Baked French Toast with Pecan Crumble

Merry Christmas Eve everyone! I thought I would share an amazing recipe with you that would be perfect for Christmas morning brunch. It's also great to make if you have guests staying with you for the holidays, definitely can feed a crowd. Anyways, This french toast is delicious, can be made a day in advance, and so simple to make. Everything I look for in a recipe during the holidays. The holidays can be stressful enough without having to worry about the food you are preparing. This makes it easy so you can enjoy this time with what is most important, family and friends! Enjoy and Merry Christmas to you and your families.

Baked French Toast with Pecan Crumble
adapted from Bon Appetit

1 pound challah bread, sliced 1 inch thick
4 large eggs
4 large egg yolks
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups whole milk
1/4 cup vanilla sugar or granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Pecan Crumble Ingredients

1/2 cup pecans
2 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Spread the bread out on a rimmed baking sheet, let stand overnight to dry out the bread. This keeps it from being too mushy. The bread can be soaked 1 day ahead and keep in refrigerator overnight. Crumble can be made a day ahead, just put in a bowl, cover tightly, and store in refrigerator until ready to use.

Butter a 13x9  baking dish. Cut bread so slices are similar in size. Arrange overlapping in prepared dish. Whisk eggs, egg yolks, cream, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a large bowl. Pour over bread, pressing down to help it soak up custard. Cover and chill at least 2 hours. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Pulse pecans, butter, salt, and brown sugar in a food processor until nuts are coarsely chopped. Scatter pecan mixture over soaked bread. Place dish on a rimmed baking sheet and cover tightly with foil. Baked until warmed through, about 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake until deeply browned, about 35 minutes longer. Let cool slightly and serve with syrup.