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Maple-Pecan French Toast with Roasted Pears

Maple-Pecan French Toast with Roasted Pears

Updated October 28, 2026

Thick brioche French toast with a glossy maple-pecan topping and caramelized roasted pears.

Before you start: heat the oven to 400°F and line a sheet pan with parchment; slice the brioche 1 inch thick; slightly stale bread soaks better; melt 1 tbsp of the butter for brushing the pears. Day-old brioche or challah works best; very fresh bread gets soggy. Leave fresh slices out on a rack for an hour to dry slightly.

The maple pecans can be made up to 3 days ahead and stored airtight; they'll firm up, so warm gently before serving. No brioche? Thick-cut challah or Texas toast work the same way.

Cook time
1 hr 1 min
Rating
…

Ingredients

Scale
Measurement units
  • 2 firm-ripe pears, such as Bosc or Anjou (halved and cored)
  • 5 tbsp unsalted butter (divided)
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp kosher salt
  • 1 cup pecan halves
  • ½ cup pure maple syrup (divided)
  • 2 tbsp light brown sugar (packed)
  • 8 brioche slices (1 inch thick)

Instructions

Roast the pears
Brush pear halves all over with melted butter (1 tbsp) and set them cut-side down on the lined pan.
Roast at 400°F until a knife slides in easily and the cut sides are golden, about 20 minutes.
Equipment: rimmed sheet pan
Make the custard
While the pears roast, whisk eggs, milk (1 cup), vanilla (1 tsp), cinnamon (½ tsp) and salt (¼ tsp) in a shallow dish until no streaks of egg white remain.
Equipment: shallow dish
Make the maple-pecan topping
Melt butter (2 tbsp) in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add pecans (1 cup) and stir until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
Add maple syrup (¼ cup) and brown sugar (2 tbsp) and simmer, stirring, until the syrup is glossy and thick enough to coat the nuts, about 3 minutes. Take off the heat.
Equipment: small saucepan
Cook the French toast
When the pears come out, turn the oven down to 200°F and leave the pears in to stay warm.
Melt a little of butter (2 tbsp) in a large skillet over medium heat. Dip brioche slices in the custard about 10 seconds per side, letting the extra drip off, and add as many as fit without crowding.
Cook until deep golden on the bottom, flip and cook the second side the same way, about 3 minutes. Move to the warm oven and repeat with fresh butter for each batch.
Equipment: large skillet or griddle, shallow dish
Serve
Set 2 slices of French toast on each plate and top with a roasted pear half.
Spoon the maple pecans over the top and drizzle with maple syrup (¼ cup).

Tomorrow's Meal

Crispy French Toast Sticks

Leftover French toast cut into sticks and re-crisped in a buttered skillet, served with warm maple pecans for dipping.

You'll need to pick up:

1 tbsp butter1 tsp sugarpinch of cinnamonmaple syrup for dipping

Quick overview:

  1. 1.Cut leftover French toast into 1-inch sticks
  2. 2.Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat and add the sticks in a single layer
  3. 3.Cook 2 minutes per side until crisp, then toss with the cinnamon sugar
  4. 4.Warm any leftover maple pecans in the pan and serve with maple syrup for dipping

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