In The Kitchen - Breakfast/Brunch
July 30, 2022

Berry & Challah French Toast Bake

A mouthful of flavors in every bite with unique taste on a classic dish.

~5 min read

Certain dishes always make me feel decadent and spoiled. Do you have those? The ones that add a little umph to the day? For me, croissants with butter and jam and french toast make me feel a little luxurious. Sometimes though, I don't have time to make stacks of french toast, especially if I'm feeding a crowd. Thankfully, this berry and cinnamon challah french toast crumble serves a house full of brunch guests. And when it comes to flavor this recipe can really dish it out.

This delicious dish uses my recipe for cinnamon challah, but to save time, you can use store bought challah and jam.  I use 2 loaves of challah and discard or reuse the end slices of each loaf.  This makes for a denser bake, but you can make the recipe with one loaf.  

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Berry & Challah French Toast Bake

Servings
12
Prep Time
~25 min
Cook Time
~35 Min
Ingredients
12
Total Time
~60 min

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Equipment

  • 9X 13 baker
  • pitcher (or pouring dish)
  • 1 small bowl

Ingredients

  • ~14 slices brioche bread
  • 3 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon sugar (or brown sugar)
  • 3 cups whipping cream
  • 6 eggs
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 1/2 cups berry jam (homemade or store bought)

For the crumble

  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 4 Tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1/2 cup flour

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Instructions

  • Grease your 9 x 13 baker.
  • Whisk together the eggs, cream, sugar, salt, vanilla, and spices in a pitcher (or dish from which it is easy to pour).
  • Cut challah slices and layer into pan - I cut each slice in half to make more room for the jam.  If you like, you can dip the tops of each slice in the egg mixture before placing into the pan.)
  • Spoon the jam between challah slices - you do not need to place between every slice - rather place the jam at regular intervals)
Berry and Challah French Toast Bake close up
  • Pour the egg mixture over the entire pan  to allow the mixture to seep into the bread.( I save a little mixture to brush over the tops of the challah slices, as these will not soak as much as the lower half of the slices.)
  • While the bread begins to soak, make your cinnamon crumble by mixing all the crumble ingredients together  in a small bowl with a fork.
  • Sprinkle 1/3 of the crumble on the bake to soak in to the bread.  Cover and chill overnight.  (You can also bake after allowing to chill 1 hour.)
Berry and Challah French Toast Bake Close up with dusting
  • Preheat your over to 350 degrees and bake for 35 minutes.
  • Sprinkle remaining crumble on top.
  • Serve topped with berries, maple syrup, powdered sugar, peanut butter and/or whipped cream!
Berry and Challah French Toast Bake finsihed and plated

For more of my recipes to share at your table, check out my In the Kitchen page.

Wishing you warm kitchens and gatherings filled with memories!

XOXO,

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