French Toast Perfection…
I made this delicious Baked French Toast over the weekend for breakfast. I knew after I had my first bite that I had to post the recipe on Juicy Bites. I was too hungry to stop and take pictures, so I finished my serving, then a second serving, then I cut a piece for the sole purpose of taking some pictures. Then…I ate THAT piece too! Needless to say I was extremely remorseful about my HUGE carb (and fat & sugar) intake, but I kinda think it may have been worth it!
I have never actually made one of these baked french toast casserole type dishes. I looked for a recipe that sounded good, then totally changed it to suit what I was in the mood for. Most recipes I found called for 2 to 3 cups of cream, half and half, or milk. I wanted to incorporate some canned coconut milk into the recipe to replace some of the dairy fat with a more heart healthy fat. I also love the flavor that you get from coconut milk. I also added some frozen blueberries and unsweetened coconut. It was a home run combination!
This was a super simple dish to make and I did it the night before. I was thinking it would be great to post this close to Easter for a brunch idea, but I just couldn’t wait. And…there’s the fact that I probably wouldn’t remember that I had a delicious french toast recipe to post by the time we get close to Easter. So…you will all just have to remember that this would make a GREAT addition to your Easter brunch.
On a side note…Santa brought me a REAL camera for Christmas. These are my first official blog pictures with my new Canon Rebel. I really don’t have much of a clue when it comes to food photography, but I will keep practicing until my pictures look so fabulous that I will have a gazillion followers :).
If any of my food blogging followers have photography tips for me…bring ’em on! I need all the help I can get.
Coconut Blueberry Baked French Toast
Ingredients:
- 1 loaf French bread or Challah loaf (about 16 ounces)
- 8 large eggs
- 1 cup half and half
- 1 cup canned coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extact
- pinch of salt
- 3/4 cup frozen (not thawed) or fresh blueberries
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1/4 cup chopped almonds (optional)
Method:
Cut the bread into large cubes. Spray a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with non-stick spray and arrange the bread cubes evenly in the pan.
In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half and half, coconut milk, maple syrup, vanilla, and salt and beat with an electric mixer or whisk until blended but not too bubbly.
Scatter the blueberries evenly throughout the bread cubes. Pour the egg mixture evenly over the bread and blueberries, making sure all of the bread is covered.
Work the butter and brown sugar together with a fork to get a crumbly mixture. Add coconut and mix to combine, then sprinkle over the top of the french toast. Cover with foil and refrigerate over night.
The next morning, let the french toast sit out of the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. Heat oven to 350 degrees F and add the optional chopped almonds to the top of the french toast. Put the foil cover back on and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake another 10 minutes or until the french toast is puffed and lightly golden. Once you remove the foil, keep a close eye on the coconut so it doesn’t burn. You want it to turn a nice golden toasty brown. Serve with maple syrup.
Yum-o! I will so be making this – I have a major weakness when it comes to coconut. 🙂 Great job on the pictures!
Thanks Danielle!
This French toast looks so good. Your pictures turned out great and make me want to eat this right now!
Thanks Carrie…the class helped but I’m still struggling. At least it’s an improvement over the iphone pictures!