Baked French Toast

Many Sunday afternoons you can find Caleb and me having brunch at home after church. Most of the time we have omelettes or buttermilk pancakes, but recently I tried this baked French toast. I was able to put it all together and stick it in the fridge before church, so when we got home all I had to do was pop it in the oven for a little while. I'm a sucker for anything in individual servings, but this would also be perfect to serve weekend house guests, since you are able to do the work ahead of time. Happy Monday!

Baked French Toast
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 small French baguette (I used whole wheat), cut into 1-inch cubes (about 5-6 cups)

Add the eggs to a large mixing bowl. Whisk briefly. Add the milk, maple syrup, and vanilla extract to the bowl. Scrape in the seeds from the vanilla bean pod. Add in the cinnamon. Whisk well until the mixture is evenly combined. Stir in the cubes of bread until evenly coated.

Lightly grease four individual oven-safe serving dishes. Divide the bread-egg mixture evenly between the dishes. Cover dishes with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least two hours or up to overnight.

When you are ready to bake, heat the oven to 375 degrees. Remove the plastic wrap from the dishes. Place dishes on a baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes or until puffed up and lightly golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes. Serve as desired with a dusting of confectioners' sugar, maple syrup, or fresh berries.

source: recipe from annie's eats