The fall baking season is here, and every year, I love diving right in with fresh apples and cinnamon. Have you tried my fresh apple cake or apple cinnamon rolls yet? Today I’m sharing quite the indulgent breakfast… or should I just call it “dessert masquerading as breakfast”? It’s the apple version of my pumpkin French toast casserole, and certainly a special treat if you’re entertaining guests, or if you just went apple picking. Pick up some apple cider while you’re at the farm market!
Here’s Why You’ll Love It:
Spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice, just like apple pie Loaded with extra brown sugared-apples Prep it the night before and bake it in the morning Easier to prepare than regular French toast… no individual slices to cook! Satisfies those sweet fall flavor cravings and feeds a crowd A wonderful way to use fresh apple cider… have you tried my apple cider sangria and honeycrisp apple sangria yet?
Let’s jump right in.
Best Bread to Use for Baked Apple Cider French Toast
Tip #1: Start with a quality loaf. Bread is the main ingredient in any baked French toast casserole, so don’t skimp here. Flimsy sliced sandwich bread won’t do the casserole any favors because it’s unable to soak up excess moisture from the custard—the entire dish will taste flat, soggy, and wet. And it definitely wouldn’t stand up to the apple topping! I recommend using sturdy, flavorful bread such as challah, French bread, sourdough, brioche, homemade artisan bread, or even this homemade cinnamon swirl bread. Challah is my #1 recommendation and you can usually find it in the bakery section of the grocery store. Tip #2: Let it get stale. When you have the quality bread you need, let it sit out for a few hours to become stale. As with breakfast casserole, French toast is best when the bread is somewhat stale. Cut the loaf into thick slices, then let it sit out uncovered for a few hours. The less moisture in the bread, the more apple cider custard it can soak up! Tip #3: Try this shortcut: If you don’t have time to let the bread sit out and get stale, you can lightly toast the slices in the oven at 300°F for about 10 minutes. I do this a lot… so forgetful! While I love this baked apple cider French toast with thick bread slices lined up vertically in the baking dish, you can slice the bread into cubes if you’d prefer, like we do for this cream cheese French toast casserole.
Here’s Everything Else You Need:
Now turn your attention to the apples; the remaining ingredients you see above are used next.
Briefly Cook the Apples
Peel and slice 4 medium-size apples using a peeler (that’s an affiliate link to the one I use and love!), just like we do for apple cobbler. Not sure which apples are best? See my Best Apples for Baking page. I usually use 2 tart Granny Smith apples and 2 sweet Honeycrisp or Pink Lady apples here. A quick turn on the stove bathes the spiced apple slices in a rich, buttery apple cider sauce that caramelizes the apples as they cook. Cook for about 8 minutes, until the apples are crisp-tender, and the sauce has slightly thickened (and smells incredible). Take the skillet off heat, and stir in the pecans. Warning: At this point, you may forget all about the French toast you were making and want to just eat the apples with a spoon. Try to stay focused. I know it’s hard!! Dip the slices of bread in the egg custard. I usually do this before I cook the apples. And arrange in a greased casserole dish. Spoon the apple/pecan mixture over the soaked bread slices. I like to press some of the apple slices down in between the bread slices. Pour the remaining brown sugar sauce over top of everything. Try a crumb topping: This would also be amazing with the crumb topping from this pumpkin French toast casserole. Feel free to add it if you want to level up your baked French toast game! At this point, you can cover the apple cider French toast and refrigerate it overnight, or for at least 3 hours so the bread can soak and the flavors can infuse. After that, it’s time to bake:
Serving Apple Cider French Toast
Drizzle the top of the warm baked apple cider French toast (either the whole thing, or individual servings) with maple syrup or salted caramel before serving, and/or sprinkle with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar. For a side dish, this is a wonderful French toast casserole to serve with fresh fruit and something you can cook on the stove like bacon or sausage.
