In the Kitchen: Baked French Toast

 

Once in a while I realize we have an abundance of bread in the house.  With three kids and a husband who eat sandwiches each week this this doesn’t happen often, but when it does, I know just how to use it up!

Baked French Toast!

Reasons I bake my French toast vs. making it the traditional way.

1.        I suck at making French toast.

2.       Everyone’s food is hot at the same time this way.

That’s it, those are my lame reasons. 

Now I’m sure I don’t need a disclaimer here, but if you’re wondering, this is NOT a Trim Healthy Mama meal, but it is one that my family loves, and that I delight in serving for brunch or breakfast when we have company for those meals.

It warms the soul, fills the belly, and leaves everyone smiling.  You’ve gotta keep some recipes like that in with your arsenal of kitchen tricks.  It’s in the housewife’s rule book.  Sorry I can’t remember the page number, but  I’m sure it’s in there.   

 I compiled this recipe a few years ago, after trying a few others and not quite finding “the one”.  Since we’ve been eating healthier and cut way back on our sugar, I’ve found this Baked French Toast to almost be too sweet.  BUT be warned, if you try to cut almost all of the brown sugar out and serve it to your honest friends who eat a typical American diet on the daily, you’ll quickly realize you need to put the sugar BACK in when serving to company.  Alright, you’ve been warned- nothing more I can do for you but tell you to just enjoy this.  You can eat healthy again in 3 hours, deal?

It’s good y’all.  I promise you!

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

First you melt the butter and brown sugar.

 

 

Cook it low & slow, so it doesn't burn, and because it makes the clean up easier

It'll begin to look like this. 

 

Spread that mixture in a 9x13 pan & add a layer of bread over it.

 

 

Mix up your milk, eggs and vanilla.

 

Get it good and soupy like. 

 

Pour part of that over the first layer of bread.

 

Add another layer of bread.

Pour the rest of the milk/egg/vanilla mixture on the top of it all.

Layering is the trick here.

 

Cover the top of your pan with foil.

 

 

 Bake it for 45 minutes!

(remove the foil for about the last 15 minutes, to help it brown up a bit).

 

Here are some things you can do while you wait for this yummy goodness to cook: 

Unload the dishwasher

Or commission a kid to do it. :)



Kindly ask that same kid to get the dishes ready.

Stare at the oven about a hundred times.  Glance more often as the aroma fills the house and you wonder if the eggs are still raw, or if you could just snatch one tiny little bite.

Admire your kids coloring so well together.  Then gently scold the youngest for laying on the table, and the oldest for sitting in a booster seat! haha.

When it’s time to dish up, flip each piece of French toast upside down on the plates.  It looks more impressive that way.  Enjoy!

 

The condensed version- AKA- The part where you can highlight and click “print selection” on without all the mumbo jumbo.

 

 

The condensed version- AKA- The part where you can highlight and click “print selection” on without all the mumbo jumbo.

A Slightly Better Wife’s Baked French Toast.

·         1 Stick Butter

·         1 C. Brown Sugar

·         about 12 pieces of bread

·         4 Eggs

·         1 ½ C. Milk

·         1 splash of vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Melt and mix the Butter and Brown Sugar together. 

Spread that mixture into the bottom of a 9x13.

Put a layer of bread over that.

Mix Eggs, Milk and Vanilla together.  Pour half of that over the first layer of bread.

Add another layer of bread.

Pour the remaining mixture over the second layer of bread.

Cover the pan with foil and bake for 45 minutes.  (30 covered, last 15 uncovered).

Remember to flip each piece upside down to serve it.  Enjoy!