Praline Pecan French Toast Casserole

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas from my family to yours! Overnight Praline Pecan French Toast Casserole is a classic for the holidays and special weekend brunch gatherings. Assemble the casserole, then place it into the fridge to allow the challah to soak in all of the rich custard. Topped with a buttery brown sugar praline topping, it’s an indulgent treat for any special occasion.

Praline Pecan French Toast Casserole

When it comes to entertaining, holidays and easy weekend brunching there’s nothing better than a casserole you can assemble in advance. Whether your pleasure is an overnight eggs benedict casserole, an Italian sausage strata or a sweet overnight cinnamon roll casserole, they’re filling, and they take the stress out of morning dining.

The Best Bread for Praline Pecan French Toast Casserole

Challah bread, is a rich egg based bread that adds another layer of flavor to this indulgent french toast casserole. That being said, I’ve also made this with brioche and French bread from time to time.

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• The topping for this french toast is sweet and buttery. 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.
• This casserole can also be made overlapping full slices of bread as seen in this french toast recipe by Paula Deen on Food Network.

 

 

 

 

 

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Helpful Kitchen Items:

• Oblong Baking Dish
• Stainless Steel Cut and Serve
• Saucepan
• Food Mincer/Chopper

 

Praline Pecan French Toast Casserole

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

1. Spread cubed bread 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.

2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together cream, milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg until fully combined.

3. Spray a 13 x 9 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Arrange dried bread cubes in the dish. Pour custard evenly over bread. Use the back of a spoon to gently press into the custard.

4. In a separate bowl, mix together butter, brown sugar and cinnamon until fully combined. Add pecans mixing until evenly distributed. Crumble evenly on top. Cover and chill overnight.

5. To bake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Remove from fridge 20 minutes prior to baking. Uncover. Place into the oven and bake 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. Let stand for 5 minutes.

6. Cut into squares, serve alone, dusted with powdered sugar or maple syrup, if desired.

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