Orange Pecan Overnight French Toast

When you’re feeding a crowd, you want something that’s impressive, but won’t require you to man the stove all morning. Individual things like overnight oats and parfaits are fun, but demand a fair bit of fridge space if you’ve got more than 4 people. Enter overnight French toast. It has all the deliciousness (soft on the inside, crispy on the outside) of traditional French toast, and none of the fuss! Just prep it the night before, pop it in the fridge, and then stick it in the oven the next morning. You can probably even manage it before your first cup of coffee!

I’ve made this version much lower in sugar and extra calories than most versions you’ll find online. I used oat milk, but you can use any type of milk you like, or swap the pecans for another nut. Your guests won’t need any extra maple syrup on top because there’s enough in the bread to make it just this side of sweet. 

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons ghee or softened unsalted butter
• 1 loaf of challah, ends removed, sliced into 12 (1/2-inch) slices
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups unsweetened oat milk
• 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup pecans, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• powdered sugar, optional

Preparation:

1. Spread the ghee or butter along the bottom and 1-inch up the sides of a 9×13-inch baking dish.
2. Arrange the pieces of challah in the dish by slightly overlapping them.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, oat milk, maple syrup, vanilla and salt. Pour the mixture over the challah and then flip the bread pieces so that both sides are coated. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and place in the fridge overnight, or at least for 4 hours.
4. Preheat oven to 350°F. Take the prepared dish out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature while the oven heats. 
5. Meanwhile, combine the pecans with the brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Sprinkle evenly over the challah. 
6. Bake for 30 minutes, until lightly golden on top. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if you like (looks very pretty!). Serve while warm.