Pear and Vanilla flavors are infused in this delicious overnight breakfast casserole. This is the perfect breakfast for holidays or for company.
I don’t usually post on Sundays, but it has been one of those weeks. We put our house up for sale this week, so we spent lots of time cleaning and decluttering and doing random repairs. And then I agreed to develop 5 recipes that are all due next week, so most of my kitchen time has been spent on those recipes. I went to make this recipe on Thursday, only to discover that it needed to be refrigerated overnight. (This is a classic reason why you should always read through the recipe beforehand!!) So, here I am, a few days late – but it’s worth it!!
I am a fan of overnight breakfast casseroles. Not only are they delicious, but you get to do all the work ahead of time, so in the morning, all you have to do is pop the casserole in the oven.
I’ve made a few variations of baked French toast before, but this one rates up at the top. I love that you start it with brown sugar and butter, making a caramel-ly base that the pears soak up. And I was really surprised at how much the vanilla flavor showed through. Pears aren’t my #1 favorite fruit, and while I liked them in this, I can imagine that I would absolutely love it with apples!
Serve this up with some maple syrup or a sprinkle of powdered sugar, and you’ve got an irresistible breakfast recipe. It’s perfect for holiday breakfasts or for when you have company.
More French Toast Recipes:
Baked French Toast Recipe with Apples and Raisins
Creme Brulee French Toast
Overnight French Toast Casserole
Ice Cream Soaked French Toast
Blueberry Banana French Toast Bake
Baked Pear Vanilla French Toast
Ingredients
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup butter
- 2 tablespoons water
- 3 fresh pears sliced
- 4 cups French bread cut into small pieces (better to not use the crust)
- 1/2 cup pecans finely chopped
- 9 eggs
- 2 cups milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- powdered sugar or maple syrup
Instructions
- Melt the butter and brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the water and continue heating until bubbly. Remove from heat and pour into a well-greased 9?x13? baking pan, making sure to spread it evenly. Arrange the pears on top of the brown sugar mixture. Sprinkle the bread evenly over the pears, then sprinkle with the chopped nuts. Beat the eggs, milk and vanilla together and pour evenly over the entire mixture.* Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Bake uncovered for 40 minutes or until it becomes puffy and the eggs are no longer runny. Serve with powdered sugar or maple syrup.
- *I like to press the bread down with my hands or a spatula once I have poured the egg mixture on top to make sure the bread all gets soaked with the liquid.
Judy McCarthy says
I made this recipe and it was excellent. I am making it a second time. It is a keeper.
Heather says
We were looking forward to this for our Christmas breakfast. It was a bit too much eggy for us. The taste was great, but the texture was off. We cooked it a bit longer at a higher temperature for the eggs to set. I would either add more bread or less eggs in the future.
Deb Foster says
Sounds delicious and we just received a very large box of beautiful pears as a gift so now I have your perfect recipe to make use of several. No where does it state to peel the pears before placing in the dish. Is this a required step or totally unnecessary? I will look forward to your reply. Best of luck with the sale of your home! If it has yet to be sold, you may want to place a stature of Saint Joseph upside down in your yard. My husband is a Real Estate agent and it has worked very well for many of his clients! Wishing you the happiest of Holiday’s!
Deborah says
Hi Deb – this is actually an old recipe, and I don’t remember if I peeled the pears or not. I went and grabbed my cookbook that this recipe comes from, and it doesn’t specify or not, but I’m guessing I probably did peel them. Although I do think you could get away with not peeling them to add in a little bit of texture. I hope you love it!