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Apple Pie French Toast Bake

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  • Author: Kylie
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 1 hour
  • Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
  • Yield: 12 servings 1x
  • Category: Breakfast
  • Method: Baking, Cooking
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

Units Scale

FRENCH TOAST

  • 16 ounce loaf challah bread, cubed into 1" pieces
  • 6 large eggs
  • 2.5 cups half and half
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt

APPLE PIE FILLING

  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 3 medium apples (I prefer Granny Smith), sliced 1/4" thick
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • pinch of Kosher salt

OAT CRUMBLE TOPPING

  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 6 tablespoons cold butter, cubed

MAPLE BROWN SUGAR CREAM CHEESE DRIZZLE

  • 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tablespoon whole milk (more as needed to thin the drizzle)
  • pinch of Kosher salt

Instructions

  1. PREP BREAD: Grease a 9×13 pan with butter or cooking spray. Add diced challah bread in an even layer.
  2. MAKE CUSTARD: In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, half and half, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt.
  3. ASSEMBLE + SOAK: Slowly pour custard mixture over the bread. Use a spatula to gently turn the cubes in the custard, ensuring that each piece of bread soaks up a bit. Cover the 9×13 baking dish with foil and pop it in the fridge so the bread can soak for at least 60 minutes (or overnight) while you prep the rest of the components. 
  4. MAKE APPLE PIE FILLING: Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Melt butter in the pan. Add sliced apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes until the apples are soft and tender but not mushy (they’ll keep cooking in the oven so you don’t want them too soft). Let the apples cool while you make the crumble topping. 
  5. MAKE CRUMBLE TOPPING: In a medium bowl, combine flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Cut in cold butter using your fingers, a fork, or a pastry cutter until you have pea-sized pieces of butter, and everything is well combined. The mixture should hold together when squeezed but still crumble easily. 
  6. ADD APPLE LAYER: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Remove baking dish from the fridge and add the cooked apples in an even layer, gently nestling them into the challah bread and egg mixture.
  7. ADD CRISP LAYER: Sprinkle the oat mixture over the apples in an even layer. 
  8. BAKE: Bake, uncovered, for 50-60 minutes or until the bread has risen quite a bit, the crumble is golden brown, and the egg custard is set in the middle. Let cool for 10 minutes before drizzling with frosting.
  9. MAKE DRIZZLE: While the French toast is baking, mix cream cheese, butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, powdered sugar, milk, and a pinch of salt in a large bowl using a handheld electric mixer. Mix until it all comes together into a smooth drizzle, adding more milk as needed to loosen up the mixture. 
  10. DRIZZLE + ENJOY. Slice French toast, drizzle with frosting, and serve warm. Enjoy!
  11. SHARE THE LOVE. If you loved this recipe, please leave a 5-star rating and review below!

Equipment

Notes

    • Slightly stale bread is your friend. Day-old challah soaks up custard without turning soggy. If your loaf is super fresh, toast the cubes in a 350-degree oven for about 5 minutes first.

    • Don’t rush the soak. That full 60 minutes gives you custardy centers all the way through. Overnight is even better.

    • Stick with a tart apple. Granny Smiths hold their shape and keep all that brown sugar in check. Honeycrisp works too if you like things a little sweeter.

    • Pull the apples early. They should still have a little bite when they come out of the pan. They’ve got another hour in the oven ahead of them.

    • Keep your crumble butter cold. Those pea-sized pieces are what give you a craggy, crunchy topping.

    • Check the middle before you call it done. A knife in the center should come out clean (without wet custard on it). If the crumble is browning too fast, loosely tent the pan with foil and keep baking.

    • Start with soft cream cheese. Room temperature cream cheese and butter are the secret to a smooth, lump-free drizzle. It thickens as it sits, so stir in a splash of milk right before serving if needed.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1/12 of the recipe
  • Calories: 410
  • Sugar: 45.5 g
  • Sodium: 194.4 mg
  • Fat: 17.1 g
  • Carbohydrates: 58.6 g
  • Fiber: 2 g
  • Protein: 6.6 g
  • Cholesterol: 133 mg

Find it online: https://midwestfoodieblog.com/apple-pie-french-toast-casserole/