Blueberry Surprise French Toast Casserole

Second place winner, Bursting with Blueberries Contest - Goshen, Indiana, 2005.

Butter, for baking dish

12 slices dry white bread, cut into 1/2" cubes

2 pkgs. (8 oz.) cream cheese, cut into 3/4" cubes

1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

12 eggs

2 cups whole milk

1/2 cup maple syrup

Blueberry or maple syrup, for serving

One day ahead, butter a 9 x 13" baking dish. Place 4 cups of the bread cubes over bottom. Layer on cream cheese cubes, blueberries, and remaining 4 cups bread cubes.

Beat eggs in bowl. Beat in milk and maple syrup. Pour egg mixture over the casserole layers.

Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 2 to 24 hours. In the morning, preheat oven to 375. Bake casserole, covered, for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake 25 minutes more, or until topping is puffed and golden brown and a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.

Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm with blueberry or maple syrup.

Makes 8 servings.

Company French Toast

1 loaf unsliced white bread
4 eggs
1 cup milk
2 Tbs Grand Mariner
1 Tbs sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup oil or bacon grease

Slice bread into eight 3/4" slices. Beat eggs with milk, Grand Mariner, sugar, vanilla, and salt until well blended. Dip each slice into mixture until well saturated. Place in an oblong baking dish. Pour remaining liquid over bread. Cover; refrigerate overnight.

In very hot oil or bacon grease, saute bread slices until golden brown on both sides. Brush with butter; sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve with maple syrup.

French Toast Bake

There are so many yummy recipes out there for French Toast. Here's one of them.

1 loaf French bread, cut in 1" slices
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups half and half
1 Tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp cinnamon
6 large eggs, beaten
2 Tbs dark Karo syrup
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped

Place the sliced bread in a buttered 9x13" pan.

Mix milk, half and half, eggs, vanilla, and cinnamon. Pour over the bread. Cover with foil and chill overnight.

In the morning heat butter, brown sugar, and syrup until melted. Add nuts; pour over bread.

Bake, uncovered, at 350º for about 45 minutes.

French Toast

The secret to good French toast is using a good sourdough bread. Using an unsliced loaf is best, but any will work.

1 loaf day-old sourdough bread
2 eggs
1 cup, or more milk
1/2 cup margarine or butter
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Cut bread on the diagonal, into 1" thick slices. Lightly beat eggs; add milk, sugar, and vanilla. Melt about 3 Tbs margarine or butter in a heavy skillet, over medium heat.

Dip bread slices into egg mixture, letting them soak up some liquid. Turn and soak the other side. (Don't let them sit too long, or they will become soggy)

Fry in margarine/butter, adding more as needed, until golden on both sides.

Can serve with syrup or jelly, but the best way I like them is simply sprinkled with sugar.

Company French Toast

1  loaf  unsliced white bread

4  eggs

1  cup  milk

2  Tbs  Grand Mariner

1  Tbs  sugar

1/2  tsp  vanilla

1/4  tsp  salt

1/2  cup  bacon grease, oil, or melted butter

Slice bread into eight 3/4" slices. Beat eggs with milk, Grand Mariner, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Dip each slice into this mixture until well saturated. Place in a flat Pyrex baking dish. Pour remaining liquid over bread. Cover and chill overnight.

In very hot bacon grease, saute bread until golden on both sides. Brush with butter; sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve with maple syrup.

Orange French Toast

6   eggs
1   cup   orange juice
1/3  cup   milk
1/4  tsp   vanilla
1/4  tsp   salt
1   orange
18  slices  French bread, cut ¾” thick

Finely grate the rind of the orange, and then juice it.

Beat the eggs in a large bowl. Add orange juice, milk, vanilla, salt, and orange zest (rind). 
Mix well.

Dip bread slices into the egg mixture, turning to coat all sides. Place on a baking sheet, in a single layer. Pour any remaining egg mixture over the top. Turn the pieces a couple of times. Cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight.

In the morning, fry on a medium hot griddle until golden brown. 
Garnish with slices of the orange.

Olallieberry Caramel French Toast

On a trip up to the Hearst Castle, we stayed at Cambria, a delightful little fishing community nearby. I picked up a local cookbook, and this recipe was the first one I tried. It is a FIVE-STAR keeper. Olallieberries (pronounced lolla-berries) are like blackberries, grown locally in Cambria. I didn’t have any preserves, so I just omitted them altogether. Substitute another preserve when you make it, as Olallieberries will most likely not be found in your grocery store. Without any fruit, it is a marvelous Caramel French Toast.  

1/2  cup  butter
2/3  cup   light brown sugar
4  lg  slices  sour dough bread
3   large  eggs
3/4  cup   whole milk
4-6  oz  cream cheese, softened
1/2  cup  Olallieberry preserves*
1  Tbs   sugar
1/2  tsp   cinnamon

In a small saucepan, combine butter and brown sugar; heat to boiling. Pour into a 9x9” baking dish (I used a Corning Ware oval baking dish), coated with Pam cooking spray.

Beat eggs and milk until smooth. Arrange a single layer of bread slices over the brown sugar mixture in baking dish.

Mix the cream cheese with preserves. Spread evenly over the slices of bread in pan. Top with another layer of bread slices. Slowly pour egg mixture over bread slices.

Combine the sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over the top of bread slices.
Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Bake, uncovered, in a pre-heated 350° oven until browned, 30-40 minutes.

*Any flavor PRESERVES (not jam or jelly) can be substituted. Peach or blueberry would be excellent choices.

The original recipe called for French, Challah, or Texas Toast bread. I use sour dough for most French toasts. In my opinion, it just tastes better.