Skip to main content

Baked French Toast with Pecan Crumble

Image may contain Food Bread Plant Fruit and Blueberry

A sweet, nutty crumble offers the perfect balance to this uniquely prepared French Toast recipe–optimal for serving at a holiday brunch or as dessert to the main meal. (Or a mid-day snack. We won’t tell.) This holiday season, we're challenging you to add one more pecan dish to your menu. #PledgePecans and make this dish today. For even more festive holiday ideas and recipes, tune in to The Super American Pecan-A-Thon!

Ingredients

French Toast

A 1-pound loaf challah, sliced 1” thick
Unsalted butter, room temperature (for baking dish)
4 Large egg yolks
2 Cups of heavy cream
2 Cups of whole milk
½ Cup of sugar
1 Tsp. of vanilla extract
½ Tsp. of ground cinnamon
½ Tsp. of ground nutmeg
½ Tsp. of kosher salt

Pecan Crumble and Assembly

¾ Cup of raw pecan halves
2 Tbsp. of chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 Tbsp. of light brown sugar
½ Tsp. of kosher salt
Fresh raspberries and blueberries

Preparation

  1. French Toast

    Step 1

    Spread out bread on a rimmed baking sheet; let stand overnight.

    Step 2

    Butter a 13x9” baking dish. Cut bread so slices are similar in size. Arrange, overlapping, in rows in prepared dish.

    Step 3

    Whisk eggs, egg yolks, cream, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a medium bowl. Pour over bread, pressing bread to help it soak up custard. Cover and chill at least 2 hours.

  2. Pecan Crumble and Assembly

    Step 4

    Preheat oven to 375°F. Pulse pecans, butter, brown sugar, and salt in a food processor until Pecans are coarsely chopped. Scatter pecan crumble over soaked bread.

    Step 5

    Place dish on a rimmed baking sheet and cover tightly with foil. Bake until warmed through (a knife inserted into the center should feel warm to the touch), 25–30 minutes.

    Step 6

    Remove foil and bake until deeply browned, 35–40 minutes longer. Let cool slightly before serving with fresh berries.

Read More
Semolina flour and turmeric give this simple cake a sunny hue and nutty flavor.
Serve a thick slice for breakfast or an afternoon pick-me-up.
We don’t bake with grapes as often as we should. But even the most average supermarket varieties come alive when roasted with a bit of sugar and seasoning.
Loaded with mix-ins, this loaf makes an excellent breakfast or dessert—or you could gift it to someone you really like.
“No one complains about it being vegan because they can’t tell the difference.”
This quick breakfast or dessert is renowned in Yemen and throughout the Arabian Peninsula.
These cookies are gently sweetened and perfect with a cup of tea.
This tadka-topped focaccia is loaded with crispy curry leaves, black mustard seeds, white sesame seeds, and dried red chiles.