French Toast Casserole - yes it CAN be good!

I love French Toast.  Unfortunately, my family doesn't share the same love...well, they kind of do, but hubby likes his dry and flattened with a spatula, where I like mine full of egg and puffy.  Kids could take it or leave it.  And no one but me is happy when I say "Monte Cristo sandwiches tonight for dinner!" I usually get an eye roll or a "oh." or even better a "They're too eggy".

I find making French Toast tedious.  Beat the egg, add the milk, cinnamon, sugar.  Mix again.  Heat up a pan, dip the bread, make a mess on your counter, fry it up in the pan, rinse and repeat.  Clean counter, clean bowl, clean pan.  Ugh.  Too much cleaning.

When I discovered French toast bakes, I was ecstatic.  Clean counters, no mess, no frying, make ahead of time, cook the next morning.  What more could I want?  Unfortunately, the recipes fell far short of my expectations.  Even Paula Deen's fabu French Toast Casserole with Praline Topping.  They were too tasteless, too eggy, too dry, too sweet, too...something.  I tried a lot of recipes.  Just ask my family.  But "determination" is my middle name - I may be a procrastinator at times, I may be easily distracted at times, and I may even stop what I'm doing to daydream, but dammit - once I set my mind to something, 99.9% of the times it WILL happen, because I am determined.  So, off I go perusing recipes.  AGAIN.  But with each "failure" comes knowledge.  One catches my eye for a French Toast Bake with blueberries and almonds - now THIS has possibilities!  Except...whoa. EIGHT eggs, and EIGHT eggwhites for only 1 baguette approximately 18 inches long and weighing only 8 ounces?  geeze...and...2 cups (which is...2 x 8 ounces - do you see a trend here?) of milk.  That's like having some bread thrown into your eggs for breakfast. 

I always thought French Toast should be a happy medium.  I think life should be a happy medium too, but it doesn't always happen that way, although I try to keep it that way.  You shouldn't make the bread sopping wet, but it shouldn't be dry either.  A quick dip to wet the bread, then into the hot pan to get puffy and golden.  You need a dense bread to make good french toast.  Wonder bread just doesn't cut it - waaaaay too much air.  The egg just soaks into it so quickly you wind up with crisp edges and a soggy middle.  This casserole had WAY too much liquid, and not enough seasonings.  Easily remedied by moi. (Sorry for the paucity of pix - I really didn't think the recipe would turn out as good as it did, due to my "luck" in the past with French Toast casseroles/bakes, so I sort of took the pictures "after the fact".  Besides, I don't think there is really anything you could learn from looking at a bowl of beaten egg, milk, and maple syrup.)

I got my ingredients together, and made some major changes.  Then I baked it in the oven, took it out, and it was GOOOOOOOOOOD!.  Zomg, it was good.  It was good hot, it was good at room temperature, it was good cold.  Two thumbs up from the entire family, plus a few friends that came over.  A definite winner.
Here is what you need for:

BERRY GOOD BAKED FRENCH TOAST(printable recipe HERE)
*note* Please, please PLEASE get a decent bread - it makes all the difference. This means: No Wonder-type light fluffy bread, or any of that crappy "french" bread a grocery store sells, trying to convince you it's the real thing when it's not...it's just Wonder bread in a beret. Look for a dense, crusty bread - a ciabatta would work, a semolina, a baguette from any place that knows how to cook something other than Wonder Bread (no offense, but if you live in Utah, you're probably out of luck - I didn't see one piece of decent bread the whole time my parents lived there - every loaf was underdone, pasty, and tasteless.) You are looking for a loaf that is chewy and dense.


