The Busy Mom's Favorite French Toast

This is a construction manual.  

Choose your bread. You can make it bare, no filling between the slices. If it's bare, it's almost like bread pudding.

Or you can make it with a filling. We give you a handful of our favorite fillings and suggest other fillings you may want to try. 

And then there's the crowning syrup. You can use the maple syrup in your pantry but really, the array of buttermilk syrups are superb.  But there are cream syrups and fruit syrups too.

But you can take it a step further: Top your breakfast with party whipped cream--like chocolate, caramel nut, and peanut butter whipped cream.  

Introduction

If you haven't heard of overnight baked French toast, this is a great introduction. You can make it in advance, up to three days, in the evening or on a quiet Sunday afternoon.

On the morning of your event, take it out of the fridge and pop it in the oven. All the work is done.  

You have a custard-like fancy breakfast, again not too far removed from bread pudding.

No wonder this is the Busy Mom's Favorite French toast!

The Bread

Any soft bread will work, such as:

• Country Farm White Bread
• Buttermilk White Bread
• Heritage Wheat Bread
• Swedish Brown Bread

The Fillings

You can slip jam between the slices--like a sandwich--and you have a filling.  We often raid the pastry fillings. Bavarian cream is decadent. A lemon curd is wonderful. But you can also put a layer of cream cheese filling topped with a layer of cherry filling. You can the idea.

My favorite filling is a cream cheese filling. You can whip granulated sugar into softened cream cheese to make a smooth spread. Instead of sugar, try strawberry jam or apricot syrup. You can get exotic with hard-to-find jellies and jams, like pomegranate or pina colada.

The Syrups

The buttermilk syrups are unforgettable.  We have an array from Butter Rum Syrup to a Caramel Pear Syrup.

We carry Pioneer Valley syrups which includes both cream and fruit syrups. It's the best apricot syrup ever.

Whipped Cream

And then there's the whipped cream. Here's the basic recipe:

Cinnamon Vanilla Whipped Cream

This is a luscious whipped cream to use on any dessert, even in a cup of hot cocoa.  It is perfect on apple or pumpkin pies.  The cinnamon in this recipe turns the whipped cream a soft, light cinnamon color.

This cinnamon whipped cream takes no longer to make than regular whipped cream—it’s just a lot better.

• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

 

Whip the cream to soft peaks. Add the cinnamon, vanilla, and sugar and continue whipping until stiff peaks form.  If you would like it sweeter, add more granulated sugar.

Caramel Nut Whipped Cream

We make more of this than any other whipped cream, even chocolate. 

Make it as above but leave out the cinnamon. Substitute caramel flavor for the vanilla--we often use two teaspoons of caramel flavor. 

And then the killer step: Take a 1/2-cup salted snacking nuts, more if you like, and chop them into small pieces.  Fold them into the finished whipped cream.

The smooth cream against the crunch of the nuts and the salty against sweet is an outstanding experience.  

Peanut Butter Whipped Cream

Yes, there is a peanut butter whipped cream. Use chunky peanut butter. Whip the sugar into the peanut butter to soften it and then proceed.

Chocolate Whipped Cream

This will tell you how to make chocolate whipped cream.  I don't know if you're into chocolate for breakfast but your kids probably are.

Note: Of course, whipped cream will melt after a while. It can be rewhipped. If you need it to last longer, add meringue powder to your whipping cream.  A couple of tablespoons will do.

 

 

Everyday Baked French Toast

Baked French toast is a soft French toast made by layering the bread and egg mixture in a baking pan the night before and baking it in the morning. It’s quite like a bread pudding.   

This version is made with cinnamon, vanilla, and sugar.  In the oven, the sugar melts creating a thick syrup with cinnamon and vanilla. The eggs create the custard. 

This baked French toast is made up to three days before in an 8 1/2 x 13-inch pan. In the morning, you just pop it in the oven. Let it bake while you are getting ready for the day and you’ll have a wonderful breakfast for your family.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 12 slices soft bread
• 6 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

 

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

1. Melt the butter in an 8 1/2 x 13-inch baking pan. Stir in granulated sugar and the first cinnamon. Layer the bread two slices deep in the pan.
2. Whisk the eggs, vanilla, and milk together. Pour the mixture evenly over the bread.  Sprinkle the last 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon over the bread. Place the pan in the refrigerator.
3. When you are ready to make breakfast, take the French toast pan from the refrigerator. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until the bread is browned--the egg mixture needs to be to 165 degrees. Serve hot with your favorite syrup or make a batch of cinnamon vanilla syrup or cinnamon vanilla whipped cream to serve with it.