Description
Rich overnight creme brulee french toast combines classic breakfast indulgence with French pastry elegance. Creamy custard-soaked bread bakes to golden perfection, offering you a luxurious morning treat that feels like a special celebration.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 loaf French bread
- 5 large eggs
- 1 cup (240 ml/8 fl oz) half-and-half
- 1 cup (240 ml/8 fl oz) whole milk
- ⅔ cup (133 g/4.7 oz) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (56 g/2 oz) unsalted butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- Extra granulated sugar (for topping)
- Maple syrup (for serving)
Instructions
- Preparation: Generously butter a rectangular baking dish, arranging bread slices in a slightly overlapping pattern across the entire surface.
- Custard Creation: Whisk eggs, half-and-half, whole milk, vanilla extract, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg until achieving a smooth, uniform consistency.
- Infusion Process: Pour the fragrant custard over the bread, ensuring complete saturation, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight to allow flavors to meld.
- Thermal Activation: Remove the dish from refrigerator, let stand at room temperature while preheating the oven to 350°F, then strategically dot the surface with butter fragments and dust with granulated sugar.
- Culinary Transformation: Bake until the toast rises, turns golden brown, and develops crispy edges, then optionally broil with an additional sugar layer to create a crackling caramelized crust.
- Presentation: Transfer the luxurious French toast to serving plates and complement with a generous drizzle of pure maple syrup, inviting a decadent breakfast experience.
Notes
- Optimize Overnight Soak: Let bread absorb custard completely for maximum flavor penetration and luxurious texture.
- Butter Barrier Technique: Generously grease baking dish to prevent sticking and create crispy, caramelized edges.
- Temperature Transition: Allow chilled dish to warm slightly before baking for even cooking and perfect puffiness.
- Caramelization Mastery: Watch closely during broiling to achieve golden-brown top without burning, creating restaurant-quality crunch.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Breakfast, Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: French
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 9
- Calories: 348
- Sugar: 18 g
- Sodium: 250 mg
- Fat: 17 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 43 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 8 g
- Cholesterol: 186 mg