Ingredients
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1 pound French or Italian Bread
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8 large Egg
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2½ cups whole Milk
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1½ cups heavy Cream
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1 tablespoon Granulated Sugar
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2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
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½ teaspoon ground Cinnamon
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½ teaspoon ground Nutmeg
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8 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
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1⅓ cups packed (9⅓ ounces) light Brown Sugar
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3 tablespoons light Corn Syrup
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2 cups Pecans
Directions
When we’re craving the flavors and richness of French toast without a fuss, we turn to French toast casserole, which can serve a crowd all at once, no batches necessary. Our French toast casserole has a built-in make-ahead element in that it has to be refrigerated for at least 8 hours to achieve the desired consistency. The ideal French toast casserole has layers of rich, creamy custard and soft but toothsome pieces of bread, all covered by a sweet topping of brown sugar, butter, and pecans. With this clear goal in mind, we set out to closely examine each component of the dish. We began our testing with the choice of bread. We found that supermarket French and Italian loaves, with their dense texture and thin, chewy crust, worked best. We also found that the recipe was best when we “staled” the bread in the oven, allowing it to dry and toast slightly before assembling the dish. The casserole made with dry, toasted bread had a firmer texture and deeper flavor and was able to withstand a longer stay in the refrigerator before being baked. For the custard, we settled on eight whole eggs and a little less than twice as much whole milk as heavy cream, which gave us a rich and custardy but not cloying result. This was breakfast, after all, not dessert. Our tasters preferred a topping that called for combining brown sugar and butter with a dash of corn syrup, into which we folded pecans. The corn syrup kept the sugar and butter from separating during baking and turning greasy. Do not substitute low-fat or skim milk in this recipe. Be sure to use supermarket-style loaf bread with a thin crust and fluffy crumb; artisan loaves with a thick crust and a chewy crumb do not
work well here.
Steps
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1
Done
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Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 325 degrees. Spread bread out over 2 rimmed baking sheets and bake until dry and light golden, about 25 minutes, switching and rotating sheets halfway through baking. Let bread cool completely. |
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2
Done
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Grease 13 by 9-inch baking dish, then pack dried bread into dish. Whisk eggs, milk, cream, granulated sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in bowl. Pour egg mixture evenly over bread and press on bread lightly to submerge. Wrap dish tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours. |
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3
Done
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Stir butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup together in bowl until smooth, then stir in pecans. |
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4
Done
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Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Unwrap casserole and sprinkle evenly with topping, breaking apart any large clumps. Place casserole on rimmed baking sheet and bake until puffed and golden, about 1 hour. Let casserole cool for 10 minutes before serving. |
