Martha Stewart’s Make-Ahead French Toast Is the Easiest, Most Delicious Way to Wow Your Holiday Guests

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By the time your holiday guests descend, you want to have as little work in the kitchen as possible — which means if you’re feeding a big group of overnight guests, then make-ahead breakfast is an absolute must. So, how do you prep something that feels luxurious enough for the holidays with as little time over the stove as possible? Martha Stewart to the rescue: Her make-ahead apple caramel French toast recipe will have your guests wistfully thinking about their delicious Christmas morning all year long.

Warm breakfast is a must to drive away the winter chill, and this Martha Stewart classic lets you serve up a piping hot dish without any time over the stove at all — just prep the day before and pop it into the oven when you’re gathering for breakfast. Stewart shared a mouth-watering photo of the recipe on her Instagram just in time for Christmas, writing: “Need a make-ahead breakfast for the family or for overnight guests? Assemble this caramelized-apple-and-challah casserole the day before, and simply ferry it from fridge to oven in the morning.”

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A post shared by Martha Stewart (@marthastewart)

If you’ve been doing any holiday baking, most of the ingredients you need for this recipe you’ll likely have on hand already, like brown sugar, cinnamon, milk, eggs, and butter. You’ll want to be sure to stock up on two specifics though: a 1-pound loaf of fluffy challah or brioche, which you’ll slice into 3/4-inch slices and leave out to stiffen for a few hours so they can hold all that eggy goodness, and four crisp apples (Stewart recommends Gala, Braeburn, or Envy). You’ll cut those apples into wedges and cook them down in butter, sugar, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt, then take your slightly-stale fluffy bread and soak them in a classic French toast mixture of eggs, cinnamon, vanilla, and brown sugar.

Layer the bread and remaining liquid on top of the apples and voila — you have a heaping French toast casserole ready to brown up in the oven and serve hot. Stewart recommend an 11 to 12-inch enameled cast iron, and if you want to make it exactly as Martha would, you can even get the pan from her collection to cook in for over $50 off at Macy’s right now.

Get Martha Stewart’s Apple-Caramel French Toast recipe here for a holiday breakfast your family will never forget!

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