Spring Brunch Strawberry French Toast (Printer-friendly)

Baked French toast with strawberries, custard, and a cinnamon crumble topping, ideal for spring brunch.

# What You'll Need:

→ 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 Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish and arrange bread cubes evenly on the bottom. Scatter sliced strawberries over the bread.
02 - In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, heavy cream, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt until well combined.
03 - Pour custard mixture evenly over bread and strawberries. Gently press down with a spatula to ensure all bread pieces absorb the custard. Let sit for 5 minutes.
04 - In a medium bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Add cold butter cubes and work into mixture using a pastry cutter or fingertips until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Sprinkle evenly over the casserole.
05 - Bake for 40-45 minutes until custard is set and top is golden brown. The center should be firm when gently shaken.
06 - Allow casserole to cool for 10 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar if desired and serve warm with maple syrup.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • You can assemble it the night before, which means sleeping in and still impressing everyone at brunch.
  • That crumbly cinnamon topping cracks when you bite through it, and nobody expects a baked French toast to have that kind of texture.
  • Fresh strawberries stay bright and tart instead of disappearing into mush, so each bite tastes like spring tastes.
02 -
  • Don't skip the resting time—I learned this when I cut into one too early and it crumbled dramatically, but the taste was perfect, so I decided the rustic look was intentional.
  • If you're assembling this the night before, cover it tightly with plastic wrap and keep it in the coldest part of your fridge, because the custard needs time to fully soak into the bread and becomes even better by morning.
03 -
  • Buy your bread from a bakery if you can—it has a better crumb structure than store-bought sandwich loaves and holds its shape better when soaking in custard.
  • Keep the butter for the topping in the freezer until the last moment, and work quickly so it stays cold and creates those crispy, distinct crumbles instead of disappearing into the flour.
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