Prepared ahead, chilled overnight, and baked in the morning, this sweet apple French toast provides enough to feed a crowd.
Preparation Time
20 mins
Cooking Time
55 mins
Total Time
1 hr 15 mins
Calories
569 Calories
Recipe Instructions
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Step 2
Butter an 11x18-inch casserole dish and layer with 1/2 of the bread slices, covering the bottom completely.
Step 3
Melt butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add brown sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and salt and stir to combine. Add apple slices and cook until crisp-tender, soft but still maintaining their shape, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes.
Step 4
Spread cooled apple mixture over bread layer in the pan. Top apple mixture with remaining bread slices, overlapping if necessary for good coverage.
Step 5
Whisk eggs, half-and-half, heavy cream, vanilla extract, remaining 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a large bowl. Pour over casserole, making sure to cover the bread evenly with the egg mixture. Cover with foil and refrigerate, 8 hours to overnight.
Step 6
Combine melted butter, brown sugar, pecans, corn syrup, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl. Spread topping evenly over the casserole.
Step 7
Bake in the preheated oven until puffed and lightly golden, 40 to 45 minutes. Check halfway through cooking time and cover with foil if the bread is browning too quickly. Let cool for about 10 minutes before serving.
Ingredients
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 cups half-and-half
2 cups heavy cream
10 large eggs
1 stick unsalted butter
2 loaves challah, cut into 1-inch thick slices
6 Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
