a simple recipe :: overnight french toast casserole

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, right?  I don’t know all the reasons why that is true, but breakfast is definitely my favorite meal!  Most weekdays we eat pretty simple breakfasts like oatmeal, cereal, or scrambled eggs, but I love weekends when we all eat together, and we make breakfast a big meal to start the day.  We have just started planting season, so my husband and my little guy are often out all morning working, so a big hearty meal is important!

We love pancakes with berry sauce, we often enjoy waffles and bacon, and we love any kind of creative way to make eggs too!  Casseroles, omelettes, egg sandwiches, and quiches are just a few of the ways we enjoy breakfast on the weekend.

This past weekend we enjoyed one of our favorites, overnight French Toast Casserole.  It’s been a while since we’ve had it, but there’s only four of us, and there was only one piece left from a 9 x 13 pan.
So, here’s my favorite recipe for French Toast:

Overnight French Toast Casserole

Ingredients:

• 1 loaf of French bread
• 8 eggs (farm fresh are the best!)
• 2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup half n half
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 TBL vanilla
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Topping:

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 stick cold butter, cut in small pieces

Grease a 9 x 13 pan. Cut loaf into small cubes and spread in pan. In a large bowl, mix eggs, milk, half and half, vanilla, cinnamon, and sugar. Pour over bread. Cover pan and refrigerate overnight.

Mix together brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt.  Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly.  Store in small container overnight.

When ready to bake, sprinkle topping over bread and egg mixture and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Serve with syrup and fruit!

I hope you all love this as much as my family does!  It makes a great addition to a brunch or serves great as a main dish with some berries on the side!