THE OFFICIAL BLOG OF ABT
Baked Orange Caramel French Toast
If there’s any meal that can bring tired friends and family together, it’s not always dinner…it’s brunch. More specifically, easy-to-make caramel orange French toast. The holiday season is notorious for great food, friends, family, and unfortunately, hard work. Between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, the stakes are high for making great recipes and impressing everyone at the table. Thankfully for us, Chef Susan is here to help with another one of her top-tier recipes, and it isn’t difficult to make. This brunch favorite is perfect for making the day after a holiday feast.
This recipe is a great choice for the day after a holiday dinner for two reasons: one, a lot of the prep work is done the night before, and it needs to sit overnight. That means that in the morning, there’s less work for you to do. Two, it’s a baked orange French toast recipe. Instead of frying in a skillet, you place multiple slices of bread on a single pan and bake for an easy breakfast or brunch. Did we mention that it’s delicious? The caramel exterior forms a gentle crispy crunch, all while the bread inside stays soft. Chef Susan (who doubles as a sales associate here at Abt) recommends that home cooks top their orange French toast with fresh whipped cream and orange zest. Enjoy!
Yields
4 Servings
Topping
- 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- 6 tablespoons salted butter
- ⅓ cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
- 3 tablespoons fresh-squeezed orange juice
Custard
- 8 to 10 slices of day-old French bread
- Zest of one orange
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- NOTE: This recipe requires that the toast sit overnight.
- Spray a 9x13 pan with nonstick cooking spray. In a medium saucepan, combine all topping ingredients; mix well. Cook over medium heat until smooth, stirring constantly. Do not boil! Spread topping in the bottom of the 9x13 pan.
- Beat eggs in a shallow bowl. Add milk, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, and orange zest, and beat well. Dip each bread slice into the custard several times to really soak up the bread. Place bread slices over the caramel topping in the 9x13 pan. Cover and let sit overnight in the refrigerator.
- To serve, remove from the refrigerator about an hour before baking to let it come to room temperature. Preheat oven to 400°F. Uncover and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the bread is toasted brown and the topping is bubbling. Let stand for 3-5 minutes before inverting onto a serving plate.
- Susan recommends you serve it with soft whipped cream and powdered sugar, then topped with orange zest.
