Baked French Toast

Twas the morning of Christmas and all through the condo, not a creature was stirring, not even a a mouse.  We like to sleep in...

After spending all day Christmas Eve cooking, I was glad I planned ahead for breakfast and had baked french toast chilling in the fridge.  All I had to do was sprinkle with pecans and sugar, pop in the oven and warm up the rum raisin maple syrup.  Holy Martha Stewart:  YUM!

Baked French Toast

 
Prep:  10 minutes
Total:  3 hours (depending on how long you let it rest)

Note

Thick brioche slices soak up the batter, while sugared pecans lend a caramelized crunch. Refrigerating the dish overnight leaves nothing to do but top it with pecans and bake it the next morning.  In step 3, I only used 1 tablespoon and it was plenty sugared.

Ingredient

• 6 large eggs
• 2 cups milk
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1/3 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 10 slices day-old brioche (about 3/4 inch thick)
• 1 cup pecans (coarsely chopped or crushed)
• Rum-Raisin Maple Syrup (see below)
  

Directions

1. Beat eggs in a bowl. Whisk in milk, heavy cream, 1/3 cup sugar, vanilla extract, nutmeg, and salt.
2. Working in batches, dip 10 slices day-old brioche into batter to coat. Overlap brioche slices in a 9-by-13-inch ceramic or glass baking dish. Pour remaining batter over top. Refrigerate, covered, for at least 2 hours.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Top with pecans and sprinkle with 3 tablespoons sugar. Bake, covered with parchment-lined foil, for 25 minutes. Uncover; bake until top is golden brown and crunchy, 20 to 25 minutes more. Serve with syrup. 

Rum-Raisin Maple Syrup

Makes about 1 cup

• 3/4 cup raisins
• 3/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 3 tablespoons rum (feel free to skip if you prefer)

Directions

1.     Bring raisins, syrup, and rum to a simmer in a small saucepan. Remove from heat. Let stand until raisins are plump, at least 15 minutes.