MONDAY MORNING RECIPE POST - FRENCH TOAST BAKE

This was a recipe I found when looking for something to serve on Christmas morning. I am starting to think of, or at least trying to get ahead of the planning stage. It won't be made all the time and only on special occasions for company.  We have a ways to go yet but I wanted to be prepared. Made for the first time last Tuesday, October 24th, I found it at Cooktop Cove.  Its author, Jessica Jacobs, is described as the contributing author.   It was an excellent recipe, one that we both gave a 10 out of 10.  

Just as a matter of interest, I was very interested when I read that the origins of this dish originated in medieval France, where it was known as "pain perdu," meaning "lost bread."  Stale or leftover bread was used to create a delicious new dish. Rather than just using a couple of pieces of bread, for a single serving of French Toast, this serves several people in one dish. 

Breakfast French Toast Bake

1 loaf of bread (preferably slightly stale or day-old bread)

1 stick of butter (1/2 cup), melted

1 cup of brown sugar

4 eggs

1-1/2 cups of milk

1 teaspoon of vanilla

Powdered sugar, for sprinkling

Cinnamon, for sprinkling

First step is to melt the butter in the microwave.

Combine melted butter with the brown sugar, stirring until thoroughly mixed.

Take a 9 x 13 pan and pour the butter and sugar mixture into the bottom, spreading it evenly across the pan.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs together with the milk and vanilla until they are well combined.

Lay out single slices of the thickly sliced bread in the pan, forming a layer over the butter and sugar mixture.

Gently spoon half of the egg mixture over the layer of bread, ensuring even coverage.

Sprinkle a portion of cinnamon evenly over the layer of bread and eggs.

Place a second layer of sliced bread over the existing layer in the pan.

Once again, spoon the remaining half of the egg mixture over the new layer of bread.

Cover the pan and let it chill in the refrigerator overnight, allowing the flavors to meld.

The next day, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). When baking, cover the pan for the first 30 minutes, then uncover for the remaining 15 minutes.  (It puffs up beautifully when first taken out of the oven, deflating when it cools.)

Once fully baked, take the pan out of the oven. Sprinkle powdered sugar and additional cinnamon over the top for added flavor and presentation.

Serve with warm maple syrup.

There was a packet of Hawaiian Sweet Rolls in the freezer which I wanted to use up, left over from another gathering. Because of that reason I paired the rolls with this recipe, instead of using regular slices of bread. 

After putting the melted butter/brown sugar mixture in the bottom of the dish, I cut the rolls in half and placed them in the bottom of the dish. Next, I poured half the milk/egg mixture on top of the cut open halves, placed the tops back on and poured the rest of the milk/egg over the top.  Then I used a large spoon to flatten them down slightly so that they were completely covered by the liquid.  I ended up using an extra egg and a little more milk to finish this.

I did add a teaspoon of cinnamon to the milk and eggs, and also added 1 tablespoon of vanilla instead of the 1 teaspoon (we love vanilla in this house). Blackberries and chopped walnuts finished it off very nicely, along with the warmed maple syrup.  

You could probably cut the ingredients in half and make in a smaller baking dish.  Cooking time would have to be adjusted, but not sure by how much. Keep checking towards the end of cooking time I guess.  

The full website address is below.  I am adding this when I remember, just in case you prefer to copy and paste into your search engine, rather than use the link in the beginning.

https://cooktopcove.com/2023/08/13/this-recipe-got-gobbled-up-in-record-time-not-a-trace-remained/

Thanks for looking at this week's recipe.  Have a great day everyone and Bon Appétit.