A guaranteed crowd-pleaser, just in time for holiday brunches! This is a staple food at my mom's house. She NEVER hosts a holiday breakfast without it. While it may seem complicated, the whole idea of this dish is to make regular french toast into a casserole. It's all the same stuff, just baked in a pan!
**This dish is assembled the night before serving and baked the morning it is to be served.
Ingredients
one loaf of regular-sized bakery bread, preferably french (not the long, skinny baguettes)
10 eggs
4 cups 2% milk
cinnamon (for sprinkling on top)
butter (for dotting on top)
canola oil spray
The night before...
Spray a 13x9-inch baking dish with canola spray. Slice the bread evenly into thick slices and then into cubes. Line the baking dish with bread cubes making sure they end up even across the top. In separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk. Pour evenly over the top of the bread in the baking dish and then press down. This should be enough to ensure that every piece of bread gets coated. There should be egg mixture pooling in the bottom of the pan. That will soak up into the bread by morning. Sprinkle with cinnamon, to your taste. Cut small pats of butter and place them randomly on top of the bread. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
In the morning...
Preheat oven to 325. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes. Ensure that eggs are set and it is beginning to turn golden brown. Do not overcook, as the edges will become hard.
Serve it right out of the oven. Top it just as you would french toast, with warm maple syrup, powdered sugar, butter, fruit topping, etc.
