Sticky Bun-Style Baked French Toast
Sticky Bun-Style Baked French Toast is one of the great recipes of all time! Combining a dense french toast base with a crazy-good pecan goo over the top (think french toast meets pecan cinnamon roll) can only lead to wonderful results! If you don’t like a sweet breakfast dish, this is not for you! But, if you are like me, you are going to love love love this!!!!
You’ll also love it because you can make the base the night before and then just pop it in the oven before you want to serve it. Easy!
Many people know that the very best french toast is made with challah, that delicious egg bread that is typically served on the Jewish sabbath. Good news for all, it’s available at almost every grocery store or bakery these days.
You need to let the diced challah get a little stale. You can let it sit out overnight if you have time. I didn’t have time, so I baked it, which is giving it the browned color you see in the photo above. Next time, I may try to just let it sit out and see which way I prefer.
In a mixing bowl, combine the eggs, milk, cream, dark brown sugar, vanilla and cinnamon.
Pour the challah pieces into a greased casserole dish and then pour the egg mixture over the top. Press the bread lightly to ensure that all of the pieces are coated in the custard. Wrap the casserole in plastic and refrigerate at least 8 hours.
Bake the casserole for about one hour. While it’s baking, make the pecan goo. Heat the butter, corn syrup, heavy cream, dark brown sugar and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and whisk until the caramel coats the back of a spoon. This could take 15-20 minutes. Once ready, remove from the heat and add the pecans.
Once the French toast casserole is baked, remove it from the oven, cool it for 10 minutes and pour the warm sticky bun goo all over the top and serve!
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Sticky Bun-Style Baked French Toast
Makes: 6-8 servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Bake Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour & 30 minutes plus chill time 8 hours
Ingredients
French Toast Casserole:
- 1 (one-pound) loaf challah bread
- 7 large eggs
- 2 & 1/4 cup milk
- 1 & 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 2 tbsp dark brown sugar
- 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 & 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Pecan Goo:
- 1 & 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup light corn syrup
- 2 cups dark brown sugar
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 2 cups pecan halves and pieces
Instructions
For the Baked French Toast Casserole:
Cut or tear the challah into 1-inch cubes. Divide onto two rimmed baking sheets and let sit uncovered overnight, or bake in a 325°F oven for 30 minutes, stirring halfway, until dried out and stale. Cool on baking sheets to room temperature.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, cream, two tablespoons dark brown sugar, vanilla extract, and cinnamon.
Grease a 9″ x 13″ casserole. Pour the challah pieces into the casserole, then pour the egg and cream custard evenly over the challah. Press the challah lightly to make sure all the bread is submerged. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill overnight in the refrigerator, or for at least 8 hours
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Unwrap the unbaked casserole and bake, uncovered, for one hour, until puffed and golden brown.
TIP: The challah will soufflé a bit at the end, but will settle back down once it is out of the oven.
For the Pecan Goo:
While the casserole is baking, make the gooey pecan topping. In a medium saucepan, heat the butter, corn syrup, heavy cream, dark brown sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil and cook, whisking very frequently, until the caramel coats the back of a spoon and holds a line when you drag a knife across it, about 15-18 minutes.
The caramel will thicken even further once it comes off the heat, so don’t expect it to reach a gooey consistency while it’s still bubbling away. Rather, dip a large spoon in the caramel and put it on a plate. Then, drag a line across the spoon with another utensil. If the caramel stays parted and the line does not close up again right away, you’re good.
Remove from heat and stir in the pecans. Keep warm until the French toast comes out of the oven.
To Finish:
Remove the French toast casserole from the oven. Cool for 10 minutes. Pour the warm sticky bun goo all over the top of the casserole and serve.
Recipe from Unpeeled Journal
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