Meatless Monday: Overnight Caramel French Toast

posted on November 15, 2010 by Beth // 30 Comments »

.

Stop the presses. I made French Toast. I ate French Toast. I liked French Toast.

I know I’ve mentioned it before, but I’ll tell you again why this is such big news. I am not a fan of sweet breakfast items. I don’t really like pancakes, French toast, pastries, donuts, etc, etc. Savory is where it’s at for me. My husband, on the other hand, likes all of the above. Unfortunately for him, I don’t often make them. Like, I’m talking maybe twice a year. Maybe. But this weekend he got lucky. My friend Amanda was hosting a brunch party and I volunteered to help her with the food. She’d already planned to do an egg and sausage casserole, so I wanted to come up with something totally different.

Out came my trusty brunch binder. I knew we had big plans for Friday night and would be out very late, so the idea of getting up early Saturday morning to prepare some involved dish before the 10:30 a.m. brunch would just be ludicrous. When I saw this recipe clipping, I thought I’d found the perfect dish. What immediately caught my attention was the word “overnight”. I could throw everything together on Friday evening before hitting the town, and then all I had to do was wake up an hour before the gathering to pop it in the oven. Sounded like the perfect plan to me, but I figured I’d better run it past the French toast expert in my house first. I mean, I don’t eat the stuff, so who am I to judge if it sounds good? Well, it took about 1 split second to get a very enthusiastic go ahead from the hubby.

I’m so, so glad I made this! Talk about gushing praises. Every single guest had complimentary words, one even going so far as to say it was the best French toast she’d ever had. And then there’s me. I honestly didn’t even think I’d eat a piece, but curiousity won out. How could I not try a dish that I made and everyone seemed to love?

Goodness. Let’s just say that I’m glad I doubled the recipe and had leftovers!

Overnight Caramel French Toast

Serves 10. From Cooking Light.


Print Recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup light-colored corn syrup

1/4 cup butter

Cooking spray

10 (1-oz) slices French bread (soft bread such as Pepperidge Farm)

2 1/2 cups 1% low-fat milk

1 Tbsp all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp salt

2 large eggs

2 Tbsp granulated sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon


Directions:

Combine first 3 ingredients in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat 5 minutes or until mixture is bubbly, stirring constantly. Pour mixture evenly into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.


Arrange bread slices in a single layer over syrup in dish.


Combine milk and next 4 ingredients (through eggs) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Pour egg mixture over bread slices. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.


Preheat oven to 350°.


Combine granulated sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle evenly over bread.


Bake at 350° for 50 minutes or until golden. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.