1 baguette (or french or italian bread loaf) cubed - (I did this the night before, so the bread would be a bit stale-I had some left over after I put it in the pan- make bread crumbs with the leftovers!)
6 large eggs
1/2 cup half and half (If you want to be decadent, use ALL half and half, i.e. 1 cup.  If you want to watch your waistline, use ALL 2% - your choice)
1/2 cup milk of your choice (I use 2%)
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/3 cup pure maple syrup (This doesn't mean "Aunt Jemima's" or "Log Cabin" - these don't have a drop of maple syrup in them)
1 pint blueberries
1/2 cup sliced almonds
3 Tbs. brown sugar
2 tbs. butter

1.  Spray a 9 x 13" baking pan with cooking spray.  Put the bread cubes in the bottom of the pan in a single layer.

2.  Combine the eggs, milk, half and half, vanilla, cinnamon, maple syrup.  You can use a whisk or a mixer, your choice.  Pour this over the bread, making sure to get all the bits.  Cover with saran wrap and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.   In the morning before you take the saran wrap off, you can press the bread down lightly just in case some pieces didn't get fully soaked.  Then remove the saran wrap.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

3.  Sprinkle the blueberries evenly over the top of the bread, then the almonds, then the sugar.  Lastly, take the 2 tbs of butter, and dot small pieces over the top (I used little pieces I broke off with my fingers - I am thinking about trying a streusel- like topping next time)

4.  Put in the oven and bake for 45 minutes.  It should be set and lightly browned.  Remove and serve with maple syrup.  It tastes good hot, warm, or cold.

Now...possible variations:

-thinly sliced apple, chopped walnuts, and a streusal topping made with 1/4 cup of flour, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 6 tbs butter processed in food processer to a coarse crumb.

-raspberries and almonds - same topping - or blackberries, or...a combination of all three.

-peaches and pecans with the same streusal topping as the apples.

See what you can come up with!

Latest recipe post from old blog site - Sunday morning Simplicity :)

Wouldn't it be nice to stay in your warm bed for a while on Sunday morning? Your body craves something sweet, but the blankets are much too comfortable to disturb - you really don't feel like getting dressed, but getting up and padding to the coffee maker is definitely an option. Who needs Starbuck$ anyway? (sorry Tina! LOL) If you have a grinder and some coffee from The Coffee Fool (They have the BEST.COFFEE.EVER. Just try ONE bag - I promise you, you'll be hopelessly hooked), you are set...but are you? You need something to eat with that wonderful cuppa java. Hmmm...rummage around your cabinets...some stale italian bread...ugh no....cereal? ick...a moldy English Muffin? ummm don't think so...a box of puff pastry in the freezer? check. Brown sugar? check. Nuts? check (you can take that any way you desire) butter? check. Hmmm...I think we have the makings for some awesomely good Sticky Buns. I promise you. très facile. molto facile. muy fácil. Meget let. 아주 쉬운. I don't care what language you speak...any way you say it, these are SIMPLE. And...they're good. yummy good. (before I get off on another language tangent, I think I'll stop)

You need a box of puff pastry. Please do NOT get phyllo dough. It doesn't work. When I first saw these made on the "Barefoot Contessa", I SWORE I heard her say "you can use puff pastry, or phyllo dough". I can't think of any way I may have misheard "phyllo dough" - maybe she said "for the show" or "don't you know"? Perhaps she had a wee bit too much wine (I kid, I kid!), or maybe I just needed to clean my ears out. I bought phyllo dough. When I took it out, I thought to myself "gee, this isn't going to work, this is MUCH too flaky - and maybe I better just fold it up and stick it back in the freezer" but I didn't. That was my mistake. I didn't trust what I know...I trusted what I thought I heard Ina say, because I LOVE her as a chef, and SHE SAID IT SO IT MUST BE TRUE - (didn't some type of parental unit ever tell you "don't believe everything you hear" as a kid?) So, I made them, and laughed when I got these semi-gooey topped, dry, flaky, things-that-belong-in-the-trash. Most cooks will not share their errors with you, because they don't want you to think they can make any. Do you ever see Bobby Flay or Emeril saying "Man..you should see how I goofed THIS recipe up the first time I made it!" No, you don't. And I don't think that Gordon Ramsey would EVER admit he was human :-P. I have no such compunctions, because I look at all mistakes as learning experiences. I let my kids know I am human, I let you guys know I am human, and that just makes it all the better. Maybe if we all admitted we were human, we'd be a tad more tolerant of each other...Heads of state saying "Oh, you know, I really overreacted when I said we'd nuke the hell out of you - sorry!" instead of sending 20 diplomats to try and avoid a nuclear meltdown...

