Spring Brunch Strawberry French Toast (Printable)

Baked custard with strawberries and brioche, topped with cinnamon-sugar crumbs. Perfect for a spring morning.

# Ingredient List:

→ Bread & Dairy

01 - 1 loaf brioche or challah bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
02 - 6 large eggs
03 - 2 cups whole milk
04 - 1/2 cup heavy cream
05 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar
06 - 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
07 - 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
08 - 1/4 teaspoon salt

→ Fruit

09 - 2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced

→ Topping

10 - 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
11 - 1/4 cup brown sugar
12 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
13 - 1/4 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed

→ Finish

14 - Powdered sugar for dusting
15 - Maple syrup for serving

# How-To Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
02 - Arrange bread cubes evenly in prepared baking dish. Scatter sliced strawberries over bread layer.
03 - In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, heavy cream, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt until well combined.
04 - Pour custard mixture evenly over bread and strawberries. Gently press down to ensure bread pieces absorb custard thoroughly.
05 - In a medium bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Add cold butter cubes and work mixture with pastry cutter or fingertips until resembling coarse crumbs. Sprinkle evenly over casserole.
06 - Bake for 40-45 minutes until custard is set and top is golden brown.
07 - Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar if desired. Serve warm with maple syrup.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • You can assemble it the night before and bake it fresh in the morning, which means sleeping in without sacrificing an impressive brunch.
  • The custard soaks into every piece of bread while the buttery topping gets gorgeously crispy, creating two totally different textures in one bite.
  • Fresh strawberries soften slightly during baking and release their juice into the custard, making every forkful taste like spring tastes.
02 -
  • The overnight assembly trick only works if you refrigerate it properly and actually bake it the next morning, because if you wait more than 24 hours the bread starts to get soggy instead of custardy.
  • Don't skip the cooling step between baking and serving, because the custard continues setting as it cools and you'll get a much cleaner, more impressive slice if you wait.
03 -
  • Use bread that's a day or two old rather than fresh bakery bread, because older bread is drier and soaks up custard evenly without disintegrating.
  • If your oven runs hot, check the casserole at the 35-minute mark by gently shaking it, because the custard might set faster than expected and you don't want an overcooked top.
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