I recently made brunch for my son and his fellow a cappella group mates while they were over at my house practicing. I served this Baked French Toast With Pecan Crumble and a Cinnamon Roll Casserole. They nearly finished the cinnamon roll dish while the French toast was nearly untouched. I had never made the recipe before so thought that maybe there was something wrong with it.

So I cut a slice and tried it. And it was……..Amazing! (Turns out the boys thought it best if they finished one casserole before starting in on the next one.)

If you want an easy, make ahead breakfast then you can’t go wrong with Baked French Toast With Pecan Crumble. Tastes somewhat like a bread pudding. The pecan crumble makes it crispy on top while the sweet custard makes it dense on the inside. Serve with some fresh fruit and your day is off to the best start.

Baked French Toast With Pecan Crumble

Ingredients:

1 (1-pound) loaf challah bread, sliced 1″ thick
Unsalted butter, softened (to grease baking dish)
4 large eggs
4 large egg yolks
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
Pecan Crumble (recipe follows)
Maple syrup, to serve

Directions:

1. Spread out bread on a baking sheet and let stand overnight. You could also dry the bread in a 250°F oven for 15 minutes, turning once.

2. Butter a 13 x 9-inch baking dish.

3. Arrange bread, overlapping, in rows in prepared dish.

4. Whisk eggs, egg yolks, cream, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a medium bowl. Pour over bread. Cover and chill at least 2 hours or overnight.

5. Preheat oven to 375°F.

6. Scatter pecan crumble over soaked bread. Place dish on a rimmed baking sheet and cover tightly with foil.

7. Bake until warmed through, 25–30 minutes. Remove foil and bake until deeply browned, 35–40 minutes longer. Let cool slightly before serving with syrup.

Serves 8

Pecan Crumble

Ingredients:

1/2 cup pecans
2 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions:

1. Pulse pecans, butter, brown sugar, and salt in a food processor until nuts are coarsely chopped.

Note: Pecan mixture can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.

Recipes from Epicurious

This will get you moving in the morning.

Check out April Towers on the band’s Website where you can learn of upcoming shows in Ireland and the UK and buy their music.

Cheers!