Croissant French Toast Bake

Name: Croissant French Toast Bake
Prep time: 3 h
Cook time: 3 h
Total time: 3 h
Yield: 8
Ingredients: ***For the French toast:***; butter, to taste, for greasing the baking dish; 2 cups half-and-half or whole milk; 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract; 6 large eggs; 1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed; 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg; 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt; 8 large croissants, cut in half lengthwise; 1 cup strawberries, cut into 1-inch pieces; 1 cup blueberries; ***For the topping:***; powdered sugar, to taste, for topping; 1 cup pure maple syrup; 1 tablespoon dark rum; lightly sweetened whipped cream, optional, to taste, store-bought or homemade, for serving

Oven Vegetarian Gastro-Pub

Time: 3 hours

Yield: 8 servings

About

Croissant French Toast Bake seems like your favorite French toast bake at first glance; delicious bread soaked in a creamy, sweet custard with refreshing, bright berries woven in between and scattered on top, baked until golden and tender and served with a sugary, smoky rum syrup! But with just one small change, it becomes a new dish entirely! Buttery, flaky croissants as the bread element add a new dimension to the already dessert-like breakfast! Croissant French Toast Bake is an oldie but a goodie, kicked up a couple notches!

Ingredients

For the French toast:
butter, to taste, for greasing the baking dish
2 cups half-and-half or whole milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
6 large eggs
1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
8 large croissants, cut in half lengthwise
1 cup strawberries, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup blueberries
For the topping:
powdered sugar, to taste, for topping
1 cup pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon dark rum
lightly sweetened whipped cream, optional, to taste, store-bought or homemade, for serving

Directions

Step 1 -Grease a 4-5-quart rectangular or oval baking dish with the butter.

Step 2 -In a large bowl, add the half-and-half, the vanilla, the eggs, the brown sugar, the cinnamon, the nutmeg, and the salt and whisk to combine.

Step 3 -Dip the croissant halves into the egg mixture until fully coated.

Step 4 -Arrange the croissants into the prepared casserole dish, overlapping them as needed so all of them are partially exposed.

Step 5 -Pour the remaining egg mixture over the casserole, gently pressing the croissants down to absorb.

Step 6 -Tuck about 3/4 cup of the strawberries and 3/4 cup of the blueberries between the croissant layers.

Step 7 -Sprinkle the remaining strawberries and the remaining blueberries over the top of the casserole.

Step 8 -Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 2 and up to 8 hours.

Step 9 -Transfer the casserole from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking and let it stand at room temperature. Discard the plastic wrap.

Step 10 -Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Step 11 -Cover the casserole dish with foil and bake for about 30 minutes.

Step 12 -Uncover the dish and bake until puffed and golden, about 15-20 minutes.

Step 13 -Let the casserole stand for 10 minutes.

Step 14 -Dust the casserole with the powdered sugar.

Step 15 -In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, warm the maple syrup.

Step 16 -Add the rum to the syrup and stir to combine.

Step 17 -Serve topped with the rum-maple syrup and the whipped cream.

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