Baked French Toast
I got this recipe from my sister-in-law. She and my brother had it at their gift opening after the wedding. I make it any time we have people staying with us and it is always a hit. You may sprinkle the top with pecans if you wish.
I got this recipe from my sister-in-law. She and my brother had it at their gift opening after the wedding. I make it any time we have people staying with us and it is always a hit. You may sprinkle the top with pecans if you wish.
- Carbohydrate 105.734918258178 g
- Cholesterol 169.683125051632 mg
- Fat 20.9317362686782 g
- Fiber 2.33276259072622 g
- Protein 17.3286050020679 g
- Saturated Fat 11.567756886732 g
- Serving Size 1 1 serving (260g)
- Sodium 788.938472367715 mg
- Sugar 103.402155667452 g
- Trans Fat 1.81593762630491 g
- Calories 675 calories
Step-by-step
- Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange the slices of bread in the bottom. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, milk, cream, vanilla and cinnamon. Pour over bread slices, cover, and refrigerate overnight.
- The next morning, preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a small saucepan, combine butter, brown sugar and corn syrup; heat until bubbling. Pour over bread and egg mixture.
- Bake in preheated oven, uncovered, for 40 minutes.
A raw inventory of dairy, bread, and eggs obscures the chemical transformation that occurs during a twelve-hour rest. Stale or sturdy bread is not merely a convenience here; it functions as an absorbent sponge. Soft sandwich loaves collapse into a soggy paste under two cups of milk and one and one-half cups of half-and-half. A dense French loaf with a tight crumb structure maintains structural integrity. Slicing that bread diagonally exposes more surface area for the custard to penetrate without dissolving the gluten network.
The Mechanics of Overnight Soaking and Caramelization
Refrigerating the assembled dish overnight allows the dry interior of each bread slice to reach equilibrium with the liquid custard. Eggs coagulate slowly at refrigerator temperatures, binding the dairy to the starch molecules. When the baking dish enters a preheated 350 degree F oven the following morning, the surface exposed to dry heat crisps while the interior sets into a custard consistency. Meanwhile, heating butter, brown sugar, and light corn syrup on the stove creates an inverted caramel barrier. The corn syrup inhibits sugar crystallization, ensuring the poured syrup stays fluid enough to bubble across the surface during the forty-minute bake.
- If the topping browns faster than thirty minutes, tent the baking dish loosely with aluminum foil to prevent scorching.
- Measure milk and cream at room temperature before whisking with cold eggs to ensure an even emulsion.
- Use a heavy-bottomed saucepan for the sugar mixture to distribute heat evenly and prevent the butter solids from burning.
