Make Ahead Baked French Toast

I hadn’t had Baked French Toast in a long time. Years ago, on special occasions, I would buy the 99 cent loaf of french bread at the grocery store and make a pan. But since going gluten-free, I haven’t ever had a bread that would hold up well to make Baked French Toast. Until now.

Last week I shared with you my favorite new bread recipe, the recipe for gluten free Millet Sandwich Bread. From the reviews and comments left on that recipe and on my Facebook page this past week, I think you guys like this bread as much as I do. I’ve heard so many great responses from this recipe, and people have been having great success with it, even baking it in a bread machine and making it free from other allergens. But, I wanted to do more than just tell you that this bread is great, I want to show you. So, I baked up a few loaves to play with. I know this bread toasts up beautifully (my Mom has told me that quite often, she loves her morning toast). I also know that it makes beautiful Bread Stuffing, as evident from THIS recipe. But, what else could I do to show you that this is a great loaf to have on hand? I decided to try to try my hand at some Make Ahead Baked French Toast. This would require the bread to soak in an egg and milk mixture for a few hours before being baked. But, would it hold up or become a mushy mess?

It held up beautifully! It baked up as good as any gluten-filled bread would. The Baked French Toast turned nice and crisp around the outside, but stayed nice and soft – not mushy- in the middle. I let the bread soak for about 3 hours before baking, I’m sure the results would be the same if it soaked overnight too, if you wanted to prepare it the night before.

So, do I think you should make this loaf? Definitely! Give it a try, even if you haven’t had great success baking bread in the past. It is a really easy recipe that yields a fantastic loaf of bread that can be used for toast, sandwiches, or even Make Ahead Baked French Toast.

Make Ahead Baked French Toast

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 2 hours 10 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours 50 minutes

This is a wonderful Baked French Toast that isn't too sweet. If you're not a fan of apples, try using pears, peaches, or even blueberries. The nuts can be omitted or substituted as well. Use what you have on hand to make the recipe your own. I found dried fruit wasn't a good choice as a topper, since it gets hard once baked.

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Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter (to grease dish)
• 6 1-inch slices Millet Sandwich Bread
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 cup milk (I used 1%)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream (half-and-half would work too)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 apple, peeled and sliced
• 1/3 cup chopped pecans
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with the butter.

Place bread slices in the baking dish in a single layer.

Beat together the eggs, milk, cream, and vanilla until smooth. Pour the mixture evenly over the bread slices so that all the bread has been moistened. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Just before baking, mix together the apple, pecans, maple syrup, brown sugar, melted butter, and cinnamon. Dot the top of the bread with this mixture.

Bake French Toast uncovered in a 350 degree F oven for 40 minutes, or until the mixture is set and the bread is no longer wet.

Let French Bread sit for 5 minutes before serving. Serve with a drizzle of maple syrup and a side of fruit and cheese for a wonderful meal.