I baked two
loaves of challah bread yesterday, with the intention using one loaf for making
this recipe from "The Best of Byerly's". I’m sure glad I did. I made this recipe in the afternoon, after the bread
was cool enough to slice, and froze it overnight. For lunch today, I baked a few slices in our
toaster oven to try it. My husband’s
comment was “This sure beats the French toast we buy at the restaurant.” Since that’s his go-to breakfast when we go
out, that’s high praise.
This would
be absolutely perfect for entertaining, as it bakes while you set the table and
assemble the remainder of the meal. No
standing over a hot stove frying French toast.
Buy thick
slices of Challah, French bread or Texas Toast for this recipe. I needed a half-sheet pan to spread out the
bread, and poured half of the mixture over the top, let it soak in a few
minutes, turned it over and poured the remainder over the areas that didn’t
already have mixture soaked through. I bagged the slices for future use and put back
in the freezer for quick brunches or light, last-minute suppers. I have started keeping it on hand, like I do Bonnie’sWaffles.
4
Large Eggs -- beaten
1
Cup Milk
2
Tablespoons Sugar
1
Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1
Teaspoon Grated Orange Peel
¼ Teaspoon
Ground Cinnamon
12
Slices French Bread -- 1"
thick diagonal slices
Butter -- melted
In a large
bowl, combine eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, orange peel and cinnamon. Arrange bread slices on a 10x15" jelly
roll pan. Pour egg mixture over bread
and let stand until partially absorbed, turn slices and allow bread to
completely absorb remaining mixture.
Place in freezer, uncovered, until firm, about 1 hour. Using a wide spatula, loosen slices from
pan. Place slices in freezer storage
bag; seal and freeze until needed.
To
bake: Grease 10 x 15" jelly roll
pan. Heat oven to 450°. Place frozen slices on greased pan. Brush top side of each slice lightly with
melted butter. Bake 8 minutes. Turn slices; brush with butter. Continue baking until lightly browned, about
8 minutes. Top as desired.
12 Servings
Sue shared some of this with us. Very, very good and now the way my family likes it also.
ReplyDeleteYummy and looks easy to prepare too!! Great when you have weekend company too. Thanks again.
ReplyDeletemmm, I don't have these cookbooks and I like french toast as a breakfast option. Thanks, I'll make some Challah and utilize it for this too.
ReplyDeletePain perdu! It has been part of our Thanksgiving and/or Christmas brunch for many years. I never knew about the freezing option--that makes it handy for a reasonably easy, hearty weekday breakfast. We just usually mix it in the evening and let the bread absorb the liquid overnight. Then we transfer it to a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake it up. Sure beats standing over a stove, frying it piece by piece...
ReplyDeleteSue
We like freezing it so we only have to make it once for several meals for the two of us. It's good and easy.
Delete