Spiced Pear Baked French Toast
This Spiced Pear Baked French Toast recipe is made for cozy weekends.
A combination of warming spices, ripe pears and toasted bread come together in one baking dish for a divine breakfast or brunch.
This easy french toast recipe will have you coming back for a second serving!
Are you a fan of brunch like me?
I absolutely love the weekend tradition of brunch and french toast is a favourite of mine.
So, I combined all of the flavours of the season like sliced pears and ground cinnamon into this baked french toast. And can I just say the spiced pears which are spread throughout this dish are just DIVINE.
The prep time for this recipe is fairly short and you can definitely make this ahead of time so it’s easy to bake in the morning.
What ingredients make a delicious baked french toast
Pears: Make sure to use ripe pears when preparing this recipe as they will bake more consistently within the french toast. Ripe Anjou pears are my favourite to use but Bosc or Bartlett pears would work too.
Bread: A day-old (or longer) french bread works perfectly in this recipe but you could also try brioche or a baguette. If the bread is fresh, cut into cubes and then toast in the oven (see instructions in the recipe notes below).
Spices: Ground cinnamon and nutmeg are the perfect warming spices to complement the pears.
Almonds: Toasting the almonds just lightly at first adds some seriously toasty flavour throughout the baked french toast and pairs lovely with the pears.
Milk & Egg Mixture: This custard-type mixture is whisked together with vanilla extract and maple syrup. Then, pour it over the bread mixture so it can be baked together.
Spiced Pear Baked French Toast
Equipment
- 9x13 baking dish
Ingredients
- 1 loaf day-old bread cut into cubes (about 10 packed cups of bread) french bread or brioche or a baguette
- 1/2 cup chopped almonds, toasted
- 2 ripe pears, sliced
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tbsp butter, melted
- 7 large eggs
- 2 ½ cups milk
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1½ tsp cinnamon
- Pinch salt
- butter for the dish and serving, maple syrup for serving
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large pot.
- Add in the garlic and onion and sauté for 5-7 minutes until they start to brown.
- Add in your frozen peas, salt and pepper and stir occasionally, for about 1 minute.
- Next, pour in the vegetable broth and turn the heat up to high for about 5 minutes until it comes to a boil.
- Remove the pot from the oven and let sit 5-10 minutes to cool slightly.
- Then, blend the soup in the pot using an immersion blender or in batches using a stand blender.
- Once the soup is blended, heat on medium-low in the pot for about 5 minutes, taste and add additional salt and pepper to your liking.
- Serve with a drizzle of greek yogurt, your favourite crackers or grilled cheese!
Notes
- Chicken tacos: serve chicken with grilled tortillas, avocados, salsa, fresh cilantro, cabbage coleslaw mix and cilantro.
- Chicken bowls: serve with rice, pickled onions and cilantro.
- Serve with grilled veggies and your favourite grain.
- Chicken burrito bowls: serve with brown rice, black beans, chopped romaine lettuce, corn, avocado and shredded cheese.
- Make these barbecue chicken nachos with this chili lime chicken for an extra boost of flavour!
This is honestly how I want to enjoy every Sunday morning. Just give me a cup of coffee, a good book and this divine french toast!
What is the secret to this recipe?
- Make sure the bread is at least one day old. Bread that is more dried out works best as it holds up to the egg batter.
- Crunchy topping: Almonds add crunch to this french toast and help to create a golden brown topping. But, you could also try walnuts or pecans.
- Maple Syrup & Butter: Butter makes everything better so make sure to top this french toast with a dollop of butter and of course some maple syrup.
I hope this is one of those breakfast recipes that you’ll make once and then have in your back pocket to make again and again.
And if you love brunch like me, try my Brunch Board where you can substitute all your favourite seasonal ingredients. Or try my classic quiche recipe.
Until the next cooking adventure,
Jess
