Baked French Toast
Monday December 19, 2011
Mmmmm breakfast. Start your day out right. Make a lovely big breakfast. Ideally something that involves lots of healthy fruit and lots and lots of cinnamon.
One of my favourite breakfasts to make for family gatherings (ie. Christmas Morning) is french toast. Unfortunately, french toast takes FOREVER if you are making them individually. The chef ends up standing in the kitchen slaving over the stovetop while everyone else gets to relax. Mornings are not a time to scramble around, everyone should be relaxed.
Thats why when I stumbled upon this recipe over at Smitten Kitchen, I was instantly in love. Deb tends to do that to me with her recipes. You prepare everything the night before (when you are more lucid) and all you have to do morning of is throw it in the oven. Genius.
I have tweaked her version to fit my tastes and ideas about french toast. You should try it. It's soft and delicious on the inside and crisp on the outside. Throw on your favourite toppings... I like fresh fruit, jam, and balkan yogurt instead of whipped cream (Balkan yogurt is ~6% fat which gives a creamy feel but is a much healthier choice!).
Deeeelicious.
Recipe: Baked French Toast
Serves 3-5 (makes 1 9x13-inch pyrex)Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Ingredients:
~1 loaf challah / egg bread*
6 eggs
1 tbsp sugar (optional)
~2 cups of milk
1 tbsp vanilla
2 tbsp liquor**
cinnamon for dusting
Toppings:
syrup
whipping cream
fresh fruit
balkan yogurt
jam
* one loaf has potential to make more than one 9x13 pyrex. You can freeze the rest of the loaf or you can make another 9 inch square pyrex to finish off the bread. If doing this, halve the amount of all ingredients.
** use any combination of liquors desired. Eg. Baileys, Amaretto, Grand Marnier OR use 3 tbsp vanilla if not using any liquor
Method:Whisk the eggs until combined in a small bowl. Measure out 2 cups of milk and add the eggs, sugar, vanilla and liquors and whisk until combined.
Grease a 9x13 pyrex or baking pan. Layer in the sliced egg bread in two layers (you can add fresh fruit in between the layers to make a stuffed french toast too!), making sure to fill up the spaces by cutting pieces to fit. Don’t worry if it doesn't look pretty, it will be delicious.
Pour the milk mixture evenly overtop of the bread layers making sure to get the corners. Sprinkle the top with cinnamon and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight or for at least 1 hour to allow the liquids to really soak into the bread.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Bake the french toast for ~20 minutes or until it is puffed and golden brown. Cut into squares and serve with your choice of toppings.
------------------------------------------------------------
