Paula Deen’s Pecan Cinnamon French Toast Casserole

First off notice that this is made in a disposable aluminum pan.  No, I am not taking this to an event but rather using it to feed my family.  Our under the counter mounted sink decided to detach from the counter at 7:00 am the other day.  So, we have no water in the kitchen and no sink.  It will take about 5 days total for us to fix it.  So, in the meantime the less dishes we can use in making meals the better.

I had a loaf and a half of sourdough bread from the bakery that was slightly stale that I wanted to use up before it was too stale to make into anything but bread crumbs.  I didn’t want it to go to waste just because of the sink.  So, we improvised.

When I saw this recipe on Pinterest from Harris Sisters GirlTalk for Paula Deen’s Baked French Toast Casserole I knew I had to try it.  I love breakfast for dinner and thought this may be easy to do.

Verdict:

This was pretty tasty.  Both children said it reminded them of fall since it has a fairly strong taste of nutmeg.  It reminded both of them of pumpkin pies.  IF you don’t like nutmeg either leave it out or cut way back on it in the recipe.

But, it was a simple meal that I could make with a disposable casserole pan, a glass bowl and a spoon.  Everyone gobbled it up with a bit of butter and warmed syrup on top.  I had enough leftovers for two generous portions for breakfast the next day.

The biggest changes I made to the recipe are to cube the break instead of slice it because my bread was fairly stale I wanted it to really soak up the egg mixture and soften up and I didn’t refrigerate it for 8 hours.  I have refrigerated this is the past but I was late getting dinner started and decided to try it without refrigerating it.  Instead I let the bread sit in the egg mixture in 5 minute intervals for about 15 minutes before I gave it a really good stir.  All the bread pieces were coated and soaked with the egg mixture.  The casserole turned out fine and didn’t need to be refrigerated for 8 hours.

Ingredients:

Casserole:

• 1 loaf sourdough bread (16 oz)
• 8 large eggs
• 3 cups fat-free half and half
• 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Dash salt

Praline Topping:

• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, melted
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 2 Tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cube the bread into 1″- 1 1/2″ cubes.  Place the cubes in a generously buttered 9 X 13-inch baking dish.
3. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half-and-half, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt and beat with a fork or whisk until just blended.
4. Pour the egg mix over the bread cubes making sure all are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. Stir the mixture well every 5 minutes or so until all the cubes are soaked and the egg mixture is just about gone from the bottom of the pan.
5. Make praline topping by mixing all ingredients except pecans together in a bowl.  Pour mixture over the bread cubes with the egg mixture soaked in making sure to evenly spread it around the whole pan.  Sprinkle top with pecans.
6. Bake for 35-40 minutes until bread is slightly golden on top and warmed through.
7. Serve immediately with butter and warmed maple syrup.