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.
After jumping around comparing recipes, I decided on yours with a couple minor changes.
I cubed French toast and baked them at 250 for about 15 minutes to a very light crisp, and added 10 minutes to the bake time.
Instead of bourbon, I used a tbs of Amarreto.
After baking, I topped it with a glaze using 1/4 cup each of powdered sugar, softened cream cheese and maple syrup and baked it another 5 min.
The results were exceptional.
I will experiment more with peaches, peach bourbon or different liqueurs, but the base recipe is spot on.
I was disappointed in this recipe, but it may be due to the challah I used (Trader Joe’s – rather dry and tasteless). The apples were delicious but the French toast part was just bready without much flavor – very surprising with all that egg, half & half, maple syrup, bourbon, and vanilla! I will definitely try it again with my favorite but harder to get challah. I also may have reduced the apple syrup too much – there wasn’t any to drip into the bread.
I have smaller honeycrisp apples and am wondering what the weight might be for the 4 large granny smith apples so I can figure how many of these to use.
Hi Sona, I’ve never weighed them, but I’d guesstimate it would be around 2 pounds of apples. Hope that helps and that you enjoy!
I made this as part of a well-received brunch for 16 we served the morning after my daughter’s wedding. I used challah from Whole Foods and local Honeycrisp apples. I used 1T bourbon and 1T apple cider for one pan and 2T of apple cider for the other pan. I also served a fruit platter, sour cream coffee cake, broccoli crustless quiche, latkes, and sausage patties. For reference, in total, one pan’s worth was eaten. Next time I would use the full 2T of bourbon. Individual pieces cut from the leftovers do reheat in the microwave better than I would have expected.
Hi Jenn, this looks delicious. I plan on putting it in fridge overnight….how much longer do you bake it? Also have your cookbook. Really enjoy it. If I wanted to make half a recipe would I use 2 or 3 eggs? Thanks
Hi Carol, You don’t need to bake it any longer if you refrigerate it overnight. Feel free to take it out of the fridge about 30 minutes before putting it in the oven, though, to take the chill off. And If you want to halve the recipe, I’d use 2 full eggs, and for the other one, beat an egg in a measuring cup, discard half of it, and use the remaining half. Hope you enjoy!
Made as written but used brioche instead. Delicious, didn’t need additional syrup when serving. The whole family enjoyed!
this is a great breakfast! My grandkids love it, and everyone agrees that it is good(and that is almost a miracle since the 5 of them rarely agree on food!). The kids love to make this themselves and are finally old enough to do it (ages 5,6,7,8). I assemble the ingredients and sit back an laugh! The challah slices easily and the mixture of eggs and cream etc., is easy for the kids to do themselves. I think it has to sit overnight in the refrigerator for the texture to come out right.
What is the texture supposed to be when this is done? Mine came out kind of soggy and I’m wondering if I should have cooked it longer?
Hi Lauren, The texture should be moist but not soggy.
Hi Jenn,
Can I make it a day before? Leave it in the fridge overnight and just put it in the oven in the morning?
Definitely! Hope you enjoy. 🙂
We make this all the time when we want a sweet breakfast treat to last for a few days. SOOOOO GOOOOD!
Can I use Dutchoven instead of a 9×9 dish
While technically it should work, I’d make sure that your Dutch oven is large enough to hold everything (the recipe calls for a 9 x 13-inch baking dish; not a 9 x 9-inch). Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!