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Praline Pecan French Toast Casserole

Course Breakfast, Main Course
Cuisine American, Southern
Keyword overnight-french-toast, overnight-french-toast-casseroles, praline-pecan-french-toast-casserole
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Chill time 8 hours
Total Time 9 hours
Servings 12 servings
Calories 519kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 large challah, brioche or french bread 1 inch cubes
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 8 large eggs
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • Praline pecan topping:
  • 1 cup butter softened
  • 1 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 2 Tbsp light corn syrup, maple syrup or honey
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 cup roughly chopped pecans may use more, if desired

Instructions

  • Cube bread slices. Spread cubes in a single layer on a baking pan. Allow to sit out for several hours or overnight to dry out. Alternately, toast under the broiler in the oven for a few minutes.
  • In a large mixing bowl, whisk together cream, milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon salt and nutmeg until fully combined.
  • Spray a 13x9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange dried bread cubes in the dish. Pour the egg custard evenly over cubed bread. Use the back of a spoon to gently press into the custard.
  • In a separate bowl, mix together butter, brown sugar, corn syrup and cinnamon until fully combined. Add pecans mixing until evenly distributed. Crumble evenly on top. Cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight.
  • Bake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Remove dish from fridge 20 minutes prior to baking. Uncover. Place into the oven and bake casserole for 50-55 minutes, checking at 30 minutes to lay foil on top, if needed. It should bake until puffed and the top is golden brown.
  • Let stand for 5 minutes. Slice into squares and serve as is or dusted with powdered sugar and a drizzle of maple syrup and fresh fruit.

Notes

    • Nuts - You can make this recipe using chopped walnuts in place of pecans.
    • Bread - You can make this with challah, brioche bread, sourdough bread or Italian bread.
    • Cream Cheese - You sprinkle the bread with 4 ounces of cubed cream cheese prior to adding the egg custard.
    • Dry Bread - The secret to the best french toast casserole is dry bread. You can either cube the bread and leave it out on the counter for several hours or, you can toast it in the oven for a few minutes to dry it further.
    • Fully Blend the Ingredients - Make sure you fully combine the custard ingredients before pouring onto the bread. Remember dry bread is your friend and is best suited to soak in all of that custard goodness.
    • Allow Chill Time for the Bread to Absorb the Sauce - While it's ideal to soak this casserole overnight, it can be made in less time as long as the bread has absorbed all of the custard. Whether that takes 6, 8 or 12 hours.
    • Serving Suggestions - The topping for this french toast is sweet and buttery. Due to this, it can be served making it possible to serve it as is, or with a light dusting of powdered sugar. A drizzle of maple syrup is optional and completely up to your personal taste.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 519kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 221mg | Sodium: 255mg | Potassium: 182mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 1275IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 101mg | Iron: 1mg