STUFFED APPLE FRENCH TOAST WITH PRALINE TOPPING

Stuffed Apple French Toast with Praline Topping image

This decadent and rich French toast casserole is a big hit at my Christmas breakfast each year. It's a big recipe because I'm always serving a crowd but it's easily scaled down for smaller portions. The tart apples are a beautiful balance with the deliciously sweet praline topping. I've been working on this recipe for a few years and finally got it perfect! Enjoy! Serve with warm maple syrup.

Provided by angiels02

Categories Breakfast and Brunch French Toast Recipes

Time 9h30m

Yield 18

Number Of Ingredients 17

Ingredients

2 loaves challah, cut into 1-inch thick slices
1 stick unsalted butter
¼ cup packed brown sugar
1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
½ teaspoon salt
6 Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
10 large eggs
2 cups half-and-half
2 cups heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 sticks unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Steps:

Butter an 11x18-inch casserole dish and layer with 1/2 of the bread slices, covering the bottom completely.
Melt butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add brown sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and salt and stir to combine. Add apple slices and cook until crisp-tender, soft but still maintaining their shape, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes.
Spread cooled apple mixture over bread layer in the pan. Top apple mixture with remaining bread slices, overlapping if necessary for good coverage.
Whisk eggs, half-and-half, heavy cream, vanilla extract, remaining 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a large bowl. Pour over casserole, making sure to cover the bread evenly with the egg mixture. Cover with foil and refrigerate, 8 hours to overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Combine melted butter, brown sugar, pecans, corn syrup, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl. Spread topping evenly over the casserole.
Bake in the preheated oven until puffed and lightly golden, 40 to 45 minutes. Check halfway through cooking time and cover with foil if the bread is browning too quickly. Let cool for about 10 minutes before serving.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 569.1 calories, Carbohydrate 51.4 g, Cholesterol 190.1 mg, Fat 37.4 g, Fiber 2.9 g, Protein 9.6 g, SaturatedFat 19.4 g, Sodium 476.4 mg, Sugar 23.1 g