A Little French Toast Between Friends

We’re snowed in again, or I should say, some more.  Old Man Winter has staked his claim on Southwest Michigan and seems to be staying for the duration.  3 days and 18 inches of fluffy white stuff scattered about; we have ourselves quite the Winter Wonderland. Good thing I finally found some boots, although… I seem to have lost them.

Unless I find some expandable thigh high boots, I’m thinking there will be no walking around on the deck for another 4 months or so.

It really is beautiful out there.  And so quiet. I almost feel like I have to whisper when I’m outside, I wouldn’t want to be the responsible party for waking up nature while it’s clearly taking a very peaceful nap.  She tends to be cranky.

So, what  do you do when you’re snowed in, stir crazy and sitting around twiddling your thumbs?  Some people would go outside and build snow men.  But some people don’t have snow suits and their boots are shorter than the snow piles. Other people would stay inside, get addicted to fab TV shows, like Mad Men, watch a month’s worth of movies in 3 days and eat crap. (Insert picture of me with lots of pajamas, no makeup, no bra and eye crusties here, I’m a whole pot of sexy.)

This morning I woke up and as the snow slowly made its way into position, I got busy in the kitchen.  For me, there’s nothing better than a recipe shared with friends, especially when you get the opportunity to prepare them together. My friend Heather recently shared her Baked French Toast recipe with me and because I’m tired of eating from a bag and a box, I decided to give it a whirl this morning.  It turned out fabulously after one tiny adjustment in the bread department and I urge you to try this the next time your Sunday morning is a lazy one.

Baked French Toast

(serves 6)

8 cups bread cubes
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup white sugar, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon butter (or so), softened
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly butter an 8×8 inch baking pan.
2. Line bottom of pan with bread cubes. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, milk, 2 tablespoons sugar, salt and vanilla until frothy. Pour egg mixture over bread. Dot with butter; let stand for 10 minutes.
3. Combine remaining 2 tablespoons sugar with 1 teaspoon cinnamon and sprinkle over the top. Bake in preheated oven about 45 to 50 minutes, until top is golden.

Beautiful day to cook, I’d say.

I went to the store to find the perfect bread for this recipe and came across two loaves of par-baked cinnamon raisin bread. Yes, these little dumplings were coming home with me.  I baked those first thing while I prepared the rest of the ingredients. The kitchen smelled like a bakery and was warming up with the heat from the oven.  It felt great on my usually cold feet.

While they baked and cooled, I gathered the rest of my ingredients.

Four Eggs

One and a Half Cups of Milk

Sugar, Divided, And Salt

1 Teaspoon Each of Cinnamon and Vanilla

At this point, I cut the bread into one inch thick slices to allow it to cool.  It was all I could do to hold back from spreading an unnatural amount of butter onto the heavenly smelling, freshly baked bread and eating a whole piece in one bite. The smell of cinnamon bread just out of the oven is erotic.  Be warned.

Buttered the 8x8 Dish While Drooling Over Bread

Fresh Bread is Sexy

While the bread cooled and winked at me from the hog shaped board, the slut, I cracked the eggs and part of an eggshell into the bowl; then added the milk, vanilla, 2 T. of sugar and salt. And whisked until the mixture was light and fluffy. Eggs are a leavener and since we are basically making a bread pudding, we want it to be fluffy. So whisk baby, whisk.

Kitchen Aid's Got Nothin' On This

Ayer, Ayer!

I cut the bread into giant chunks.  (And then I may or may not have eaten one because it was flirty and begged.)

Cut Each Slice In Half

And Then Into Chunks

The Battle Begins

I poured the egg mixture over the bread quickly in an attempt to keep myself from sampling. (It worked.)

And the Bread Was All, "Glug, Glug, Glug!"

To get maximum soakage, I smashed the bread down into the egg mixture with the back of a wooden spoon.  Gently, it’s not in trouble or anything.  Don’t go beating your breakfast now.

Smoosh.

The next step is very important.  Ok, maybe the step after that.  First, dot the top with butter.  I used a small butter knife for this to make sure the butter was evenly disbursed.  Some people use their fingers, but I’m the French Toast Paparazzi today so the butter knife was my tool of choice.  Now, leave it alone. Let her sit for at least 10 minutes. Just go shower, or something.  Ignore her.  Give her the silent treatment.  Just… you get it.  The bread needs time to drink up all of that moisture.  The longer it sits, the less scrambled eggs you will have in the nooks and crannies of your finished product.  (Which is so gross.  So so gross.)

Buttah

Drunk

All that’s left to do now is the Cinnamon Sprinklage.

Sprinkly Sprinkles (2 Tablespoons of Sugar Combined with 1 Teaspoon of Cinnamon)

I did one last smoosh before I baked it at 350 for 45 minutes.  My oven tends to run hot so I always start with the lower of the baking times.

All Dressed Up and Ready to Bake

She came out of the oven smelling like cinnamon and sugar, all puffed up and proud of herself.  She looked beautiful.  And delicious.

Who Needs Plates?

Strike a Pose

The only thing that could make this better would be to add in sausage (pre-cooked) or crumbled bacon on top.  It could probably serve more than six if you did that.  As it stands, I cut the pretty little thing into 6 pieces to test servings and they aren’t too big or too small.  I sprinkled a little bit of edible snow on top (aka powdered sugar) and served it with a Clementine to break up the richness.  It was divine.  Not too sweet, a great texture with the slightly crunchy cinnamon on top and the soft but not gooey insides. Make this recipe.  Your friends and family will applaud you.  Plus, it’s simple, inexpensive and a great dish to warm you inside and out.  Even the snow girls are delighted as they dance through the snow…

Happy Snow Days to you!

And thank you Heather for the fantastic recipe!

What’s a little French Toast between friends?  It’s a conversation had, a recipe shared, a new memory borne from food.

Next up on my baking adventures: Red Wine in Cookies? Yes. Please.

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