Some mornings during Christmas week feel like a snow globe someone shook a little too hard. Kids bouncing. Guests snoozing. Coffee brewing. And you, standing in the kitchen wondering how to feed everyone without flipping French toast for a crowd.
This is the moment for a makeahead beauty: my Pear & Almond French Toast Bake. It’s a cozy, custardy breakfast casserole that comes together the night before (or even two days before), then bakes into golden, fragrant bliss in just 20 minutes. The secret twist is canned pears. Yes, canned — soft, sweet, inexpensive and absolute magic when tucked into almond-kissed bread pudding with a vanillaalmond custard.
It tastes like you fussed for hours.
It behaves like you barely lifted a finger. And during the week of Christmas, that’s a small holiday miracle.
Day-old bread is your best friend here. Slightly dry cubes soak up the custard like a dream, giving you that soft-inside, golden-outside texture we love in a breakfast bake. Challah, croissants or brioche will make this casserole extra rich and luxurious, but an everyday artisan loaf works beautifully too. I used a sturdy sourdough, which holds its shape and adds a gentle tang that plays nicely with the sweet pears.
