Fine Cooking Magazine - November/December 2020

Servings: 6

An overnight soak in apricot-almond custard creates a meltingly soft, creamy interior for this baked French toast dish, while the corn flake crumb topping offers a crisp contrast. This recipe works equally well with peach preserves and nectar. Serve with pure maple syrup.

Ingredients

For the French toast

Softened unsalted butter, for the baking dish
6 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup whole or low-fat milk
1 cup apricot nectar
1 tsp. almond extract
1/2 tsp. table salt
1/2 cup apricot preserves
1 1-lb. loaf day-old challah or brioche, cut into 1-inch-thick slices (discard the ends)

For the topping

4 oz. (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
3 cups corn flakes, crushed
2 Tbs. packed dark brown sugar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. pure almond extract
Pinch table salt

Calories (kcal) : 690
Fat Calories (kcal): 270
Fat (g): 30
Saturated Fat (g): 14
Polyunsaturated Fat (g): 1.5
Monounsaturated Fat (g): 6
Cholesterol (mg): 275
Sodium (mg): 970
Carbohydrates (g): 90
Fiber (g): 3
Protein (g): 18

Preparation

The night before

Assemble the French toast
Butter the bottom and sides of a 9×13-inch baking dish.
Whisk the eggs, milk, apricot nectar, almond extract, and salt in a large, wide bowl. Spread a thin layer of apricot preserves on one side of each slice of bread and then dip both sides of each slice in the custard. Arrange the slices jam side up in the baking dish, overlapping slightly if necessary. Pour any remaining custard over the bread and gently press the bread into the custard. Cover tightly with foil and refrigerate for 4 to 18 hours.
Make the topping
In a large bowl, stir the butter with a silicone spatula until smooth. Add the corn flakes, sugar, cinnamon, almond extract, and salt. Using your fingertips, work the mixture until it forms pea-size clumps. Cover the bowl and refrigerate.

In the morning

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F.
Uncover the baking dish and press down gently on the bread to absorb any custard on the bottom of the dish. Scatter the topping over the bread, re-cover with the foil, and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until puffy and golden, another 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

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Apricot Nectar
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Apricot Preserves
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Challah Bread
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Reviews

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Reviews (9 reviews)

user-771445 | 03/25/2021
This is my family's favorite sweet breakfast. I have switched to using peach nectar and peach preserves with amaretto, and it is delicious!
user-3892226 | 01/02/2016
This was a great New Years brunch recipe. Love that you can do it ahead of time so that the day off all you have to do is bake it off. I could take or leave the apricot part since it didn't necessarily add a lot. So basically if I didn't have the jam or nectar I could still use this base. I used a day old challah bread that really soaked up the custard nicely. This dish is also good reheated in a mini oven. It gets the crumble even crunchier! I will definitely keep this in my brunch repertoire.
user-3892226 | 01/02/2016
This was a great New Years brunch recipe. Love that you can do it ahead of time so that the day off all you have to do is bake it off. I could take or leave the apricot part since it didn't necessarily add a lot. So basically if I didn't have the jam or nectar I could still use this base. I used a day old challah bread that really soaked up the custard nicely. This dish is also good reheated in a mini oven. It gets the crumble even crunchier! I will definitely keep this in my brunch repertoire.

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What We're Cooking Now

Name: Baked Apricot French Toast with Crunchy Corn Flake Streusel
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: Softened unsalted butter, for the baking dish; 6 large eggs, lightly beaten; 1 cup whole or low-fat milk; 1 cup apricot nectar; 1 tsp. almond extract; 1/2 tsp. table salt; 1/2 cup apricot preserves; 1 1-lb. loaf day-old challah or brioche, cut into 1-inch-thick slices (discard the ends); 4 oz. (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened; 3 cups corn flakes, crushed; 2 Tbs. packed dark brown sugar; 2 tsp. ground cinnamon; 1/2 tsp. pure almond extract; Pinch table salt