Apple French Toast Bake

I’ve been on a bit of a breakfast kick, I guess. Plus it helps that there is daylight to work with during breakfast….and sometimes my husband is even around to snap a photo (miracle!).

This is the first weekend in weeks that we’ve been home with absolutely nothing planned so JiT and I decided to make the most of it by sleeping in late, then waking up and making a hearty fall breakfast based on whatever we could find in the pantry. Lucky we have a well stocked pantry. We ended up with a baked french toast casserole, studded with chunks of fresh apple. Another round of warm apple compote, breakfast sausage patties and JiTs famous home fries. The man is a genius with breakfast potatoes.

However, the french toast bake was the clear star of the show. Based on a recipe I saw on my good friend TKTC’s blog, this was a breeze to throw together using day-old bread, some fresh apples, and some milk and eggs. Toss it together in a pan, let it sit and soak for a bit, then into the oven. The end result is delightful — crunchy and crusty on the outside, gooey and custard-like on the inside. The apples remain just a little bit crisp. Topped with a hearty dollop of warm apple compote, its like eating applesauce and custard mixed together. Delicious!

Needless to say, we skipped lunch on Saturday. And I went for a long run before dinner. On the docket today — taking the car for an oil change, giving JiT a guided tour of the new Whole Foods, and roast chicken for dinner. In other words, my version of heaven. I may need to ban planned weekend activities for awhile.

Apple French Toast Bake
4 servings

Day-old bread, about 3/4 of a french loaf, sliced about 1/4 inch thick
1 medium-sized apple, peeled, cored and diced into 1 inch pieces
4 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1 T. sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

1 T. butter, cut into tiny pieces
2 T. brown sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and butter a small, ovenproof dish. Arrange bread and apple chunks evenly in the dish. In a small bowl, combine eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon and salt and whisk until combined. Pour mixture over the bread and let stand for about 15 minutes to let the egg mixture absorb into the bread. Press down on bread if needed to get top pieces wet.

Before baking, sprinkle dots of butter evenly over top of the casserole then sprinkle brown sugar evenly over the top. Place dish in oven and bake for 25 – 30 minutes, until top is golden and wet mixture is set and none of the liquid remains in the center.

Serve hot with warm apple compote.