Brioche and Gruyère French Toast Bake
A great dish for easy entertaining—you can assemble everything the night before and pop it in the oven about 45 minutes before you want to serve it—this savory French toast bake gets its richness from a combo of Parmesan and nutty Gruyère cheese. Challah and brioche have fluffy textures that absorb the egg custard perfectly.
Ingredients:
- 2 Tbs. unsalted butter, plus more for greasing
- 1 loaf challah or brioche, about 1 lb. (500 g), cut into 1-inch (2.5-cm) slices and slices halved
- 6 eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 cups (16 fl. oz./500 ml) half-and-half
- 1/2 cup (2 oz./60 g) grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
- 2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
- 1 1/2 cups (6 oz./180 g) grated Gruyère cheese
- Honey for drizzling
- Minced chives for garnish
- Fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves for garnish
- Flaky sea salt for sprinkling
Directions:
Preheat an oven to 425°F (220°C). Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-by-5-inch (23-by-13-cm) ceramic baking dish. Set aside.
Arrange the bread slices in a single layer on a baking sheet. Toast until the bread is lightly golden brown and dry, about 7 minutes, flipping the slices about halfway through the cooking time. Transfer the bread slices to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, Parmesan, mustard, thyme, kosher salt and pepper.
In batches, dip the bread slices into the egg mixture, turning the slices to coat them evenly and letting the bread sit in the bowl for about 2 minutes to absorb the liquid. Arrange the bread in the prepared baking dish, overlapping the slices slightly and sprinkling the Gruyère between each slice.
Pour any egg mixture remaining in the bowl evenly over the bread in the dish. Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
Preheat an oven to 350°F (180°C).
Transfer the dish, still covered with the foil, to the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover the dish, increase the oven temperature to 400°F (190°C) and continue baking until the French toast is puffed up and deeply browned, about 15 minutes more.
Drizzle lightly with honey, then sprinkle with the chives and parsley and a pinch of flaky sea salt. Serve immediately. Serves 4 to 6.
Williams Sonoma Test Kitchen
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