Fabulous French Toast Casserole

French toast is a delicious breakfast treat. I was not a fan for most of my life. NJ diners have pretty good French toast made with challah. I've ordered it occasionally but when I'm out for breakfast I order a big, giant omelette. I am an eggs for breakfast gal. Eggs, toast, and a cup of joe and I'm all set for the day. 

And then I discovered "French Toast Casserole" and I was sold. I tried a few versions and recently came up with my own flavorful recipe. It's fragrant, creamy and delicious! 

Here's what you'll need to get started: 

8x8 baking dish

4 oz Butter (1/2 stick)

2 cups Buttermilk

3 Eggs

12 slices of Brioche bread

Cinnamon

Cardamom

100% pure Maple Syrup

Salt

A note about the ingredients: I use unsalted Land O' Lakes butter; real, full-fat buttermilk because it actually has flavor, unlike supermarket low fat buttermilk. The brioche bread I buy at Aldi supermarket. It is delicious, not only for this recipe but also for grilled cheese! Saigon cinnamon is a very flavorful cinnamon, a bit spicy and I love it. 

Begin by buttering your baking dish. 

Mix the eggs with a pinch of salt and the buttermilk.

Place one layer of bread in bottom of dish. Top with dots of butter, sprinkle with cinnamon and a couple of pinches of cardamom. Pour some maple syrup over the layer. Pour 1/3 of the buttermilk mix over the bread. Place another layer of bread in the dish, pressing down lightly. Repeat the steps above -- butter, spices, syrup, buttermilk mix.  Add a final layer to the dish, top the layer as before and finish with the rest of the buttermilk mixture. 

Cover dish with plastic wrap and let sit overnight in the refrigerator. In the morning all of the liquid will have been absorbed by the bread. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove plastic wrap and cover with foil. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for an additional 10 minutes until the top is golden brown. 

Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes. 

Dig in and enjoy this creamy, custardy casserole. It is so full of flavor. 

Brioche bread waiting for the toppings! 

Butter, maple syrup, cinnamon and cardamom 

Buttermilk egg mixture poured over bread. This is absorbed by the bread and will create a light, custard-type consistency. 

All done, wrapped and ready for its overnight rest in the refrigerator. 

I forgot to take pictures the next morning when it came out of the fridge, and after it was baked. I can assure you it was beautiful and tasty!  

A Most Delicious Aromatic Rye

During the dreary months of winter, when the chilly gloom drips from the wooly grey skies, I like to spend time in the kitchen.  The kitchen is my happy place where whatever I'm concocting that day is always good! 

Yesterday I made a rye bread that is the very best recipe for rye I've ever made.  I like it because while it bakes it infuses my house with the most delicious aromas. This recipe uses anise seed, fennel seed, caraway seed, and orange peel. Doesn't that sound delicious?!  I can assure you, it most certainly is! 

Here's a pic...feast your eyes on that:

Crispy, fragrant rye bread boule

I'm telling you, this is the best rye bread recipe I've ever found.  I visit the Breadtopia website quite frequently and when I found this recipe I made it that very day.  That was quite a few years ago but it is still my favorite.  I do make a pain de mie that I like very much but that is, as you may know, a white bread loaf made in a pullman pan. This rye is a dough that is fermented in the refrigerator for a couple of days then left to rise at room temp, then baked in a pot.  

It's great for soup and sandwiches.  I made a sandwich today with it and it was perfect! It holds up well, is so fragrant that when you go to bite it you detect the molasses and orange peel.  It's wonderful!

Follow the link to get the recipe.  As I said, I mix up the recipe in a 4 quart cambro container, which every cook's home should have in many different sizes, and put it in the fridge. I let it stay in the fridge, which retards proofing for as long as it stays chilled, but makes it so flavorful when I finally proof at room temp for 12 hours.  Bread recipes benefit from a prolonged proofing, I think.  It enhances the flavor.   

Try this rye bread recipe, I don't think you'll be disappointed if you like strong flavored dark breads.  The molasses adds the bitterness but the orange peel balances it out.  It's so good!

Mangia!