Cinnamon and Nutmeg Churro French Toast Casserole with Toffee Creme Anglaise

Slofoodgroup Team December 22, 2019

Our churro French toast with fresh ground Ceylon cinnamon and nutmeg recipe will have you begging for seconds!

What’s better than French toast? Overnight French toast! Cubed bread sits overnight in a sweetened egg/milk mixture, absorbing the liquid. In the morning, all you need to do is pop it in the oven—no standing over a griddle!

For this “churro” version, the bread is tossed with melted butter and spiced sugar and topped with a crunchy streusel prior to baking. To really kick it up, we’ve swapped out the usual maple syrup for an easy toffee crème anglaise.

Churro French Toast Casserole with Toffee Crème Anglaise

Ingredients

For the streusel:

• 1/3 cup light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

For the French toast:

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt flakes
• 8 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 vanilla bean, halved and scraped
• 1 loaf French or Italian bread (10 – 12 ounces), cubed
• 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
• assorted fresh berries, for serving

For the toffee crème anglaise:

• 3 large egg yolks, at room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar, divided
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 cup heavy cream, divided

Procedure

Make the streusel:

1. Whisk both sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk in the butter. Stir in the flour.
2. Transfer the mixture to a sheet of waxed paper and, using your fingers, break into streusel-sized pieces. Set aside while you prepare the French toast.

Make the French toast:

1. Grease a 9” x 13” baking pan or casserole. In a small bowl combine the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. In a medium bowl whisk the eggs, then whisk in the milk, cream, seeds from the vanilla bean and half the sugar/spice mixture.
2. Spread the bread cubes into your prepared baking pan. Pour the melted butter over and toss to thoroughly coat. Add the remaining sugar/spice mixture and toss to coat again. Pour the egg mixture over the bread cubes, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
3. When you are ready to bake the casserole, re-heat the oven to 350℉. Sprinkle the streusel over the bread cubes and bake for 45 – 55 minutes, or till golden brown and set.

Make the toffee crème anglaise:

1. Prepare a bowl filled with ice water. While whisking the yolks, slowly pour in 1/4 cup of the sugar. Set aside. Heat the milk and 1/2 cup of the cream in a medium saucepan. When it starts to simmer, slowly pour one-third into the yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Pour the yolk mixture back into the pan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes. Place the pan in the ice water bath and cool completely.
2. Combine the remaining 3/4 cup of sugar with 1/4 cup of water in a small pan and set over high heat. Cook without stirring until the sugar turns deep golden brown. Remove from heat and slowly stir in the remaining 1/2 cup of heavy cream. Stir into the cooled crème anglaise and serve with the casserole and fresh berries.