Baked Orange French Toast with Almond Crumble

By á-25138

Ingredients

• 1 loaf challah bread
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup half and half or whole milk
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 tablespoons Cointreau or other orange liqueur
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• for almond crumble
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds
• 1/2 cup oats
• 1 tablespoon orange zest

Preparation

Step 1

Slice challah bread in 3/4" thick slices and set aside. Whisk eggs in a 4 cup Pyrex measuring cup and then add half and half, sugar, vanilla, Cointreau and orange zest and whisk well.
Butter a 2 quart baking dish and layer 5-6 slices of bread in the bottom so the bread fits together tightly without much gap. Evenly drizzle half of the egg mixture onto the bottom layer of bread and then add another layer of bread on top and drizzle the remaining mixture.
Add the brown sugar, butter, almonds, oats and orange zest to a small bowl and mix ingredients together with fingers until well incorporated. Sprinkle on top of the bread, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerated for 4 hours or overnight.
To bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove casserole from refrigerator and bring to room temperature, about a half an hour. Bake uncovered for 35-40 minutes or until top is golden. Remove and let set for 5 minutes and serve with maple or raspberry syrup.