Baked French Toast (aka Pain Perdu Cuit Au Four*)

Garnished with a bit of powdered sugar and glazed pecans.

Another recipe from Gourmet’s "Everyday Meals." Theirs did not include cinnamon but I added it anyway – it seemed like a good idea.

I used two 9-inch pie plates instead of a 13x9 baking dish (my 13x9 was on a 6 month sabbatical at a friends' house but this evening, sent in a purple glass replacement. Yay!). I also forgot to butter the baking dish; ditzyness strikes again.

I’m not a big fan of regular french toast as the consistency of soggy bread doesn’t do it for me. I enjoyed this though, as the bread's crust had a nice crunch to it. (Some parts of the bread – those that weren’t so stale? – were still too soft for my liking.) There’s also a custard that forms between the pieces of bread which was tasty, although I’d increase the amount of sugar to remove any similarity between it and scrambled eggs.

It’s a very filling breakfast; two pieces and a glass of cold milk are more than enough to sate the appetite.

Baked French Toast

Butter for baking dish
1 French baguette a day old, cut on a diagonal into 3/4-inch pieces
3 cups half & half or whole milk
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp. cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling (optional)
1/4 tsp salt
3 Tbs. sugar

Combine half & half, eggs, vanilla, salt and 2 Tbs. sugar; mix well. Butter a 13x9-baking dish. Arrange bread in one layer in the dish and cover with mixture. Let stand 30 minutes at room temp turning once or twice. While the bread is soaking up the liquid, set oven to 425-degrees with a rack in middle position.

After 30 minutes, sprinkle top evenly w. remaining sugar (plus cinnamon, if desired). Place on the middle rack and bake until custard is set and top is golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Serve with maple syrup, powdered sugar, or jam.

Grade: (as rated by the Family judges): B+ to A-

*Still have no idea how to write French properly.