I’ve said it several times before, my Grandmother is such a style icon in our family. She saves me Vogue every month and snail mails me Wall Street Journal fashion clippings to make sure I’m on-trend. Thanks, Grandma. But when it comes to food and entertaining, my Mom is my idol. She could outdo Martha Stewart easily in an entertaining showdown.
Her spreads each holiday are impressive and orchestrated perfectly for weeks prior to the big day. We always make fun of her for going above and beyond for the same fifteen, or even just five, people who show up on holidays, but it makes her happy and we always enjoy it. This recipe is something she has served for the last several years at her brunches. It’s super easy and is always a big crowd-pleaser.
Challah Blueberry French Toast Recipe For Brunch
This recipe is broken up into a few sections as there are a couple of steps you need to do. It’s a great make-ahead dish so that the morning of your brunch, you can just pop it into the oven and heat up the syrup. The french toast gets a brown sugar butter glaze over the top before going into the oven which is why the brown sugar is shown with two measurements. I’ve screwed this recipe up before and have forgotten the extra step, still turned out fine.
FRENCH TOAST INGREDIENTS
- 1 Challah
- 6 Large eggs
- 3 Cups whole milk
- 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
- 1 tsp Vanilla
- 1 Cup Packed brown sugar – separated into 3/4 cup and 1/4 cup
- 1 Cup Pecans (about 3 oz.) roasted and salted – these are optional
- 1/2 Stick of unsalted butter
- 2 Cups blueberries (about 12 oz., fresh or frozen works)
BLUEBERRY SYRUP INGREDIENTS
- 1 Cup Blueberries (about 6 oz., fresh or frozen works)
- 1/2 Cup Pure maple syrup
- 1 Tbsp Fresh lemon juice
How to Make Challah Blueberry French Toast
Step One – Make Ahead The French Toast
1. The night before, butter a 9×13″ baking dish
2. Cut challah into large cubes and arrange them in one layer in a baking dish
3. In a large bowl whisk together eggs, milk, nutmeg, vanilla, and the 3/4 cup of brown sugar. Pour evenly over bread.
4. Chill mixture, covered, until all liquid is absorbed by bread, at least 8 hours, and up to 1 day. If you have the time or remember, turning the chunks of bread over to get fully absorbed is helpful, but not 100% necessary.
TIP: I like to put the challah cubes into the large mixing bowl and toss them around in the mixutre, then pop them into the dish. Top with the remaining egg mix. This ensures every single cube is covered!
Step Two – Day Of French Toast Directions
1. The day of, preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Take half stick of butter and melt in a small saucepan with the remaining 1/4 cup of brown sugar until combined. PS when I’m being lazy, I have even done this in the microwave, and it turns out fine too.
3. Drizzle butter mixture over the bread and top with pecans and blueberries. Bake 30 minutes covered with foil, then remove the foil and bake another 10-15 minutes until golden brown.
Step Three – Make The Syrup
The syrup isn’t required but it sure does add a ton more flavor and is super impressive. It’s easy to whip together and can definitely be done the night before if you prefer. It’s one less thing to do before guests arrive. I do recommend heating it back up because there really isn’t anything better than warm blueberry syrup on top of a fresh out-of-the-oven slice of challah french toast. I also serve this with real maple syrup for those who prefer it. But let’s be honest, nothing is better than homemade blueberry syrup.
1. In a small saucepan cook 1 cup blueberries and 1/2 cup maple syrup until the berries have burst (about 3 minutes)
2. Pour syrup through a sieve pressing on solids
3. Stir in 1 tbs fresh lemon juice
