Pecan Pear French Toast Bake

After trekking hundreds of miles across the country and enduring holiday traffic with a fussy infant in the back seat, I arrived home and thought, "I deserve another vacation." Lounging on a warm beach with a margarita in hand seemed a bit far fetched, so I thought I'd treat the family to lazy brunch at home instead.

Cozy right on up to the breakfast table with this sinfully delicious Pecan Pear French Toast Bake. Make no mistake, this is not a diet dish. So apologies if I'm already ruining your 2022 resolutions. But it's damn good for the soul!

Custardy, spiced french toast is piled high with a layer of sweet raisins and juicy pears. But the real reason you come back for seconds is the nut-sugar topping. Finely chopped pecans marry together with brown sugar and butter to create the most magically crunchy, delightfully sweet crust for this breakfast bake.

Plus, it's a perfect make ahead dish. I simply threw it together the night before, and popped it in the oven when I woke up. An hour later, the house was full of cinnamon sugar smells all while I enjoyed a hot latte on the couch.

It's decadent... a little goes a long way. I might recommend serving with some of that leftover Christmas Ham to cut the sweetness. Or double down and serve with warm maple syrup.

Happy New Year!

Pecan Pear French Toast Bake

Ingredients

For the French Toast

· 4 cups cubed, day old bread (Challah, cinnamon raisin, French bread)

· 1/3 cup raisins

· 6 eggs

· 1 cup half & half

· ½ tsp cinnamon

· Pinch of salt

· 1 tsp vanilla extract

· ½ tsp almond extract

For the Pecan Pear Topping

· 3 pears, peeled and diced

· ¾ cup brown sugar

· ¾ cup finely chopped pecans

· Pinch of salt

· ¼ cup butter, chilled and diced

Preheat oven to 350F.

For the French Toast…Grease a 2.5qt baking dish. Scatter the bread over the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle the raisins evenly over the bread.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, half & half, cinnamon, salt, and extracts. Pour the custard over the bread and raisins. Using your fingers, gently press the bread cubes into an even layer to ensure all bread is moistened. Allow to soak for at least 15 minutes or overnight.

For the Topping…Scatter the diced pears over the top of the soaked bread. In a medium bowl, combine the brown sugar, pecans, salt, and butter. Stir to ensure the butter is evenly distributed throughout the nut-sugar mixture. Spoon the topping evenly over the pears.

Bake for 40-45 minutes until the center is puffed and the top is deep golden brown and bubbling. If desired, serve with maple syrup.

Serves 4-6

GF Friendly Notes

For a different spin, swap the raisins for dried cranberries and add ½ tsp dried ginger to the custard when adding the cinnamon.

Gluten Free Friendly!

Swap the bread for your favorite gluten free bread. I’d recommend a Schar Baguette or Ciabatta – it’s sturdy, yet airy which will yield a fluffy GF French Toast Bake while other bread might be more dense or mushy. Canyon Bakehouse Sweet Hawaiian bread also works well in this recipe.