This baked apple cider French toast combines a number of the fall season’s favourite flavors: apples, cinnamon, pecans, and apple cider. Dip slices of crusty bread in a cider-infused custard, after which prime with spiced apples cooked in a brown sugar sauce. Serve this scrumptious dish with maple syrup or salted caramel for an additional flavorful begin to a crisp autumn morning.
One reader, Angela, commented: “I really like fall apples and apple cider, and this recipe sounded nice. It didn’t disappoint! I made it for a household dinner as dessert—like bread pudding with a beautiful fall twist—and it was each bit as scrumptious as I may have imagined… I’ll completely be making this once more. So much! ★★★★★“
The autumn baking season is right here, and yearly, I really like diving proper in with recent apples and cinnamon. Have you ever tried my recent apple cake or apple cinnamon rolls but?
At present I’m sharing fairly the indulgent breakfast… or ought to I simply name it “dessert masquerading as breakfast”? It’s the apple model of my pumpkin French toast casserole, and definitely a particular deal with if you happen to’re entertaining visitors, or if you happen to simply went apple choosing. Choose up some apple cider when you’re on the farm market!
Right here’s Why You’ll Love It:
- Spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice, similar to apple pie
- Loaded with further brown sugared-apples
- Prep it the night time earlier than and bake it within the morning
- Simpler to organize than common French toast… no particular person slices to cook dinner!
- Satisfies these candy fall taste cravings and feeds a crowd
- A beautiful manner to make use of recent apple cider… have you ever tried my apple cider sangria but?
Let’s leap proper in.
Greatest Bread to Use for Baked Apple Cider French Toast
Tip #1: Begin with a top quality loaf. Bread is the principle ingredient in any baked French toast casserole, so don’t skimp right here. Flimsy sliced sandwich bread gained’t do the casserole any favors as a result of it’s unable to absorb extra moisture from the custard—your entire dish will style flat, soggy, and moist. And it undoubtedly wouldn’t stand as much as the apple topping! I like to recommend utilizing sturdy, flavorful bread corresponding to challah, French bread, sourdough, brioche, do-it-yourself artisan bread, and even this do-it-yourself cinnamon swirl bread. Challah is my #1 suggestion and you may normally discover it within the bakery part of the grocery retailer.
Tip #2: Let it get stale. When you’ve gotten the standard bread you want, let it sit out for just a few hours to develop into stale. As with breakfast casserole, French toast is finest when the bread is considerably stale. Lower the loaf into thick slices, then let it sit out uncovered for just a few hours. The much less moisture within the bread, the extra apple cider custard it could absorb!
Tip #3: Do that shortcut: In the event you don’t have time to let the bread sit out and get stale, you possibly can flippantly toast the slices within the oven at 300°F for about 10 minutes. I do that lots… so forgetful!
Whereas I really like this baked apple cider French toast with thick bread slices lined up vertically within the baking dish, you possibly can slice the bread into cubes if you happen to’d choose, like we do for this cream cheese French toast casserole.
Right here’s Every thing Else You Want:
After you’ve gotten your barely stale slices of high quality bread, whisk collectively the egg custard.
- Eggs: You want 6 massive eggs.
- Apple Cider: Apple cider is recent, unfiltered, unpasteurized apple juice, and it’s deeply flavorful. Don’t mistake this ingredient for alcoholic, carbonated cider, or for apple cider vinegar—that isn’t a mistake you need to make! If in case you have further apple cider, make apple cider hen subsequent!
- Milk: I take advantage of entire milk on this recipe, however you need to use lower-fat or nondairy milk if mandatory. Half-and-half or heavy cream would make for a richer, creamier custard, however I discover it makes the apple French toast casserole too heavy.
- Brown Sugar: With its larger molasses content material, brown sugar is your best option for sweetening this apple cider French toast.
- Orange Zest: A bit trace of citrus brightens up all of the deep apple spice flavors on this French toast casserole. I examined the recipe with and with out orange zest, and style testers agreed that the trace of recent citrus actually introduced out the recent apple cider taste.
- Vanilla Extract, Spices, & Salt: The flavour-enhancers no apple baked good needs to be with out. (By the way in which, if you happen to love apple cinnamon goodness, and also you’re up for a baking mission, attempt my apple cinnamon babka someday!)
Now flip your consideration to the apples; the remaining elements you see above are used subsequent.
Briefly Cook dinner the Apples
Peel and slice 4 medium-size apples utilizing a peeler (that’s an affiliate hyperlink to the one I take advantage of and love!), similar to we do for apple cobbler. Unsure which apples are finest? See my Greatest Apples for Baking web page. I normally use 2 tart Granny Smith apples and a couple of candy Honeycrisp or Pink Woman apples right here.
A fast activate the range bathes the spiced apple slices in a wealthy, buttery apple cider sauce that caramelizes the apples as they cook dinner. Cook dinner for about 8 minutes, till the apples are crisp-tender, and the sauce has barely thickened (and smells unbelievable). Take the skillet off warmth, and stir within the pecans.
Warning: At this level, chances are you’ll neglect all in regards to the French toast you had been making and need to simply eat the apples with a spoon. Attempt to keep centered. I do know it’s exhausting!!
Dip the slices of bread within the egg custard. I normally do that earlier than I cook dinner the apples.
And organize in a greased casserole dish.
