Overnight Baked French Toast

This started as a brilliant idea (if I do say so myself, and since no one else will…)

Take some old baguette left over from dinner, soak it overnight in some creamy, yummy goodness, pop it into the oven in the morning and…voila! a new family favorite.  Not to mention a minimal amount of work, and I can make enough for a crowd with no more effort than if I am making it for only two people.

The first part went really well.  I was able, through my years of culinary expertise, to make bread stale.  Julia Child would be so proud of me!  I got it into a pan, made my concoction of yogurt, milk, vanilla and cinnamon, popped it into the fridge and had a good nights sleep.  The hard part was done!

The next morning, I got it into the oven, took the dog out to potty, came back in to slice the bananas for the top (what is cinnamon french toast without bananas foster on top, I ask you?), and that is when it all went so horribly wrong.

With four minutes left on the timer, my little princess decided she needed to go potty.  Again.  I tried explaining that I only needed four more minutes, but she seemed unimpressed.  And desperate.  So out we went.  And did a grand tour of the yard to find the perfect spot to potty in.

One minute passed, then two.  At three minutes, I started harassing her by chanting, “potty, potty, potty,” like some deranged pep squad leader.  And she pretty much ignored me.  By minute four, I was reduced to begging: “Come on.  Potty for mommy and I’ll give you a nice big treat!”  She was not buying it.

Just as I was about to call her bluff, pick her up and haul her sorry little butt inside, she decided that she had found the one perfect spot in the whole world, and squatted.  Success!

But success comes at a price.  By the time I got back inside, I had a tray of hockey pucks in the oven.

So if you decide to make these, I highly recommend that you schedule all bathroom breaks either before or after they are done. Or maybe train your dog to use the commode.  That would work too.

Ingredients:

• Anywhere between 8 and 12 slices of stale baguette, depending on how large the slices are.  Basically however many will fit into the pan. (Cut an old baguette into slices and store it in an open paper bag till the pieces are really stale and hard, or you can bake it at 250 for about 10 minutes on each side till it is stale and hard.  Do not be tempted to use a higher temperature since you don’t want it to actually toast) Different kinds of bread will give you a different texture of toast in the final product.  I used a fairly dense whole wheat bread which came out chewier and a lighter bread which came out much softer.
• 1/2 cup unsweetened vegan yogurt
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• up to 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
• 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. Grease the bottom of an 8×8 inch baking pan.
2. Whisk together the yogurt through the cinnamon and pour half of the mixture into the pan.  Place the slices of bread in the pan, making sure the bottom of each gets coated with the sauce.  Pour the other half of the yogurt mixture on top, distributing it evenly so that every piece is covered.  Cover, and place in the refrigerator overnight.
3. In the morning, preheat the oven to 425.  Remove the pan from the refrigerator, uncover it and allow it to come to room temperature while the oven is preheating.  If you are at all worried about the bread sticking ( not using a non-stick or coated pan for example), you can transfer the bread to a lined baking sheet instead of baking it in the original pan.
4. Once the oven reaches 425, place the pan in and cook for 15 minutes.  Remove it from the oven, flip the toast and cook another 15 minutes, checking it after 10 to make sure it doesn’t get overdone.
5. Top with bananas foster to serve. (recipe below)

Bananas Foster:

• 2 ripe bananas, sliced
• 2 Tablespoons vegan butter
• 2 Tablespoons maple syrup

Directions:

1. Over medium high heat, bring the butter and maple syrup to a boil.  Put the banana slices in and sauté, stirring for 1-2 minutes.  Remove from heat, pour over French toast and serve immediately.

Enjoy!