Baked Apple French Toast
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
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.
You May Also Like
Baked Apple French Toast
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; see note)
- 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 (23 x 33-cm) or 3-QT (3-L) baking dish. Slice the bread into ¾-inch (2-cm) 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 (175°C) 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.
Notes
Nutrition Information
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.
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
If I wanted to make half of this recipe, would I change the baking time or temperature? Also, could I use brandy instead of bourbon?
Hi Jessica, the temperature would remain the same; the baking time should be about the same but would depend on the size of the baking dish you’re using. And, yes, brandy will work but will change the flavor a bit. Hope you enjoy!
A delicious and easy to assemble dish!!! In an effort to use up what I had in the kitchen, I substituted whole milk for half and half, vanilla rum for bourbon and half a loaf of week-old brioche for challah (I halved the recipe) and this still came out perfectly. 10/10!!!
What is challah?
Hi Cecile, Challah is a loaf of braided bread made with eggs (in addition to the typical yeast bread ingredients). It is usually a touch sweet.
To make half the recipe should I use a square 8 inch pan, same time and temperature to bake?
Yep – hope you enjoy!
Yummy!!
This is the recipe I have been looking for and when I saw it on Jenn’s site I knew this was the one. One of the items we sell at my diner is a grilled coffee roll — many weeks we sell out but there are some weeks we don’t. I am always looking for ways to incorporate some of our leftover items into a fun recipe and offer it as a special. I have tried a couple of different things with the coffee rolls, none were big hits, but I came across this one and thought this is it.
Jenn call’s out for Challah bread and I decided I was going to use this recipe but swap out the challah bread with my leftover coffee rolls (that is one of the great things about Jenn’s recipe I have been able to make some tweeks and they still come out great, hope that is OK Jenn :-)). With this recipe its not so much about the bread, instead what makes this one special is the custard mixture and apple topping and sugar syrup. Oh my, when I made the apple topping the smells while I cooked got my wife out of the kitchen office to check it out. The topping is what makes this a great one in my opinion.
Like all of Jenn’s recipes they are easy to follow and execute right. I made this as one of the specials for our Sunday specials board. This was a big hit, it sold out on its debut. This past weekend I made this recipe and Jenn’s Amish-style oatmeal. Both of these specials sold out — let me tell you that doesn’t happen often at all. But when I saw these two on Jenn’s site I knew they would go well with our customers.
Like the Amish-style oatmeal each of the customers who had this raved. Thanks for another successful recipe and to many more!
My family loved this! Doesn’t even need extra syrup. I nixed the bourbon (might try it next time) and used half Granny Smith and half honeycrisp apples. I put it in the refrigerator overnight and it came out perfectly. Will make it again!
Jenn,
Can I replace granny smith with honey crisp apples?
Thank you,
Alicia
Sure, Alicia. Enjoy!
Easy and delicious – accidently added bourbon to both the apples and the bread – like eating moist apple pie for breakfast!
Hi Jenn. I can’t wait to try this recipe but would you please advise do I need to use pure maple syrup or just the regular maple syrup like Aunt Jemima or Mrs. Butterworth?
Thankyou in advance.
Hi Dana, You need pure maple syrup here. Hope you enjoy!
Prepared it last night, baked it this morning. It’s just the right amount of sweet and by far the easiest and most delicious French toast (even without the booze since I didn’t have any on hand) I’ve ever made. A keeper for sure. Thanks, Jenn!