Baked French Toast with Pecan Crumble

Name: Baked French Toast with Pecan Crumble
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1 1-pound loaf challah, sliced 1" thick; 1 Unsalted butter, room temperature; 4 large eggs; 4 large egg yolks; 2 cup heavy cream; 2 cup whole milk; 0.5 cup sugar; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 0.5 tsp ground cinnamon; 0.5 tsp ground nutmeg; 0.5 tsp kosher salt; 0.5 cup pecans; 2 tbsp chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces; 2 tbsp light brown sugar; 0.5 tsp kosher salt; 1 Blackberry Syrup

From the kitchen of Carly

Challah bread soaks up a custardy egg mixture overnight, then bakes until golden and puffed. A buttery pecan crumble finishes the top with sweet, nutty crunch. The kind of breakfast that feels indulgent but comes together with minimal morning effort.

Baked French toast is the smart move for feeding a crowd without flipping anything at the stove. Thick-cut challah soaks overnight in a custard of cream, milk, and eggs, then gets topped with a craggy pecan crumble and baked until the edges are mahogany and the inside stays custardy. Make it the day before, slide it in the oven while the coffee brews.

Prep: n/a
Cook: n/a
Total: n/a
Servings: 4
Difficulty: medium

Ingredients

4 servings

11-pound loaf challah, sliced 1" thick
1Unsalted butter, room temperature
4 largeeggs
4 largeegg yolks
2 cupheavy cream
2 cupwhole milk
1/2 cupsugar
1 tspvanilla extract
1/2 tspground cinnamon
1/2 tspground nutmeg
1/2 tspkosher salt
1/2 cuppecans
2 tbspchilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 tbsplight brown sugar
1/2 tspkosher salt
1Blackberry Syrup

Instructions

Lay the challah slices in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and leave them out overnight to dry.
Butter a 13x9-inch baking dish generously, then trim the slices so they are roughly the same size. Shingle them in overlapping rows to fill the dish.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, cream, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until smooth. Pour the custard over the bread, pressing down on each slice so it drinks up the liquid. Cover the dish and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
When ready to bake, heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Combine the pecans, chilled butter, brown sugar, and salt in a food processor and pulse until the nuts are coarsely chopped.
Distribute the pecan crumble evenly over the soaked bread, then set the dish on a rimmed baking sheet. Cover tightly with foil and bake until warmed through, 25 to 30 minutes (a knife inserted into the center should feel warm to the touch). Pull off the foil and continue baking until the top is deeply browned, 35 to 40 minutes more. Let it cool slightly before serving with Blackberry Syrup.
The soaked bread can be prepared 1 day ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator. The pecan mixture can also be made 1 day ahead; cover and chill until needed.

Tips from the kitchen

Stale bread works better than fresh, so let those slices sit uncovered on a baking sheet overnight before assembling. Fresh challah falls apart when soaked.
Press the bread down gently with your hands after pouring the custard to help it absorb evenly, then give it the full 2 hours (or overnight) chilling time so the slices set up and stay intact during baking.
The foil-covered first stage (25 to 30 minutes) keeps the custard gentle and prevents the top from browning too fast. Skip this step and you'll get a dry, overcooked interior.
Pulse the pecan crumble just until coarsely chopped, not into powder. Bigger pieces toast up crunchy and add real texture contrast to the soft bread underneath.
A warm knife inserted into the center should feel hot but not scalding, which means the custard is set but still tender.

Variations

Swap pecans for walnuts or sliced almonds, or skip the nut entirely and add a handful of chocolate chips or dried fruit to the crumble.
Use brioche or thick-sliced white bread if challah isn't in reach, though challah's richness really does make this better.
Make a maple-bourbon crumble instead by replacing the light brown sugar with dark brown sugar and dotting the top with small splashes of bourbon before baking.
Serve with softly whipped cream and fresh berries on the side instead of syrup, or drizzle with salted caramel.

Make ahead and storage

Keep leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze (uncovered, then wrapped) for up to 2 months. Reheat gently, covered, at 300°F until warmed through, about 15 to 20 minutes if thawed.