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French Toast: Baked Rum-Raisin French Toast

Source of Recipe

CBS - America's Test Kitchen


Recipe Introduction

The dish needs to be refrigerated at least 8 hours to attain the correct texture. Do not refrigerate for longer than 24 hours, or the bread will disintegrate. Assemble the topping just before baking. Walnuts can be substituted for the pecans.

List of Ingredients

1 (16-ounce)loaf French bread, sliced
1/2 inch thick
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
8 large eggs
2 cups whole milk
2 cups half-and-half
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

---Topping---
12 tablespoons unsalted butter-softened
3 tablespoons corn syrup
11/3 cups packed (91/3 ounces) light brown sugar
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped pecans



Recipe

1. Adjust the oven racks to the upper-and-lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Arrange the bread in a single layer on two baking sheets. Bake until dry and light golden brown, about 25 minutes, rotating the baking sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway through the baking time. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.

2. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish (or shallow casserole dish of similar size) with the butter. Layer the dried bread tightly in the prepared dish. (You should have two layers.)

3. Whisk the eggs, milk, half-and-half, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a large bowl. Pour evenly over the bread and press lightly to submerge. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours.

4. For the topping: When ready to bake, adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the butter, corn syrup, and brown sugar together in a medium bowl with a rubber spatula until smooth and incorporated. Stir in the pecans.

5. Remove the casserole from the refrigerator and discard the plastic wrap. Spoon the topping over the casserole, then spread it into an even layer using the rubber spatula. Place the baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until puffed and golden, about 60 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

---Variation---
BAKED RUM-RAISIN FRENCH TOAST CASSEROLE
Combined 1 1/2 cups raisins and 1 cup rum in a microwave-sage bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and poke several vent holes with tip of a paring knife. Microwave on high until the rum comes to a boil, 1 to 2 minutes. Set aside, covered, until the raisins are plump, about 15 minutes. Drain thoroughly, discarding the rum (or save it for another use). Follow the recipe for French Toast Casserole, sprinkling the plumped raisins in between the two layers of bread in step 2.