This week, we offer a summer version of one of our absolute favorite breakfast preparations for feeding a crowd. Overnight French Toast. It’s simple to prepare, is make-ahead by its very nature (score), and always results in the most delicious, sublime breakfast or brunch main course. Using the same basic technique as the Eggnog Overnight French Toast—a holiday season go-to—this proves how adaptable the recipe actually is. There is a running list of versions that will make their way onto the blog in the coming months, so stay tuned. Incorporating fresh summer fruit into the dish is a simple matter of cutting it into slices and using them to line the bottom of a 9X13 baking dish.
For this iteration, we chose slightly underripe peaches. They held up better to the overnight soak and the hour of baking than their softer, riper counterparts, and it avoided the whole thing turning into a mushy–albeit peachy–mess. The fruit slices actually hold their shape better and make for easier service and a much nicer presentation.
Dotting the peaches with a brown sugar and butter mixture before topping them with the bread slices gives them a great caramelized sweetness that practically eliminates the need for any maple syrup. That shouldn’t, however, stop you from heaping on a dollop of fresh whipped cream. They are peaches, after all.
Making this dish gluten free is a simple matter of using a good quality gf baguette or Italian loaf, slicing the bread into thick pieces and fitting as many of them into the baking dish as you can fit. The number of slices obviously depends on the size of the loaf you are using, but generally speaking you’ll get anywhere from 9-12 pieces per batch. With a narrower baguette, we’ve even fit as many as 14 pieces snugly into the dish.
As for the custard, there are the usual suspects of eggs and vanilla, but a favorite upgrade for this recipe is to substitute buttermilk for the regular milk. It gives more body and richness to the custard and imparts a really great tang to the dish that tempers the overall sweetness of the brown sugar and fruit. We also have a habit of adding a splash of booze to our brunch creations (see our Eggnog French Toast and Bloody Mary Shakshuka for all the “proof” you need).
This recipe was just begging for the same treatment, so a couple of tablespoons of good bourbon were whisked into the custard, which went beautifully with the peaches, brown sugar and vanilla. It also let us imbibe first thing in the morning without sacrificing any of our hard won class and decorum. Have we mentioned in the past how fancy we are? Once the custard comes together, you pour it over the bread slices, which are then topped with a butter, brown sugar, maple syrup (we had to sneak a little in) and cinnamon mixture for an added crunch and sweetness.
Cover the baking dish with foil and pop it into the fridge to chill and soak overnight. The next morning, remove the foil and bake for 45 minutes at 350F, then another 15 minutes at 400F to get that nice, brûléed crust. After it cools a bit, the only thing left to do is dig in and enjoy! Happy breakfasting!
- For the French Toast:
- 3 peaches, pitted and sliced
- ¼ cup dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 9 - 12 thick slices of bread (depending on the size of the loaf)
- 6 eggs
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 2 tablespoon bourbon
- 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- ½ tsp. allspice
- pinch salt
- For the Topping:
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 stick butter, softened
- 2 tbsp. maple syrup
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- Arrange peach slices in a 9 x 13 baking dish, then top with brown sugar and butter. Top mixture with bread slices.
- In a medium bowl, mix eggs, buttermilk, bourbon, vanilla, cinnamon, allspice and, salt, and whisk until well blended. Pour over bread slices.
- In a small bowl, stir together the dark brown sugar, butter, maple syrup, and cinnamon until evenly combined. Smear over the bread slices. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.
- In the morning, preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Bake for 45 minutes, then increase heat to 400°F. Bake for another 15 minutes.
- Remove from oven, and let stand 15 minutes before serving.
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