Name: French Toast Casserole
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 12 servings
Ingredients: 1 loaf (1 pound) French bread, cut into 1-inch cubes; 8 large eggs, lightly beaten; 3 cups 2% milk; 4 teaspoons sugar; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 3/4 teaspoon salt; TOPPING:; 2 tablespoons butter; 3 tablespoons sugar; 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon; Maple syrup, optional

Our overnight French toast casserole is made for laid-back weekends. Assemble everything the night before so the bread can slowly soak up the rich custard, then pop the casserole in the oven to bake the next morning.

Ingredients

1 loaf (1 pound) French bread, cut into 1-inch cubes

8 large eggs, lightly beaten

3 cups 2% milk

4 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 teaspoon salt

TOPPING:

2 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Maple syrup, optional

Instructions

1 Assemble and chill the casserole

2 Scatter the French bread cubes in a greased 13x9-inch baking dish. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla and salt. Editor’s Tip: Make sure the eggs are completely beaten into the wet ingredients or you’ll find bits of scrambled eggs in your French toast bake. An immersion blender does a great job of really blending these ingredients together. Pour the egg mixture evenly over the bread cubes. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and refrigerate for eight hours or overnight.

3 Prepare the casserole for baking

4 Remove the pan from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking, and preheat the oven to 350°F. Dot the top of the casserole with butter. Editor’s Tip: Don’t discard the aluminum foil. Save it for baking in the next step. In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar and cinnamon, and evenly sprinkle the mixture over the top.

5 Bake and serve the casserole

6 Cover the pan with the aluminum foil, and bake the casserole until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Let the French toast casserole stand for five minutes. Slice it up and serve it warm, with maple syrup if desired.