I hate to say it, because I love myoriginal French toast recipe, but I found the best and absolute easiest French toast you will ever make in your life.
This is a recipe that I made and then immediately wanted to tell every single person about it: my dad, Z’s mom, my neighbor with the cute adorable toddler, the barista who never smiles when I order my cappuccino.
You see, this is no ordinary French toast. This is crème brûlée French toast. It’s a custardy, nutmeg-flavored custardy piece of challah where one side has a crispy sugar coating reminiscent of the shell on top of crème brûlée.
Oh, and did I mention that you can make this even if you don’t know the first thing about anything? You soak challah in a nutmeg-infused mixture of eggs, cream, and whole milk overnight (no wonder it’s good), and then you cook it in the oven on a sheet of melted butter and brown sugar.
It’s a perfect brunch meal—prep the night before, pop it into the oven the day of. By the time you cook up some sausage and make a pot of coffee, your French toast is ready. I was overly ambitious and served it with an eggs poached in tomato sauce dish that I overcooked (see, no one is perfect!), but it didn’t even matter because this crème brûlée French toast is JUST THAT GOOD.
Crème Brûlée French Toast
From The New York Times
5 large eggs plus 2 egg yolks
2 1/4 cups whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons dark rum or orange juice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 loaf challah bread, sliced 1 inch thick, preferably stale
1 cup packed light brown sugar
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, cream, rum, vanilla, nutmeg, and salt. Spread bread out in 1 layer on a large rimmed baking sheet. Pour custard over bread, cover with plastic wrap, and let soak in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight. Flip bread slices over once while they soak (either halfway through soaking or an hour before baking).
Heat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together the brown sugar and melted butter. Pour mixture onto another large rimmed baking sheet, using a spatula if necessary to spread into an even layer.
Transfer soaked bread to sugared baking sheet, placing slices on top of the brown sugar mixture. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until tops are golden brown and sugar is bubbling.
Serve immediately while still hot, with the crunchy brown sugar side up, spooning more of pan syrup on top.
Enjoy!
