uncovered, for 35 to 40 minutes, until the tops are golden brown.
7. Remove the pan from the oven and allow it to cool slightly.
8. Flip the pan over onto a rimmed baking sheet or cutting board so the caramel pecan bottom becomes the top.
9. Top with maple syrup, whipped cream, or fresh berries
