Croissant French toast bake

When I host guests for brunch, or simply want a luxurious but lazy Sunday morning with my family, I whip up my make-ahead croissant French toast recipe. It only takes about 10 minutes to mix the ingredients. Store the mixture overnight in the refrigerator, then bake it in the morning at your convenience.

The cream, milk and eggs create a soft and creamy texture that reminds me of custard. This takes much less time than pan-frying a big batch of French toast and will also keep your kitchen tidy.

Ingredients:
Serves 12

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8 large croissants
9 large eggs
2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup gently packed brown sugar
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon butter to grease the baking dish

Cut or tear the croissants into about 2-inch square pieces and set aside.

Add all of the eggs to a large bowl and whisk well for about 2 minutes.

Add both sugars, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt and vanilla, and whisk until combined.

Pour the milk slowly into the egg mixture, whisking constantly, then repeat with the heavy cream.

Add the pieces of croissant to the bowl, folding them into the liquid until all of the pieces are saturated.

Cover the bowl well with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. It will seem like a lot of liquid is in the bowl but almost all of it will soak into the croissants overnight.

Many recipes suggest putting the mixture into a baking dish to rest overnight, which is a good idea if your baking dish can go from a cold refrigerator right into a hot oven without cracking. To be safe, I put this into a lightly buttered 9-inch-by-13-inch baking dish in the morning immediately before baking it.

Preheat your oven to 350 F and place the wire rack in the middle of the oven.

Cover the casserole dish well with foil and bake for 35 minutes.

Remove the foil and continue baking uncovered for 25-30 minutes or until the top is lightly browned and the edges start to pull away from the side.

Allow the casserole to rest for 15 minutes before serving.

This is lovely when served with fresh berries and can be garnished with a sprinkle of powdered sugar. The flavor is sweet enough as is, so there is no need to serve maple syrup unless you’re craving it.

If your family likes pecans you can top this with 1 cup of chopped pecans right before putting the casserole into the oven. Both versions are delicious!

This recipe reheats nicely and keeps for days in the fridge.

The pieces are not huge at about 3 inches square, but they are very rich and filling. Enjoy and bless your hands! PJC

Jessica Grann is a home chef living in Pittsburgh.