Years ago, it was the tradition for my family to meet at my mother’s house for Christmas breakfast. With nieces, nephews, and random cousins, we had maybe 20 people around the dining room table. After presents were opened, we served breakfast family style, with dishes passed around the table.
Someone found this recipe in a magazine, we made it, and it was demanded every year after that. It’s super simple to assemble the casserole on Christmas Eve, then pull it out of the fridge Christmas morning, throw on the topping, then put it in the oven for 40 minutes or so. The trick to serving this dish is to let it set for 15 minutes after pulling it out of the oven. The resting time allows steam to escape and the casserole to settle into one delicious mass.
I personally don’t think this needs to be served with syrup, it’s plenty sweet as it is. But who knows? Maybe you have a sugar fiend in your midst.
One other pro tip — assemble the casserole early in the evening, and then flip all the bread slices over just before going to bed. This ensures that the custard is evenly soaked into both sides of each bread slice.
French Toast Casserole
Ingredients:
- 1 loaf French bread sliced (approx. 20 slices)
- 1 dash salt
- 8 large eggs
- 1/2 pound butter (2 sticks)
- 2 cups half-and-half cream
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup pecans chopped
- 2 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoon light corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Instructions for French Toast Casserole:
Slice French bread into 20 slices, 1-inch each. Arrange slices in a generously buttered 9 by 13-inch flat baking dish in 2 rows, overlapping the slices. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half-and-half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon (1/4 tsp), nutmeg (1/4 tsp) and salt and beat with a rotary beater or whisk until blended and frothy. Pour mixture over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. Spoon some of the mixture in between the slices. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Spread praline topping evenly over the bread and bake for 40 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden. Serve with maple syrup, if desired.
To make praline topping:
Combine butter, brown sugar, pecans, light corn syrup, cinnamon (1/2 tsp), and nutmeg (1/2 tsp) in a medium bowl and blend well. A hand mixer is recommended because this mixture is very thick.
