Basic Overnight French Toast

This is an ugly-looking, but wonderful-tasting, dish.  It's Overnight French Toast, and I've been making different recipes for years- I love Overnight French Toast.  It's been a while since I've actually made it, so when I set off to make it last weekend, I wasn't sure which recipe to use.  I found one that seemed easy enough.  The original recipe called for pecans (which I forgot) and blueberries (which I didn't have- even my frozen blueberries were in a sad, solid block of blueberry ice).  So, it was a very plain, basic overnight french toast, which is a good place to start, especially if you've never had a dish like this before. 

(BTW, one of my fave Overnight French Toast recipes bakes in its own caramel sauce, and then you ladel more caramel sauce over the top at serving time.  That one is SO good, but I figured I needed a recipe with less sugar and butter at this time in my life, lol!  Hopefully one day I will be able to share that one with you, though.)  This is the best way I know to use up leftover French or Italian (or Portuguese!) bread; although usually, I buy a loaf the day before just to use it in overnight French toast.  I ate my french toast with a little bit of soft butter, and a tiny drizzle of real maple syrup.

Basic Overnight French Toast

adapted from Allrecipes.com

12 thick slices day-old French bread
5 eggs
2 1/2 cups milk
1 cup packed brown sugar, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (optional- I didn't have any)

1.Arrange bread in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. In a bowl, combine the eggs, milk, 3/4 cup brown sugar, vanilla and cinnamon; pour over bread. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.

2.Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Sprinkle optional pecans over egg mixture. Combine butter and remaining sugar; drizzle over the top. Bake, uncovered, for 25 minutes. Sprinkle with blueberries, optional.  Bake 10 minutes longer or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.  (If not using the blueberries, bake for 25-30 minutes, and then check it.  May take up to 40 minutes.  In my oven, it was done in just under 30.)

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