Maple Vanilla Baked French Toast

Generally when I go out to eat, I have a good sense of what I want. While everything on the menu may look delicious, more often than not, one dish calls out to me especially loudly, and I quickly decide “that’s the one.”

But faced with a brunch menu, I fall to pieces. Eggs? Burger? Bacon? Bacon on my burger? Pancakes?! The combination of lunch and breakfast presents too many options, and I often find myself frantically scanning the menu as the waiter stares in disbelief at my inability to make up my mind. (Obviously this occurs on a weekly basis, since, duh, I love my brunch.)

Most of the time, I end up ordering eggs, meaning that my second favorite brunch item, French toast, gets left out of the party.* It’s a shame, because when made well, it’s sweet and eggy and almost dessert-like — a real weekend morning treat. It’s infinitely adaptable to what you have in your pantry and requires only the most basic of pantry staples: eggs, bread, sugar and milk.

Baked French toast makes the whole process even easier. It is similar to a bread pudding, in that you make a sweet custard, pour it over bread, allow it to soak for a while before baking it. It saves you the trouble of having to stand over a skillet and flip bread all morning, and the top forms a nice crisp crust that gives way to a delicious custardy mess. I thought it would be an effortlessly delicious contribution to a birthday brunch, and it was, despite my repeated attempts at self-sabotage.

A) I forgot to buy sugar at the store. Ultimately, this turned out well, since maple syrup is an excellent substitute. B) We didn’t have any casserole dishes, so I used round baking pans instead, making it difficult to retain the shape of the bread slices. C) I forgot to assemble the French toast the night before, and therefore had to put it together in a panic a few hours before the brunch.

And yet the end product was exactly the sweet, eggy, dessert-like dish I wanted. Slathered with Nutella, it was an almost sinfully good way to start the day.

*Bacon is always a given, much like French fries or chocolate.

Maple Vanilla Baked French Toast
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

This recipe can be adapted any which way, using whatever you have on hand. Swap in almond or hazelnut extract or even orange juice for the vanilla, use regular sugar or brown sugar instead of maple syrup (or make maple-brown sugar French toast ooh!), add sliced almonds or pecans scattered throughout. If you’re in the mood for drunch (ie. drunk brunch), add 1/4 cup of liqueur to the mix — Baileys, Kahlua, Grand Marnier or Cointreau, Chambord, Creme de Cassis, Amaretto … the possibilities are endless.

– 1 loaf brioche in 1-inch slices

– 3 large eggs

– 3 cups milk

– 3 tablespoons maple syrup

– 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1) Butter a 9-x-13 baking dish (or an equivalent) extremely well. Otherwise you’ll spend a half hour scrubbing the life out of them later.

2) Cut the bread into triangles and place them in the pan in two layers. Cut a few slices into smaller pieces to fit in the crevices. If you’re using nuts, sprinkle them in between the layers, or on top.

3) Mix together the eggs, milk, syrup and vanilla, then pour over the bread. Top with additional sugar if desired. Cover tightly and refrigerate for a few hours, or preferably overnight.

4) Bake at 350 for 40 minutes, until the top is golden and the French toast has puffed up. Serve with fruit, more maple syrup, powdered sugar and Nutella.

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