This overnight Apple French Toast Casserole is hearty and filling, and perfect to feed a large family or crowd. You can prepare most of this breakfast the night before, leaving you with minimal steps to do in the morning.
Course Breads and Muffins, Breakfast, Brunch, Eggs
Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Lightly oil a 10-inch x 10-inch (25-cm x 25-cm) or a 9-inch x 13-inch (23-cm x 33-cm) baking dish. Set aside.
Cut the bread into 1 ½-inch cubes. Set aside in a large mixing bowl.
In another large mixing bowl, beat the eggs. Whisk in the milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg and allspice.
Pour the egg mixture over the bread. Allow the mixture to sit for about 10 minutes for the bread to soak in the egg mixture. Carefully stir the bread a few times during the time to make sure all the bread pieces are absorbing in the egg mixture. At this point, you can cover the mixing bowl and set it in the refrigerator to soak overnight.
In the meantime, in a medium bowl, combine the apples and brown sugar. Set aside. If you are making the casserole the night before, you can also do this step the night before and cover and refrigerate the chopped apples.
While the bread continues to soak in the mixture, prepare the crumble topping. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, light brown sugar, cinnamon, and sea salt. Rub in the butter pieces with your hands, or cut it in using a pastry blender, until you have a crumbly mixture that resembles wet sand at the playground. Gently mix in the pecans. Set aside.
Carefully tip the soaked bread into the prepared pan. The egg mix should cover most of the bread, but it is okay if a few pieces of the bread sticks out. Evenly distribute the chopped apples on top. Evenly distribute the crumble on top.
Bake in the center of the oven for about 1 hour 20 minutes if using a 10-inch x 10-inch square casserole dish, or 1 hour if using a 9-inch x 13-inch pan. The bread pudding is done when the egg mixture is set and no longer runny in the middle. Test it by sticking in a butter knife in the middle to check the texture. If the top of crumble gets too dark before the egg mixture is set, cover with a piece of foil and continue baking.
Serve the Apple French Toast Casserole warm. Top with icing sugar if desired.