Creme Brulee French Toast (Print Version)
# Ingredients:
01 -
6 tbsp (85 g) unsalted butter.
02 -
¾ cup (159 g) light or dark brown sugar, firmly packed.
03 -
2 tbsp real maple syrup, or swap in corn syrup or regular breakfast syrup.
04 -
6 to 8 thick French bread slices, about 1-inch thick, chopped into ¾-inch chunks.
05 -
4 large eggs.
06 -
1 cup half-and-half.
07 -
1 tbsp vanilla extract.
08 -
¼ tsp salt.
09 -
Whipped cream with sugar, for topping.
10 -
Strawberries or raspberries, fresh for garnish.
# Instructions:
01 -
Put butter, brown sugar, and maple syrup in a microwave-safe container. Heat for 1-2 minutes, giving it a stir until sugar melts completely. You can also do this in a pan on your stovetop if you'd rather.
02 -
Give a 9X13-inch baking dish a quick spray with cooking spray.
03 -
Pour the sugar mixture across the bottom of your greased pan. Place bread chunks on top in one even layer.
04 -
In another bowl, beat together eggs, half-and-half, vanilla, and salt until everything's well mixed.
05 -
Drizzle the egg mixture all over the bread pieces, making sure every bit gets soaked.
06 -
Wrap the pan with foil or plastic and let it sit in your fridge for 8-10 hours or overnight.
07 -
In the morning, take off the covering from your pan. Put it in the oven before turning it on, then set to 350 degrees F.
08 -
After the oven heats up, let it bake for 30-35 minutes until bread turns golden and caramel gets bubbly. Want a twist? Bake for 20 minutes, flip the bread over, then cook another 10-15 minutes.
09 -
Scoop it straight from the oven onto plates with a dollop of sweet whipped cream and fresh berries on top.
# Notes:
01 -
Want it more firm? Stick with the amounts listed. For something softer and milkier, bump up to 1½ cups half-and-half and use 5 eggs instead of 4.
02 -
Got fancy bread with tough crusts? You might want to trim those off. No need for this step with softer breads.
03 -
Make sure your bread chunks fill the pan in one snug layer over the sweet mixture. A bit of overlap won't hurt anything.