Spring Brunch Strawberry French Toast (Printable)

A delightful baked dish featuring strawberries, custard, and vanilla, perfect for a spring brunch gathering.

# 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

# Preparation steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish and arrange bread cubes evenly across the bottom. Scatter sliced strawberries over the bread layer.
02 - In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, cream, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt until fully combined and smooth.
03 - Pour custard mixture evenly over bread and strawberries. Gently press down with a spatula to ensure all bread cubes are thoroughly soaked with custard. Let sit for 5 minutes.
04 - In a medium bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Add cold cubed butter and use a pastry cutter or fingertips to work the mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle evenly over the casserole.
05 - Bake for 40-45 minutes until the custard is set and the topping is golden brown.
06 - Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar if desired. Serve warm with maple syrup.

# Expert advice:

01 -
  • You can assemble it the night before and sleep in while it bakes, which feels like cheating in the best way.
  • Fresh strawberries make it taste like spring even if you're eating it in sweatpants at your kitchen table.
  • The crispy streusel topping adds enough texture to keep things interesting alongside the creamy custard center.
02 -
  • Don't skip the cooling time, no matter how hungry everyone is; the custard needs those ten minutes to set properly or you'll end up with a soupy mess.
  • If you assemble it the night before, the bread will soak up even more custard and everything becomes more cohesive, so this is actually the better way to do it.
03 -
  • Letting the assembled casserole sit in the refrigerator overnight is actually better than baking it immediately—the bread soaks deeper and everything becomes more unified.
  • If your top is browning too quickly before the center is set, loosely tent it with foil for the last fifteen minutes of baking.
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