French toast casserole

For Easter brunch, we tried a french toast casserole recipe and liked it well enough that I plan to try it again, adding perhaps a few tweaks of my own.

If you are looking for one of those recipes where you assemble everything the evening before and then just have to pre-heat and cook the next day, this isn't it, as there is a crumble topping that goes on just at the time of cooking. But that's hardly onerous!

French toast casserole

Ingredients

• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, plus enough butter to grease the dish
• One-pound loaf of bread – italian, sourdough or a country French loaf (not baguette)
• 8 large eggs
• 3 cups half-and-half
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar (light or dark, doesn't matter) [I plan to try using challah bread and omitting this sugar from the recipe to see how it turns out]
• 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Crumble topping

• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter (at room temperature)
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar (light or dark, doesn't matter)
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt

Instructions

1. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with unsalted butter.
2. Tear the bread into chunks (1-2 inches) and arrange them evenly in the prepared baking dish.
3. Whisk together remaining casserole ingredients (eggs, half-and-half, brown sugar, vanilla extract, ground cinnamon, kosher salt, and ground nutmeg) until smooth and well combined.
4. Pour the prepared custard mixture evenly over the bread chunks in the baking dish. Gently press the bread down so it absorbs the liquid.
5. Either: cover and refrigerate overnight or up to 24 hours, or let the dish sit at room temperature for an hour to allow the bread to soak up the custard.
6. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. If the casserole has been refrigerated, let it sit out at room temperature for a half hour before baking.
7. Prepare the crumble topping. First, combine the dry crumble ingredients in a bowl. Then add the butter, using your fingers to pinch and squeeze the mixture until moist, small clumps form. Sprinkle the crumble over the top of the casserole.
8. Bake uncovered for 45 to 50 minutes, or until puffed, golden-brown, and set in the center. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.