Spoon the apple/pecan combination over the soaked bread slices. I prefer to press a number of the apple slices down in between the bread slices. Pour the remaining brown sugar sauce over prime of the whole lot.
Strive a crumb topping: This could even be wonderful with the crumb topping from this pumpkin French toast casserole. Be at liberty so as to add it if you wish to degree up your baked French toast sport!
At this level, you possibly can cowl the apple cider French toast and refrigerate it in a single day, or for not less than 3 hours so the bread can soak and the flavors can infuse. After that, it’s time to bake:
You possibly can, however you’ll lose some taste. Apple cider is recent, unfiltered, and usually unpasteurized, so it’s extra just like the uncooked, purer model of juiced apples. Apple juice has had the pulp and sediment filtered out, and is pasteurized to increase its shelf life. In the event you can’t discover recent apple cider, you can also make do-it-yourself apple cider in a sluggish cooker.
On the subject of baking with apples, it’s finest to make use of apples with a agency, crisp texture, in order that they don’t bake down into mush. I really like varieties like Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, Fuji, Pink Woman, Braeburn, and Jazz apples. Avoid softer, mealier apple varieties like McIntosh and Pink Scrumptious. If the apple has a crisp, juicy crunch while you chunk into it, that’s seemingly a great one for baking!
Serving Apple Cider French Toast
Drizzle the highest of the nice and cozy baked apple cider French toast (both the entire thing, or particular person servings) with maple syrup or salted caramel earlier than serving, and/or sprinkle with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar. For a facet dish, this can be a fantastic French toast casserole to serve with recent fruit and one thing you possibly can cook dinner on the range like bacon or sausage.
Baked Apple Cider French Toast
Prep Time: 4 hours (contains bread sitting out)
Cook dinner Time: 50 minutes
Complete Time: 8 hours (or longer if beginning night time earlier than)
Yield: serves 12
Class: Breakfast
Methodology: Baking
Delicacies: American
Description
Begin this baked apple cider French toast casserole forward of time so you possibly can get up and bake a deliciously spiced fall breakfast or brunch! Make sure to use apple cider, the nonalcoholic beverage, and never apple cider vinegar.
Directions
- Slice the bread into 1-inch-wide slices. Let the sliced bread sit out uncovered for just a few hours or as much as 1 day. (In the event you don’t have sufficient time, see recipe Observe beneath for a shortcut.)
- Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish (or any 3.5–4-quart baking dish), or spray with nonstick spray.
- In a medium bowl ideally with a pour spout, whisk the eggs, apple cider, milk, brown sugar, orange zest, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt collectively till mixed. Put aside.
- Dip every slice of bread within the egg custard combination, soaking each side. Place within the ready baking dish, lining the slices up subsequent to one another. Pour any remaining custard excessive. Put aside.
- Cook dinner the apples: Soften the butter in a big skillet over medium warmth. Add the apples, apple cider, brown sugar, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and salt. Cook dinner for 8 minutes, stirring often, till apples have barely softened. Take away from warmth and stir within the pecans.
- Spoon the apple combination excessive of the bread slices, and pour any remaining sauce from the skillet excessive of the whole lot.
- Cowl the casserole tightly and place within the fridge for not less than 3 hours and as much as 1 day. This provides the bread an opportunity to absorb the custard and is a key step on this recipe.
- Take away casserole from the fridge and preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).
- Bake casserole uncovered for 20 minutes, after which cowl with aluminum foil and bake for an extra 25–35 minutes or till heart seems set and is now not runny. The whole time this casserole takes is 45–55 minutes.
- Take away from the oven and funky for five minutes earlier than serving. Casserole deflates barely because it cools. Be at liberty to sift a dusting of confectioners’ sugar on prime, and/or drizzle maple syrup or salted caramel sauce on total casserole or on particular person servings.
- Cowl leftovers tightly and retailer within the fridge for as much as 2–3 days.
Notes
- Make Forward & Freezing Directions: You possibly can put together the French toast casserole by means of step 6 as much as 1 day prematurely earlier than baking. Cowl tightly and refrigerate till you’re able to bake it. Take away the casserole from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature whereas your oven preheats. You possibly can freeze leftover baked and cooled casserole for as much as 3 months. Thaw within the fridge in a single day, then reheat to your liking within the microwave, or cowl and bake in a 300°F (149°C) oven till heat all through, not less than 20 minutes.
- Particular Instruments (affiliate hyperlinks): Vegetable Peeler | 9×13-inch Baking Dish (or any 3.5–4-quart baking dish corresponding to this one) | Glass Mixing Bowl or Bowl with Pour Spout | Whisk | Sieve
- Bread: Crusty, considerably stale bread is finest for French toast casseroles. In the event you’re in a rush and don’t have time to let the bread sit out as instructed in step 1, lay the bread slices on baking sheets in a single layer and bake in a 300°F (149°C) oven for 10 minutes.
- Apple Cider: Be sure to’re utilizing apple cider the (nonalcoholic, non-carbonated) drink, not apple cider vinegar. You should use apple juice as an alternative if cider if you happen to should, however you’ll lose some taste. Learn to make a do-it-yourself apple cider beverage in a sluggish cooker.
- Milk: Complete milk is finest as a result of it produces a wealthy casserole that isn’t too heavy. You should use lower-fat or nondairy milks in a pinch. Half-and-half works, too. I discovered heavy cream too heavy and wealthy for this casserole.
- Nut Free: You possibly can omit the pecans if desired.
