What’s your ideal way to spend your morning? With a cup of coffee and a good book maybe? Going for a sunrise stroll? Sleeping in? Ours just happens to be enjoying this Perfect-Combo Breakfast Bake. The tender, fluffy bread sprinkled with melty cheese, salty bacon, and a drizzle of thick and rich maple syrup is the sweet-and-salty concoction our tastebuds crave as we wake up. We think you should add this Perfect-Combo Breakfast Bake to your favorite morning routine… we know it’ll make it even better!
Ingredients
- 1 loaf challah or brioche bread, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
- 6 large eggs
- 2 cups half-and-half
- 2 cups Gruyère cheese, grated
- 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon maple syrup, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- salt, to taste
- pepper, to taste
- 4 slices bacon, chopped
Directions
Step 1 –Grease a 3-quart baking dish.
Step 2 –Leave the bread slices spread out on a rack or platter at room temperature until slightly stale, about 2 hours.
Step 3 –Arrange the bread in the prepared baking dish, slightly overlapping.
Step 4 –In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, the half-and-half, the Gruyère, 1/4 cup of the maple syrup, the cinnamon, the salt, and the pepper together until combined.
Step 5 –Pour the mixture all over the bread in the baking dish.
Step 6 –Use your hands to press down on the bread to submerge it in the egg mixture.
Step 7 –Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 1 day.
Step 8 –Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Step 9 –Discard the plastic wrap and sprinkle the bacon all over the top of the casserole.
Step 10 –Bake until golden-brown and set, about 45-50 minutes.
Step 11 –Drizzle the bake with the remaining maple syrup.
Step 12 –Serve.
