This summer, I had the best French toast of my life. On a weekend trip in charming Pittsfield, Massachusetts, I woke up one morning to a rich, dense berrylicious breakfast complete with a crunchy crumble top–my favorite–at White Horse Inn. Sweet and moist, practically a cake, this French toast can do double duty as both a filling breakfast and decadent dessert. Either would be a great treat for a good kid.
The B&B innkeeper, Gary, was kind enough to share his recipe with me, below. When I made this for dessert this week, I hadn’t planned far ahead enough to soak the bread overnight, but just half an hour in the fridge actually did the trick. Next time, I’d also re-grease the pan after the egg mixture has been soaked up, since some maneuvering was necessary to wrangle the toasts out of the pan in presentable
form (a knife and a firm spatula were a big help).
INGREDIENTS
- 1 day old loaf of French Bread
- 4 eggs
- 4 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups milk*
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 6 tbsp dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 cup fresh/frozen raspberries and/or blueberries
*Vary this depending on how dense/fresh the bread is. It should be wet throughout but not too soggy before going into the refrigerator
DIRECTIONS
Grease 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Cut bread into 1-inch slices. Place in baking dish and set aside. In medium bowl, slightly beat eggs, sugar and vanilla together. Stir in milk until blended. Pour this mixture over the bread. Turn slices to make sure they are
all well coated. Cover well and refrigerate overnight.
Preheat over to 375 degrees. In a small bowl, combine flour, brown sugar and cinnamon. Cut in butter until it resembles coarse bread crumbs. Turn bread slices over again. Scatter blueberries and raspberries over bread and sprinkle with crumb mixture. Bake 40 minutes or until golden brown. Cut into squares and serve. Top with maple syrup.
(To halve the recipe, use a 8×8 baking dish.)
