Vacating My Life With a French Toast Casserole

I know, I know. I haven’t blogged in two months. Yikes. But allow me to explain/make excuses. My husband and I recently bought a condo, so we’ve been going through the dreaded yet exciting moving phase. And let me tell you, it’s been one hell of a move. Exhausting and time consuming, it’s really thrown me for a loop. But now, I’m finally getting back into a routine and picking up where I left off. So, here we go.

This week, my family and I are spending some much needed time together on the Cape. The vacation has been everything I hoped it would be and more. We’ve been doing nothing but lounging, reading, drinking, laughing, and of course, eating. My husband and I wanted to treat the family to a delicious breakfast that was served to us by a good friend over July 4th weekend. ES, I speak for everyone when I say, thank you for bringing this dish into our lives. While this recipe is a departure from my typical healthy and quick meals, that’s what vacation is all about, VACATING the everyday. It is easy though, I promise. Enjoy!

The Pioneer Woman’s Baked French Toast Casserole

Ingredients:

FRENCH TOAST

• Butter, For Greasing
• 1 loaf Crusty Sourdough Or French Bread
• 8 whole Eggs
• 2 cups Whole Milk
• 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Vanilla Extract

TOPPING

• 1/2 cup Flour
• 1/2 cup Firmly Packed Brown Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1 stick Cold Butter, Cut Into Pieces
• Warm Syrup, For Serving

Directions:

• For the French toast: Grease the baking pan with butter. Tear the bread into chunks and evenly distribute in the pan.
• Crack the eggs in a big bowl. Whisk together the eggs, milk, cream, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla. Pour evenly over the bread.
• Cover the pan tightly and store in the fridge until needed (overnight preferably). Or you can make it and bake it right away.
• For the topping: Mix the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a separate bowl. Stir together using a fork. Add the butter (make sure it’s cold) and mix it all together with your hands until the mixture resembles fine pebbles. Store in a plastic bag in the fridge (or you can make it that morning)
• When you’re ready to bake the casserole, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Remove the casserole from the fridge and sprinkle the topping over the top. Bake for 45 minutes for a softer, more bread pudding texture or for 1 hour-plus or more for a firmer, crisper texture.
• Serve with syrup and enjoy.
• Go on a three mile walk.

Makes 8 servings.