French Toast Recipe

Prepare bread and custard

Butter a 9x13-inch baking dish with 1 tbsp unsalted butter. Place 8 cups cubed day-old brioche or challah into the dish in an even layer.

In a large bowl, whisk together 6 eggs, 1 cup whole milk, 1 cup heavy cream, 1 cup maple syrup, 2 tsp vanilla extract, 1 tsp ground cinnamon and 1 tsp kosher salt until smooth and slightly frothy.

Pour the custard evenly over the bread cubes, pressing the bread down gently so it soaks up the liquid. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to overnight to allow the bread to absorb the custard.

Make filling

In a medium bowl, beat 8 oz softened cream cheese with 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 tbsp maple syrup and 1 tsp vanilla until smooth and spreadable. Transfer to a piping bag or keep in a bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.

If you prefer pockets of filling through the bread pudding, dollop or pipe small mounds (about 1-2 tbsp each) of the maple cream cheese onto the soaked bread before baking, spacing them evenly. Gently press into the bread so they settle.

Candy the walnuts

Line a baking sheet with parchment. In a small nonstick skillet over medium heat combine 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1 tbsp water. Stir until sugar dissolves and starts to caramelize to a light amber color, about 4–6 minutes. Immediately add 1 cup walnut halves and 1/4 tsp kosher salt, toss to coat with the caramel, then transfer to the parchment, separating pieces so they don't stick. Let cool and harden, then roughly chop or leave whole as desired.

Bake the bread pudding

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Remove plastic wrap from the soaked bread. If you piped or dolloped the maple cream cheese, the mounds should be visible. Cover the dish loosely with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 20–25 minutes until the custard is set (a knife inserted near the center should come out mostly clean) and the top is golden.

Make salted caramel frosting

While the pudding finishes, make the caramel frosting: in a medium saucepan over medium heat melt 6 tbsp unsalted butter and 1 cup packed light brown sugar, stirring until sugar dissolves. Carefully whisk in 1 cup heavy cream and 2 tbsp maple syrup. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook 2–3 minutes until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and stir in 1 tsp kosher salt. Let cool 5 minutes; the mixture will thicken further to a pourable frosting consistency.

When the bread pudding is out of the oven, use a spoon to drizzle the warm caramel frosting evenly over the top so it soaks into the warm custard slightly. Allow to rest 10 minutes so flavors meld.

Make honey butter

In a small bowl, whip 4 tbsp softened unsalted butter with 2 tbsp honey until smooth and slightly fluffy.

To serve, cut the maple cream cheese bread pudding into squares. Place a piece on each plate, top with a small pat or dollop of honey butter, an extra drizzle of maple syrup (about 1–2 tbsp per serving), a spoonful of salted caramel frosting if desired, and scatter candied walnuts over the top. Finish with a light dusting of 2 tbsp powdered sugar and a pinch of flaky sea salt to taste.

Leftovers: refrigerate tightly covered up to 3 days. Reheat single portions in a 350°F oven for 10–12 minutes or microwave until warm. Reheat caramel sauce gently before serving.

Make-ahead: assemble up to the point of baking, cover and refrigerate overnight. Bake as directed from chilled (add 5–10 minutes to covered baking time).