Baked French Toast

This bread pudding-like dish was first introduced to me by one of my very best friends. We got together for Easter one year while our husbands were deployed and this is what we ate that day. Since then, I've traditionally made it for brunch on Easter as well as on Christmas morning. It's safe to say that I'd eat this baked French toast everyday if I could, but I'd probably end up with diabetes.

Before I get into the recipe, let me note one things. The recipe calls for a loaf of Challah bread. Apparently, there really hasn't been a huge Jewish culture anywhere that I've lived, because the stuff is impossible to find. Brioche is a good substitute, and if you can't find that either, a French loaf will do the trick. I used egg and butter rolls this last time and the dish turned out perfectly.

Ingredients:

• 1 loaf Challah, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1 cup Sugar
• 1 stick (8 tbsp) Butter, softened
• 5 Eggs, beaten
• 2 cups Heavy Cream
• 1 tbsp Vanilla
• 2 tbsp Sugar
• 2 tsp Cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 inch pan. Spread bread evenly into pan.
2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and 1 cup sugar. Add eggs, cream, and vanilla. Mix well.
3. Pour egg mixture over the bread and mix gently until evenly distributed. 
4. Sprinkle top of bread with cinnamon and sugar mixture. 
5. Cover with foil.
6. Set the pan of bread into a larger pan. Add water to the larger pan until it is within half an inch of the top of the bread pan. 
7. Bake covered for approximately an hour and 15 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 15 minutes, or until the top browns
8. Allow to cool slightly before serving. Enjoy!

My favorite thing about this French toast recipe is that there's no syrup necessary.  It's plenty sweet on it's own!

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