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a plain baking dish holding four whole golden croissant sandwiches partly nestled in pale baked custard, with creamy ricotta and melted dark chocolate visible at the filling seams and tiny orange-zest flecks in the custard
Melissa Hart

Chocolate Orange Croissant Breakfast Bake

Keep the croissants whole after filling them so each portion has its own chocolate-ricotta center and a pastry top that rises above the custard. Orange zest goes into both the filling and the egg mixture, giving the bake a clear citrus flavor without adding enough juice to thin the custard. Use day-old croissants if you have them, because their slightly drier interiors absorb the custard more evenly than very fresh, soft pastry. The tops may brown before the center sets, so tent the dish loosely once they're golden and let the thermometer decide when the eggs are done. Rest the bake before lifting out a whole sandwich, and use a broad spatula to bring the soft lower layer with it.
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Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1 tsp unsalted butter for dish
  • 4 large day-old plain croissants about 3 oz each
  • 3/4 cup whole-milk ricotta drained if watery
  • 3 tbsp granulated sugar divided
  • 2 tsp finely grated orange zest divided
  • 3 oz semisweet chocolate finely chopped
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/8 tsp fine salt

Method
 

  1. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Split croissants horizontally, keeping a hinge along one edge if possible. Mix ricotta with 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 teaspoon orange zest, then fold in chopped chocolate.
  2. Spread one-quarter of the filling inside each croissant and close gently. Arrange the four filled sandwiches in the dish in a single snug layer.
  3. Whisk eggs, milk, cream, vanilla, salt, the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and remaining teaspoon zest. Pour slowly around and over the sandwiches, spooning a little custard onto the cut edges.
  4. Let stand for 20 minutes while heating oven to 350°F, spooning pooled custard over the lower pastry once halfway through.
  5. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the custard between the sandwiches reaches 160°F and is set with a slight wobble. Tent loosely with foil after about 20 minutes if the tops are already golden.
  6. Rest for 10 minutes, then lift one filled croissant with its surrounding custard onto each plate using a broad spatula.