The second time I made these, I used puff pastry and they were yummy. They got the hubby seal of approval! I changed the recipe up a bit (sorry Ina, but I think you'd understand, being a chef and all) to make it a tad easier than it already was...And guess what? You get to use your estimating expertise!!! Don't be intimidated, I know you can do it!

I am going to give you the recipe with choc chips and coconut, because I LOVE the combo with the pecans and cinnamon. If you are one of those rare people that can't handle chocolate on Sunday morning, feel free to omit it. In fact, I want you to make the sticky bun of your dreams with this recipe, and post your successes here. We can all learn from each other! :-) Don't feel obligated to use exact amounts either - if you LOVE chips - add more! If you don't like coconut - don't use it...you get the picture :)

Here is what you need: (printable recipe here )

Choconut Sticky Buns (makes 12, but I usually halve the recipe)

• 12 tablespoons of butter at room temperature (take it out right before you go to bed - unless you sleep for 12 hours, then that's not such a good idea, but - it has to be soft) reserve 2 tbs of this for the filling
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed (this means pack it down gently into the measuring cup)
• 3/4 cup of chopped pecans
• 1 package of puff pastry sheets. (not phyllo, not the cups...you want sheets)

for the filling:

• 2 tbs of butter (Do a guesstimation - and leave about 2 tbs of butter/sugar mixture in the bowl - see above)
• 1 cup of light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 3-4 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
• 1 cup chopped pecans, 1/2 cup choc chips, 1/2 cup coconut (more or less)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Get out a 12 cup muffin tin

In a glass bowl ("why a glass bowl?" you say...I reply "because you are going to melt the leftovers") Mix the butter and brown sugar with a tablespoon - you know, the kind you eat soup with.

Now, take a slightly rounded tea spoon(I use a teaspoon from my silverware drawer, not the measuring kind for this step) and plop some into each muffin cup. Leave about 2 tbs in the bowl. If you used too much, take a little out...if you used too little, add some more - Then sprinkle the 3/4 cup of pecans on top of the butter/sugar mixture. Again, if you want less, don't use it all... (you should have LESS than what is pictured - I made this twice, and this is from the first time - waaaay too much buttah, sorry Ina- I adjusted the recipe accordingly, so the amount I have in the recipe is correct)

Now, put out a piece of wax paper on the counter, and gently unroll 1 roll of puff pastry with the folds going from LEFT to RIGHT (that's vertically). Melt that leftover butter/sugar mixture you have sitting in the glass bowl, and brush the entire sheet of puff pastry with it. (You should have some left for the other sheet). Now, making sure you leave a 1 inch border ("Why is that?" you ask, and I reply "Because the filling will move when you roll it up, and the borders allow for that movement") sprinkle the sheet with 1/2 cup of brown sugar, 1/2 cup of pecans, 1/4 cup of coconut, and 1/4 cup of chips. Feel free to eliminate some of those ingredients, or add others, depending on your whims. I would just not recommend dill pickles. Sprinkle the surface with cinnamon. (I don't measure, I just shake it evenly over the surface.) Now, fold over the one edge closest to you and start rolling. It should look something like this:

I have not added the chips or coconut yet.

Roll up the puff pastry jelly-roll style, trying to keep it tight as you do. Trim 1/2 inch off of each end, then divide the roll into six even pieces. (I find the easiest way to do this, is to make a mark in the center, then divide each half into three equal pieces MUCH easier)Now, place each piece spiral side UP into a muffin cup, and press it down slightly like so: Repeat this whole process again for the second sheet of puff pastry. Put the muffin tin on a cookie sheet (to catch any drips) and bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown on top and firm to the touch. Wait only a minute or two, and dump the tin out onto either a piece of wax paper or parchment paper (MUCH easier to clean up, trust me.) and VOILA! you have awesomely good, ooey gooey sticky buns :)