Sunday, July 8, 2012

Overnight Blueberry French Toast





From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This is a nice casserole to serve when you have a crowd at the breakfast table and you'd like to start their day with a special meal. It is a cross between bread pudding and French toast and therein lies the cause of the descriptive restraint that is about to follow. It's neither one thing or the other, and the name is misleading. Made according to the original recipe directions, the casserole looks and tastes far more like bread pudding than French toast. While that's fine for some, it is off-putting to those who are expecting the real thing for their breakfast. Fortunately, I've found that cooking this casserole for an additional 20 to 25 minutes produces a dish that French toast lover's will enjoy. This is an old recipe that first appeared in Taste of Home magazine back in 1996, and that, coincidentally, was the year I first made it for my family. It's one of those recipes that refuses to go away and it keeps on rising from the dead, despite attempts to bury it. The dish requires some forethought, as it must be assembled the night before you want to serve it, but, on the flip side, it is really easy to make. I use a commercial prepared blueberry streusel bread as the base for the casserole and while I've left the full-fat ingredients in the recipe below, I actually use lower fat alternatives. If you are unable to find the blueberry bread a loaf of cinnamon bread can be used. This is a dish that's meant for special occasions, so I don't stress about the extra calories. The casserole is not overly sweet, but I do want to warn you that the syrup can be cloying if too much of it is used. If you are looking for a special family breakfast dish, you might enjoy this one. Here's how it is made.

Overnight Blueberry French Toast...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Patricia Walls and Taste of Home magazine

Ingredients:
Casserole
1 (1-pound) loaf day-old blueberry streusel bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1-1/4 cups fresh or frozen blueberries, divided use
12 eggs
2 cups light cream or half-and-half
1/3 cup maple syrup
Sauce
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup water
1 cup blueberries
1 tablespoon butter

Directions:
1) Grease a 9 x 13 x 2-inch baking dish with butter or cooking spray. Cover bottom of baking dish with half the cubed bread. Dot top of cubes with small, evenly placed pieces of cream cheese. Sprinkle with 1 cup of blueberries. Cover with remaining bread cubes.
2) In a large bowl, beat eggs. Add milk and maple syrup and mix well. Pour over bread mixture. Sprinkle top of casserole with reserved1/4 cup blueberries. Cover and chill 8 hours or overnight. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking.
3) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 30 to 50 minutes, or until puffy and golden brown and center is set.
4) To make syrup: In a saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch. Add water and bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in blueberries; reduce heat. Simmer for 8 to 10 minutes or until berries have burst. Stir in butter. Serve over French toast. Makes 1-3/4 cups sauce.
5) Cut casserole into desired number of portions. Transfer to plates for serving. Lightly drizzle each serving with a tablespoon of sauce. Pass remaining sauce at table. Yield: 8 to 10 servings.








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32 comments :

Katarina said...

It looks so soft and delicious! A perfect way to start your day!

Lottie @ Lottiesworldofcakes said...

This looks delicious!!

T.W. Barritt at Culinary Types said...

How perfect for blueberry season! I, for one, absolutely love the "bread pudding" look, and the fact that this is assembled the night before. I see a summer brunch in my future.

Rosie Swaffer said...

Mmmmmm, I LOVE blueberry french toast!

I did a quick cook version with banana :)
http://rosieposiespuddingsandpies.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/recipe-blueberry-banana-french-toast.html

Kim said...

Like your breakfast dish. It sound good to me! Blueberries, bread and cream chesse what's not to like???

Balvinder said...

I like such easy breakfasts which you can half do it a day before.

Angie's Recipes said...

wow Mary, this looks super duper delicious!

Kathy Walker said...

Being a lovers of French Toast and Bread Pudding I know this would bring many smiles at my house. Thank you for the recipe, it looks wonderful!!

chow and chatter said...

this is great love make ahead recipes

Cheah said...

I don't mind having this for my breakfast at all!

Priya Suresh said...

Seriously cant take my eyes from ur irresistible click,super tempting toast.

carolyn bradford said...

This looks divine! I just did a post on Overnight Banana's Foster French toast as well! I will have to give this one a try for sure!

Barbara F. said...

I would love this dish!! Great way to start the day. xo

Vicki Bensinger said...

This sounds wonderful to me and thanks for the tips. We are away for the summer and our kids will be here with friends in a couple weeks so this will be perfect to make. I like the idea of prepping the night before then when the kids get up I will pop it in the oven and they'll be happy as a clam.

Thanks for sharing the recipe.

Diane said...

I have never heard of blueberry streusel bread, now I wonder where I can find the ingredients for that ! Have a great week Diane

SImple and Serene Living said...

Perfect for all the fresh blueberries we have now.

Ellen B Cookery said...

This not only looks wonderful, but also sounds like something lovely to offer out of town guests for breakfast. Another great idea for my summer guests from France. Thanks!

Choc Chip Uru @ Go Bake Yourself said...

Overnight french toast has never looked more delicious my friend, this is gorgeous :D

Cheers
Choc Chip Uru

Kathleen said...

Mary this looks divine!

David said...

Mary, Yet another great way to utilize fresh blueberries! The best part is that I just love great bread pudding too... Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Jessica@AKitchenAddiction said...

I love overnight breakfast recipes, especially for the weekend! This sounds amazing!

Banana Wonder said...

Oh wow, delish! I want this in my breakfast face!

Joanne said...

I love decadent breakfasts in the morning but I never have the energy or stamina to make them. Love that I can do this a day ahead!

Eileen said...

I love blueberries and this looks great. I'm a huge French toast person, but not so much on the bread pudding. I may have to try this just to see what it's like.

mia xara said...

Looks so good , Mary!Wish I had some for breakfast tomorrow..Have a great week.. :)

Alicia said...

Mmmm, that looks delicious. I recently started loving Blueberries. I had only had them in those packaged muffins you get at a convenience store. But a friend of my son gave him a whole bag of them so I made a blueberry cobbler. It was delicious! This dish looks perfect as well.

Rumana Rawat said...

It looks just awesome...

A Sunflower Life said...

Looks delicious! I have some blueberries left from the farmers market, so I think I'll have to give this a try!

tender b. said...

I've seen a few recipes for Overnight French Toasts but have yet to try one. When I do this will be the one since it incorporates blueberries. Looks so good!

Jenna@LittleKitchenBigFlavors said...

How delicious! I love french toast for breakfast, and our CSA share has blueberries this week. I am definately making this for breakfast!

Catherine said...

Dear Mary, I would love this. What a beautiful meal to wake up to. I love blueberries and try to stock up when they are on sale. Blessings dear. Catherine xo

Merisi in Vienna said...

That sounds and looks perfect for my next Sunday morning family brunch, thank you! :-)

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