baked earl grey blackberry french toast
Tip: prep the toast overnight to make the flavors even richer and more pronounced.
Ingredients
- 1 loaf challah or brioche bread
- 1 cup blackberry jam
- 2 cups whole milk, or milk of choice
- 3 bags earl grey tea
- 6 large eggs
- 2 tbsp lemon zest
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp cinnamon powder
- 4 tbsp butter, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup blackberries, plus more for serving
- whipped cream, maple syrup, and powdered sugar, for serving
Instructions
- Warm the milk in a saucepan on the stovetop until steaming. Add the tea bags and steep for 10 minutes. When finished steeping, discard the tea bags. Let cool slightly.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the infused milk, eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla extract.
- Grease a large casserole dish or baking pan with oil or butter.
- Slice the challah or brioche into 10-12 1-inch thick slices. With a very sharp knife, make a slit in the top of each slice, but do not pierce all the way through. The split should be about 1- 1 1/2 inches deep.
- Scoop about 2 tablespoons of jam into each slice of bread. Dip the slices into the egg custard and arrange in the prepared pan. Repeat with remaining slices. Pour any remaining custard over the breads. Cover the dish and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to overnight.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Toss together the sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle over the bread slices. Arrange the butter pats and the blackberries evenly overtop. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Then, remove the foil and bake an additional 20-25 minutes uncovered until the toast is golden brown.
- Dish out portions and serve immediately with whipped cream, powdered sugar, and extra blackberries, as desired.
Notes
*To store: French toast doesn't keep very well once its baked, so I'd recommend eating what you can of it the day it's prepared.