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New Orleans Baked French Toast

Source of Recipe

From "Bake Until Bubbly" by Clifford Wright


Recipe Introduction

"The most interesting thing about French toast is that it's not really French. Its roots can be traced to ancient Rome, and the method of taking stale bread and rehydrating it with liquid was common in medieval times. The contemporary American breakfast known as French toast seems to have come from New Orleans, where it was a popular breakfast dish known as pain perdu (lost bread). This casserole version is prepared the night before and baked in the morning. The bread you use should be a good-quality French or Italian country bread and rather dense so that it can absorb the liquid. It's so delicious that it barely needs a syrup, but I usually use maple syrup."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ ¾ cup dark brown sugar
â—¦ ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
â—¦ 2 Tbsp light corn syrup
â—¦ 1 round loaf French or Italian country bread (about 1 pound), cut into 1-inch-thick slices
â—¦ 5 large eggs
â—¦ 1½ cups whole milk
â—¦ 1 tsp vanilla extract


Recipe

Lightly butter a 13x9x2-inch baking casserole.

In a saucepan, stir the brown sugar, butter, and corn syrup over medium heat until the sugar and butter melt, and the mixture is syrupy but does not caramelize, about 4 minutes.

Pour the melted brown sugar syrup over the surface of the baking casserole. Arrange the bread slices in the syrup. In a bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, and vanilla to blend. Pour the egg mixture over the bread slices. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350° F.

Remove the casserole from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking it. Uncover and bake until the bread slices puff and the liquid around the sides are bubbling, about 30 minutes. Serve hot.


Makes 4 servings