Oven Baked French Toast

I found this recipe in the newspaper. Our local paper has recipes in the "lifestyle" section about once or twice a week. This particular week I found a bunch of recipes that I'll be making over the course of time. This one attracted my attention right away when it said "easy and inexpensive". That is right up my alley. Also, you may know that my family loves french toast. This recipe was definitely one of the easiest to make. It requires little to no preparation. It can be made ahead so you can just pop it in the oven when you are ready to bake it. My only complaint was that the sugar I sprinkled on top did not melt as promised. I think it would have worked better if I had dotted the top of the french toast with some butter and then sprinkled on the sugar. I'll try that next time. If you are worried about cholesterol, you can use Just Whites or some other egg substitute.

I'm planning to make this for the upcoming teacher appreciation week breakfast for D's school. That is coming up during the first week of May. Actually, I think that is a country-wide Teacher Appreciation week so if you want to say "thank you" to your kids teachers, please remember to do it during the first week of May. They deserve it.

Oven Baked French Toast
with Mixed Berry Sauce

For the French Toast:

16 to 20 ounce loaf sliced white bread, ends discarded (I used Arnold Brick Oven)
1/3 cup granulated sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
6 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups low-fat milk

For the Berry Sauce:

1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons cornstarch
3 cups fresh or frozen mixed berries
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon salt

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Arrange enough whole bread slices in a single layer to cover the bottom of the dish. Cut the remaining slices in half on the diagonal and arrange them in overlapping rows on top. You should have 3 rows of bread triangles. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, cinnamon, baking powder and nutmeg. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla until well blended. Gradually whisk in the milk.

Slowly and evenly pour the egg mixture over the bread slices and let soak for 5 minutes. Use a fork or spatula to gently press down on the bread to ensure it is evenly soaked.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the french toast is puffed. sprinkle the top of the french toast with sugar, then set the oven to broil. Broil the french toast until the sugar is melted and the bread is lightly browned.

While the french toast bakes, in a small bowl, combine the lemon juice and cornstarch. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine the berries, sugar water and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a simmer and stir in lemon juice mixture. Simmer, stirring often, until the sauce thickens slightly, about 2 minutes more. Let cool.

When the french toast is done baking, serve immediately topped with mixed berry sauce.

Serves 8.

Start to finish: 1 hour (25 minutes active)