I have posted this recipe in years past and I’ll offer it again this year. This beautiful Christmas morning french toast holds a special meaning to me because of how it came about. I’ll get to telling you that sweet story very soon and I’ll try not to keep you waiting too long. But, as you can imagine it is pretty busy around here! For now, I’ll give the recipe to you so you can make it for your family.
Incidentally, I like this recipe so much that I made it as one of the dishes at my daughter’s baby shower brunch.
shown before baking and before the blueberries and pecans are added
Overnight Christmas Blueberry-Pecan French Toast
Ingredients:
nonstick spray
1 baguette, cut into 20 one inch slices (you can use a wholegrain bread for extra nutrition or even a gluten free bread)
6 eggs
3 cups of milk
1 cup brown sugar (I use honey or pure maple syrup)
vanilla to taste
nutmeg to taste (or just use cinnamon)
Cinnamon (I sprinkle it all over the top as well as into the egg batter)
1 cup pecans, toasted
2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
Preparation:
Coat a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with the nonstick spray and arrange the baguette slices in a single layer in the dish. I cheat and do a couple of layers! 🙂 In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, three-fourths of the brown sugar, vanilla and nutmeg. Pour the mixture evenly over the bread.
Cover and chill the mixture overnight. There will appear to be a lot of moisture when the mixture goes into the refrigerator, but most of it will soak into the bread by morning.
Just before baking, sprinkle the remaining one-quarter cup brown sugar, (or honey or pure maple syrup). pecans and blueberries over the bread. Bake the dish in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes to one hour (the recipe says 30 minutes, but I found that it could take longer, so check at 30 but be sure to have allowed for 45 minutes to 1 hour) or until golden and bubbling. Serve with pure maple syrup. For an added treat, heat the syrup with blueberries and have blueberry-flavored syrup.
Enjoy!
I love this recipe because all of the preparation is done beforehand and you only need to pop the dish into the hot oven on Christmas morning at about 45 minutes to an hour before you’d like to serve it. I like to serve fresh fruit along with this “french toast,” which can be washed and prepared and placed on a dish in the refrigerator in advance to save you the trouble on Christmas morning. I sometimes serve fresh muffins – various kinds along with the fruit and “french toast.” You may use a whole grain type baguette in this recipe for added nutrition.
So go ahead and make this dish in advance and place it into the oven on Christmas morning, set the timer and then go open your presents! So EASY – that’s the idea – to keep it simple and enjoy your loved ones!
Let me know how you like it if you decide to make it. 🙂
