Ina Garten’s Comfort Meal Is Perfect for Easter Brunch

A clip from Barefoot Contessa is going viral on TikTok right now, and it showcases a comforting breakfast dish that’s perfect for the season. 

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“One of my favorite comfort foods is French toast,” Ina Garten shares in the clip, which now has 1.5 million views on the app. “But the truth is, I almost never make it, ‘cause I hate standing at the stove [and] everyone is sitting at the table with their forks, and you have to make it one at a time. So I thought, ‘There’s gotta be a better way.’”

That’s when Garten came up with a genius idea: French Toast Bread Pudding. Here’s why this breakfast main is rightfully beloved by many generations—and many to come. 

The techniques needed for this French Toast Bread Pudding recipe look to be tedious, but it’s more simple than it seems. First, you only need six key ingredients to whip it up: a loaf of challah, eggs, milk, honey, orange zest and vanilla extract—plus some salt for the mixture. 

Garten mixes together all the ingredients except the challah, then dips each slice into the egg mixture. She adds the soaked slices into a baking dish in a single layer. She then places the baking dish on a roasting pan and pours “very hot” tap water into the roasting pan so it comes an inch up the sides of the baking pan.

Once covered with aluminum foil, it’s hands-off, and the hard work is done. Bake the French toast at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for another 40 to 45 minutes until the bread is golden brown.

“I can really smell the orange and it’s just fabulous,” Garten exclaims before digging into a slice. And commenters are loving it just as much as the chef behind the recipe.

“My mom [has] been making this since I was a kid, [and] it’s amazing,” one commenter writes. Others are amazed by the bread, saying it’s “the most luxurious bread” they have ever seen. Garten has shared that she loves making Challah from scratch, but in the words of the icon herself, store-bought is fine.

According to the Barefoot Contessa, this recipe serves eight people, so we think this would be a heavenly centerpiece for the Easter brunch spread. Pair it with fiber-rich sides like our Fresh Fruit Salad or Air-Fryer Apples for a refreshing bite.