Baked French Toast

I have always wanted to try baked french toast. I have seen many different versions and recipes that entice me but we decided to try The Pioneer Woman's recipe with strusel on top. Yum! Here are some pics and then I will let you know how everyone liked it.


Start with crusty sour dough or french bread. Day old is best! Tear it into pieces.


8 eggs


Add the milk and cream!


Pour over the bread! Let sit overnight in the fridge.




Before you bake, top with the strusel.




Yum!


Add butter on top!


Top with your favorite syrup!

Okay! We love french toast. It was fun to finally take the time to make this recipe. It was really tasty. We especially loved the topping. It does taste alot like bread pudding. I am not a huge bread pudding fan. That said, I probably will stick with my plain old french toast cooked in a pan.

Baked French Toast
Ingredients
• FRENCH TOAST
• 1 loaf Crusty Sourdough Or French Bread
• 8 whole Eggs
• 2 cups Whole Milk
• ½ cups Whipping (heavy) Cream
• ¾ cups Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Vanilla Extract
• Topping
• ½ cups All-purpose Flour
• ½ cups Firmly Packed Brown Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoons Salt
• 1 stick Cold Butter, Cut Into Pieces
• Fresh Fruit (optional)
Preparation Instructions
Grease 9 x 13-inch baking pan with butter. Tear bread into chunks (or cut into cubes) and evenly distribute in the pan.
Mix together eggs, milk, cream, sugar, and vanilla. Pour evenly over bread. Cover tightly and store in the fridge several hours or overnight.
In a separate bowl, mix flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add nutmeg if desired. Add butter pieces and but into the dry mixture until mixture resembles fine pebbles. Store in a Ziploc in the fridge.
When you’re ready to bake the casserole, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove casserole from oven and sprinkle crumb mixture over the top. (If you’re using fruit, sprinkle on before the crumb mixture.) Bake for 45 minutes for a softer, more bread pudding texture. Bake 1 hour or more for a firmer, less liquid texture.
Scoop out individual portions. Top with butter and drizzle with maple syrup