G’Day French Toast Pudding

There’s nothing like the smell of warm french toast wafting through the house in the morning. This is the perfect recipe for when you’re hosting guests or a larger breakfast and you don’t want to be running around frantic (Hello! See Hosting Handbook Workshop). I can guarantee you, your friends and family will be raving about this for weeks. You can even preprep some of this the night before to make it even more effortless. An added bonus? If there’s any left overs, they keep in the fridge and reheat perfectly for an afternoon pick me up. Side note, bacon is the perfect salty accompaniment.

Ingredients 
1 Fresh Loaf of Brioche (I love the Trader Joes one) 
10 Eggs
2 Cups of Heavy Cream 
1 cup of Milk 
2 Tablespoons of good quality vanilla 
½ cup of granulated sugar
1 Cup of Packed Light Brown Sugar
¾ cup of flour
½ stick of cold butter grated (I always use European salted, grass-fed butter)

Suggested Additions
2 cups of fresh berries tossed with freshly grated lemon zest and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.
2 cups of heavy whipping cream whipped with 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Crispy Bacon

Equipment Needed
9 x 12 Inch Baking Dish
Whisk
Zester (I love microplane)

Preheat oven to 325F.

Cut the brioche into squares - I usually have around 9 smaller squares per slice and don’t worry, you can leave the crust on. Arrange in a 9x12 inch baking dish. Whip your eggs, vanilla, granulated sugar, heavy cream and milk in a bowl until fully incorporated. Pour egg mixture over brioche. If you want to prepare this the night before, this would be the point where you wrap it in plastic wrap and stick it in the fridge till the morning. Let’s pretend that you didn’t have a chance to do that. No worries! Let the egg and bread mixture sit for around 10 minutes while you prepare the topping.
Put the brown sugar and flour in a bowl. Mix until combined. Grate the butter into the bowl and mix with your hands until it starts to come together. It should resemble chunky cookie crumbs.
If your mixture has been sitting in the fridge over night, take it out and let it sit for a good 30 minutes to get closer to room temperature.
When you’re ready, take the topping and sprinkle over the bread and egg mixture until the entire area is covered.
Put in the oven and bake for around 50 minutes to an hour until the center is solid. Let sit at room temperature for around 10 minutes before serving. Serve with fresh berries, banana and, if you’re that way inclined, bacon!