Overnight Eggnog French Toast

We had this for dinner on New Year's Day.  I knew we wouldn't be awake enough to have it for breakfast, and I was too tired New Year's Eve night to prepare it anyway.  (It should be refrigerated for 8 hours before baking.) It was a nice breakfast-for-dinner thing to do on New Year's.  We had so many appetizers the night before, nobody felt like a big fancy meal anyway.  This would make a great Christmas breakfast, too.

I loved the eggnog flavor of this! Eggnog is probably almost gone from stores by now, but this is a great send-off for it.  I hope everyone had wonderful holidays.

Note: I used Pandoro bread/cake for this.  It's like Panetonne but has no dried fruit inside, and it comes from Verona.  It was perfect for this.

Overnight Eggnog French Toast
adapted from The Kitchn

1 loaf challah, brioche, Portuguese Sweet bread, Panetonne or Pandoro (about 16 ounces), cut into 1-inch-thick slices
6 large eggs
3 cups eggnog
1 cup whole or 2% milk
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
Powdered sugar, ground cinnamon, and warm maple syrup, for serving

1.  Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 350°F. Spread the bread slices in a single layer on a baking sheet. Toast until dry and very lightly golden-brown, about 8-10 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.

2. Grease a 3-quart or 9x13-inch baking dish.  Cut or tear the bread slices into roughly 1-inch pieces and place them in the prepared baking dish in an even layer.

3.  Whisk the eggnog, milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt together in a large bowl. Pour evenly over the bread cubes and gently press down with your hands to make sure all of the bread gets saturated. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and refrigerate for a few hour or overnight.

4.  To bake, arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 350°F.

5.  Uncover the french toast. Bake until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean and the tips of the bread are lightly toasted, 45 to 50 minutes in a metal pan or up to 55 minutes in a glass or ceramic pan. If the crust seems like it's getting dark before the custard is done, tent the dish loosely with foil. (I left the foil on for the first 30 minutes and then uncovered it.  It worked very well.)

6.  Transfer the bread pudding to a wire rack and let stand at least 10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and cinnamon and serve with warm maple syrup.

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