Baked Apple French Toast
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Part French toast, part apple pie, this baked apple French toast is the ultimate holiday brunch dish.
A lovely mash-up of French toast and apple pie, this prep-ahead baked apple french toast has all the makings of a special holiday breakfast casserole—the kind that becomes a beloved family tradition. You can prepare it the night before, let it chill in the fridge overnight, and pop it in the oven when you’re ready to eat. I like to add a splash of bourbon to the custard mixture for extra depth, but feel free to substitute apple cider or more half & half if you prefer. Serve it with a sprinkle of confectioners’ sugar, a drizzle of maple syrup, and crispy bacon on the side.
“This was amazing and worked perfectly as a make-ahead casserole for brunch the next day. I followed the recipe exactly and got rave reviews.”
What You’ll Need To Make Baked Apple French Toast
- Challah: Absorbs the custard mixture well and provides a rich, slightly sweet base. A raisin challah would also work nicely.
- Eggs: Bind the custard mixture and help create a creamy texture.
- Half & Half: Adds richness and creaminess to the custard mixture.
- Maple Syrup: Sweetens the custard mixture and adds a distinctive maple flavor.
- Bourbon: Adds depth and complexity to the dish; it can be replaced with apple cider or more half & half.
- Vanilla Extract: Enhances the flavor of the custard mixture with its aromatic richness.
- Butter: Adds richness and helps cook the apples.
- Granny Smith Apples: Provide a tart contrast to the sweet custard and topping.
- Dark Brown Sugar and Maple Syrup: Sweeten the apples and create a caramel-like sauce.
- Cinnamon: Adds warmth and spice to the apple topping.
- Confectioners’ Sugar and/or Maple Syrup: Optional toppings that add extra sweetness and flavor.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
Begin with the custard: in a large bowl, combine the eggs, half & half, maple syrup, bourbon, vanilla, and salt.
Whisk to combine.
Dip each slice of challah into the custard mixture for about 5 seconds, then arrange in an overlapping pattern in the prepared baking dish.
Be sure the entire bottom of the dish is covered with the bread. Pour any remaining custard over the bread. Set aside.
In a large sauté pan, melt the butter over medium-high heat.
Add the apples, brown sugar, maple syrup, and cinnamon.
Bring to a gentle boil.
Cook, stirring frequently, until the apples are softened and the sugar-syrup is thickened, about 8 minutes.
Spoon the apples and sugar-syrup evenly over the bread, making sure not to leave any of the syrup behind. If not baking immediately, cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Otherwise, proceed with the recipe.
When you’re getting ready to eat, cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until puffed and golden, about 20 minutes more.
Remove from the oven and, using a fine sieve, dust with the confectioners’ sugar. Serve with maple syrup.
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Baked Apple French Toast
Part French toast, part apple pie, this baked apple French toast is the ultimate holiday brunch dish.
Ingredients
For the French Toast
- One 1-lb challah or raisin challah
- 5 large eggs
- 1½ cups half & half
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons bourbon (optional; replace with apple cider or half-&-half if desired)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Heaping ¼ teaspoon salt
For the Apple Topping
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 large Granny Smith apples, peeled and thinly sliced
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
- 6 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
For Serving
- Confectioners' sugar and/or maple syrup
Instructions
For the French Toast
- Butter a 9 x 13-inch or 3-QT baking dish. Slice the bread into ¾-inch-thick slices.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, half & half, maple syrup, bourbon, vanilla, and salt.
- Dip each slice of challah into the custard mixture for about 5 seconds, then arrange in an overlapping pattern in the prepared baking dish. Be sure the entire bottom of the dish is covered with the bread. Pour any remaining custard over the bread. Set aside.
For the Apple Topping
- In a large sauté pan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the apples, brown sugar, maple syrup, and cinnamon. Cook, stirring frequently, until the apples are softened and the sugar-syrup is thickened, about 8 minutes. Spoon the apples and sugar-syrup evenly over the bread, making sure not to leave any of the syrup behind. If not baking immediately, cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Otherwise, proceed with the recipe.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position.
- Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until puffed and golden, about 20 minutes more. Remove from the oven and, using a fine sieve, dust with the confectioners' sugar. Serve with maple syrup.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (8 servings)
- Calories: 473
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated fat: 9 g
- Carbohydrates: 65 g
- Sugar: 33 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 11 g
- Sodium: 358 mg
- Cholesterol: 177 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I made this and the sausage breakfast casserole for Easter. They were both great and I thought easy to make. I made them both the day before. Thank you for these recipes. I would make them both again.
When using Brioche bread for this recipe, does the bread need to be stale?
No, it doesn’t need to be stale. Enjoy!
Happy Holidays Jenn, Can this recipe be doubled or one and a half times the recipe in a larger baking dish? Or better to make two each in 9X13″ dish? Thanks
Hi Joni, If you’re going to make 1.5 times the recipe, you can use a larger baking dish. If you plan to double it, I’d use two 9 x 13’s for the most even baking. Enjoy!
I cannot find challah bread. What would be a good substitute?
Hi Hilary, Are you able to find brioche? If so, that’s a great alternative. Otherwise, you can use French or Italian bread.
I made this with gluten free bread, heavy cream, honeycrisp apples and omitted the brown sugar. It was amazing! It didnt even need to be serveed with maple syrup. Personally, I dont think it needs all that sugar. I cooked covered for 25 min. and sprinkled gluten free granola on top for the last uncovered 25 min. So tasty and filling!
Hi Jen, this looks wonderful. My family doesn’t love maple flavor do you think I could substitute with honey?
Sure – enjoy!
Any chance this could be made 2 nights ahead?
I think it should be fine.
I wish I hadn’t cooked the apples— the syrup never thickened and it was literally liquid even after boiling. I think the apples released too much water. I poured it on top and hoped for the best after the apples had cooked down quite a bit because I didn’t know what else to do (I tried adding more sugar to see if that would help), but since the bread was already soaked from the French toast mixture it was a soggy mess even after cooking. I think it would have been better to coat the apples in the brown sugar syrup and put it in the oven without cooking.
Can this be frozen and given to a friend as a post partum meal?
Hi Leslie, Yes I do think this would freeze well. Hope your friend enjoys!
Anytime I want to impress, I know I can make this recipe. I always get compliments!
Hi Stephanie. How did it work out making 2 nights ahead?
Made this after following your Challah recipe (I love that recipe!) the day before, and everyone loved this!!! It is not overpoweringly sweet, but still very rich! I managed to stash a few pieces away in the freezer for a treat to heat up later. Delicious!
This is a very good recipe as always. Thank you, Jen!.
I was serving it to two people who cannot have dairy. Reading through the comments I saw a referral to using a frozen non-dairy creamer in lieu of the 1/2 and 1/2. That was not available in my store, so I ended up using “original” plain “Nestles’ Coffee Mate”. I’m not a fan of that ordinarily, but it worked very well in this dish and tasted delicious. My discerning husband did not notice a difference. So if you cannot find something fancier, you can be confident that good old Coffee Mate will do the trick.
I also did one and a half times the apple topping, which worked very nicely and my guests (and family) loved the “extra coverage”.
Hello Jenn,
This recipe sounds delightful and I can’t wait to give it a try! Just wondering is the challah bread could be substituted with croissants (really adding to the French theme)?? I don’t often see Challah bread available in the area we live (in the Interior of BC, Canada)!!
Thanks in advance
Mary
Hi Mary, I haven’t tried this with croissants, but I think it should work. I’d love to hear how it turns out if you try it!