← Nouns Cooking · American

Ingredients

• 450 g day-old brioche, challah or French bread, cut into 3 cm cubes
• 6 Eggs
• 400 ml Milk
• 250 ml Double (heavy) cream
• 60 g Brown sugar
• 1½ tsp Cinnamon
• ¼ tsp Nutmeg
• 2 tsp Vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp Salt
• 45 g Plain (all-purpose) flour
• 50 g Brown sugar
• ½ tsp Cinnamon
• 45 g Butter, cold, cubed, plus extra for the dish
• 50 g Pecans, roughly chopped (optional)
• maple syrup, to serve

Method

1. Butter a 23 x 33 cm baking dish and spread the bread cubes in it.
2. Whisk the eggs, milk, cream, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and salt until smooth. Pour evenly over the bread, pressing it down so every piece soaks.
3. Cover and refrigerate overnight (at least 8 hours) so the custard is fully absorbed.
4. In the morning, heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan, 350°F). Rub the flour, sugar, cinnamon and cold butter together with your fingertips into a clumpy crumble, then stir in the pecans.
5. Scatter the crumble over the bread and bake for 40–45 min, until puffed and golden and a knife in the centre comes out without wet custard. Cover loosely with foil if it browns too fast.
6. Rest for 10 min, then serve warm with maple syrup and berries.

Tips

• Stale bread soaks up custard without turning mushy; if yours is fresh, dry the cubes in a low oven (120°C, 100°C fan, 250°F) for 10 min.
• Pecans are optional; leave them out for a nut-free bake.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Bon Appétit BBC Good Food King Arthur Baking