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Almond “Croissant” French Toast Casserole

A breakfast casserole like this is an ideal way to make use of day-old bread. In fact, the texture is better if the cubed bread is toasted or a little dry. This tastes like an almond croissant for a familiar a.m. treat. Created by foodthinque on behalf of Almond Board of California
Almonds

Difficulty

Medium

Ingredients
Serves: 8
For the French Toast Custard (yield 2 ½ cups)
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 tsp almond extract
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • ¼ cup packed brown sugar
For the Almond Frangipane (yield about 3 cups)
  • ¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 1/3 cups (192 g) almond flour
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp almond extract
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the Casserole
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • About 13 oz (8 cups) cubed brioche, toasted
  • 2 ½ cups French Toast Custard
  • 3/4 cup Almond Frangipane
  • 1/2 cup sliced almonds
  • 1 tbsp powdered sugar
Preparation
For the French Toast Custard
  1. In a bowl, whisk together all the custard ingredients.
  2. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
For the Almond Frangipane
  1. In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until smooth.
  2. With the mixer running, add the eggs, then the almond flour, all-purpose flour, extracts, and salt and beat until smooth.
  3. Cover and refrigerate.
For the Casserole
  1. Butter a 9 x 9-inch baking dish or quarter hotel pan.
  2. Spread the brioche in the dish and pour the French Toast Custard on top. Allow it to soak for 5 minutes.
  3. Spread the Almond Frangipane evenly over the brioche and top with the almonds.
  4. Bake at 350°F until golden brown and set, about 30 minutes.
  5. Dust the casserole with the powdered sugar and cut into portions.
Notes:
  1. For a gluten-free frangipane, substitute gluten free flour for the all-purpose flour.
  2. For a dairy-free custard, substitute unsweetened almond milk for the whole milk.
Nutritional Info
Per Serving
NAME AMOUNT
Calories 320
Total Fat 21 g
Saturated Fat 8 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 95 mg
Sodium 450 mg
Total Carbohydrate 24 g
Dietary Fiber 2 g
Total Sugars 20 g
Protein 8 g
Vitamin D 1 mcg
Calcium 125 mg
Iron 1 mg
Potassium 225 mg
Did you know?

In addition to almonds being a delicious ingredient in our recipes they’re also heart healthy, gut healthy, and full of vitamins and nutrients - explore Health & Nutrition to learn more. Not only that, almond farmers are dedicated to sustainability - find out how they’re Growing Good.