Orange Pecan French Toast

SUBMITTED BY: SR PHOTO BY: Kimberly Harvey

"My husband and I were vacationing recently and had this lovely French toast at a bed and breakfast. When we came back home, I kept missing it so I called them up and requested it. They actually gave me the recipe over the phone! I generally halve the recipe for my husband and I, and bake it in an 8 inch square pan. Reheats well in the toaster oven. I served it to my in-laws recently and they loved it. Serve with a little sweetened whipped cream and berries!"

PREP TIME	20 Min
COOK TIME	35 Min
READY IN	1 Hr 55 Min

SERVINGS & SCALING

Original recipe yield: 12 servings

USMETRIC

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INGREDIENTS

1 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/3 cup chopped pecans
12 (3/4 inch thick) slices French bread
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 cup 2% milk
3 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 egg whites
2 eggs
1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar for dusting

READ REVIEWS (64)

DIRECTIONS

In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, melted butter, and corn syrup. Pour into a greased 9x13 inch baking dish, and spread evenly. Sprinkle pecans over the sugar mixture. Arrange the bread slices in the bottom of the dish so they are in a snug single layer.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the orange zest, orange juice, milk, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, egg whites, and eggs. Pour this mixture over the bread, pressing on the bread slices to help absorb the liquid. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour, or overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C ). Remove the cover from the baking dish, and let stand for 20 minutes at room temperature.
Bake for 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown. Dust with confectioners' sugar before serving.

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Reviewed on Oct. 9, 2005 by What a Dish!

Very good! I used skim milk and 5 whole eggs. I also used walnuts instead of pecans. I used sourdough and I wouldn't recommend that, because it tasted too "sour" with the OJ and all. My 3-year old loved sprinkling the powdered sugar on top! (And...this is the first thing I've baked in my brand-new oven! I'm so excited!)

17 users found this review helpful

Reviewed on Mar. 10, 2005 by RESSAS

SOP, I love you. I made this today for a friend of mine who came for breakfast with frozen blackberries sweetened with a little sugar and some homemade whipped cream...and out of the baked French toast recipes that I've tried this one is absolutely the best. I did make some adaptations which worked out quite nicely; added a little more orange peel than the recipe called for and a little less orange juice (about 1/2 cup). I also used brioche instead of French bread and was delighted with the results! Thank you (and the bed & breakfast you and your husband stayed at!) for supplying this amazing recipe. It'll be on my repetoire for YEARS to come!

12 users found this review helpful

Reviewed on Mar. 12, 2006 by tichelle77

This is an excellent recipe. I didn't need to modify it at all, but I did based on what I had available. I substituted walnuts for pecans and added orange-flavored cranberries before layering the bread. The flavor was excellent and the walnuts helped to tone the richness of the french toast. The only note I would add is that I would let it set for approximately 10-15 minutes before serving. The butter, sugar, syrup mixture needs a little time to carmalize and the french toast retains the heat for quite a while after serving. The 10-15 minutes will also allow the bread to firm up a little and arrive at a nice texture.

11 users found this review helpful

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