Apple Crumble French Toast Bake

Method

1. Cut the bread into 3 cm cubes. Slightly stale bread soaks up the custard and still holds its shape.

   Add in this stepDay-old brioche or baguette 140 g

2. Peel and core the apples and cut them into 1.5 cm cubes. Melt most of the apple butter in a 20 cm frying pan over medium heat, add the apples, part of the brown sugar and half the cinnamon and cook for 5 min, stirring now and then, until golden at the edges but still holding their shape.

   Add in this stepApples 1Butter (for the apples and the dish) 7 gBrown sugar 12 gGround cinnamon ¼ tsp

   medium heat

3. Butter a 18×12 cm baking dish (for one, a large ramekin or small gratin dish) with the remaining apple butter. Whisk the eggs with the sugar, vanilla, salt and the rest of the cinnamon, then whisk in the milk. Toss the bread and apples together in the dish, pour over the custard and press down so every cube gets wet. Leave to soak for 20 min (or covered in the fridge overnight). Preheat the oven meanwhile.

   Add in this stepButter (for the apples and the dish) 3 gEggs 2Sugar 1½ tbspVanilla extract ½ tspSalt 1 pinchGround cinnamon ¼ tspMilk 180 ml

4. Make the crumble: rub the flour, cold butter and remaining brown sugar together with your fingertips until it looks like coarse damp sand with a few pea-sized clumps, then stir in the almonds. Keep it in the fridge until baking.

   Add in this stepPlain flour 30 gCold butter, diced (for the crumble) 20 gBrown sugar 18 gAlmonds, roughly chopped or flaked 10 g

5. Scatter the crumble over the bread and bake in the oven at 180°C for 22 min, until puffed and golden and a knife pushed into the centre comes out with no liquid egg. Let it rest for 5 minutes.

   oven

6. Serve from the dish or spoon into bowls and drizzle with maple syrup. A spoonful of plain yogurt or vanilla ice cream makes it café-style.

   Add in this stepMaple syrup 2 tbsp