French Toast Casserole


French toast without spending an hour at the griddle? You had me at "french toast"! I love this because you throw it together before bed, then let it hang out in the fridge overnight to soak up all the yummy goodness. Roll out of bed in the morning, pop it in the oven, and you've got a happy family. It's like a wonderful bread pudding / french toast hybrid thing... just wow.

I usually make this with bagels, but I recently made this No-Knead Bread that bakes in your Dutch oven (pic below). It was fantastic bread, but a little too chewy for my taste, so we turned it into the best french toast casserole to ever grace this kitchen.

I use brown sugar and cinnamon bagels, but you can use plain ones as well. Just make sure you add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1 tablespoon of sugar. I'll bet other bagels would be pretty darn tasty too - cinnamon raisin, pumpkin, ooh - chocolate chip! I may have to run to the store...

French Toast Casserole
Makes 8 servings

What I use:

• 1 bag of brown sugar and cinnamon bagels (6 large or 12 mini bagels)
• 8 eggs
• 3 cups of milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla

How I do it:

1. Grease a 13 x 9 glass baking dish.

2. Cut the bagels into 1-inch cubes and place them in the baking dish in an even layer.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, and vanilla.

4. Pour the egg-milk mixture over the bagels.

5. Cover the casserole with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge overnight, 8 to 12 hours.

6. In the morning, set the casserole on the counter while you preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

7. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the eggs are set.

8. Allow the casserole to cool on the counter for 10 to 15 minutes for easy slicing. Serve with a sprinkle of powdered sugar, berries, or your favorite syrup.