French Toast Casserole

All summer long we swim in eggs. Our birds are at the highest level of production and the eggs are plentiful. I’m constantly pushing eggs on people when they visit our house. The other thing that I do is bake a lot. I know, it seems counterintuitive considering it’s hot out and the oven is on. All I will say is thank goodness for air conditioning. It makes it possible for me to bake a lot all year round. I know that’s a homesteading faux pa but I’m not against modern amenities. This is evidenced by the gadgets that I keep in my kitchen and the air conditioning that I’m not ready to live without. Anyways, back to those eggs. We’re always trying to use them up and the easiest way is breakfast. I decided to whip up a french toast casserole to use up a bunch of eggs and it’s now turned into one of our favorites!

Bread

Now, let’s get something straight. There are times in my life when I can make a lot of bread. In fact, I’ll make all of our bread products. The buns, loaves, and rolls. My favorite to use for this recipe is my favorite overall, the soft sandwich bread.

However, there are other times where I’m not able to make bread. Having a newborn has made this time of my life one of those times. I simply don’t have the ability to make all of the bread. My goal is to start making bread machine bread again to at least have that going for us but I haven’t had the energy to drag out my bread machine yet. So, we’ve used store bought bread. I’m not ashamed, I actually get a lot of bread as samples from my 9-5 job so it’s convenient to use. It is what it is. Do the best you can.

Here’s the only rule of thumb- if you are using a large loaf of bread (like from the store) you’ll need the whole thing. If you’re using a small loaf (like the homemade sandwich bread) you’ll likely need almost two loaves. There is no hard fast rule on how much bread to use either. Kind of like the eggs- use what ya got!

Ingredients

1-2 loaves of bread (see the note above)
14-18 eggs
½ cup milk
2 tsp vanilla
¼ cup sugar
Cinnamon to taste

Directions for French Toast Casserole

Cube the bread and put them into a greased 9×13 pan.

Crack your eggs into a bowl and whip them.

Add milk and vanilla to the eggs. Mix well.

Pour the egg mixture over the cubed bread.

Sprinkle the sugar over the bread and egg combination.

Sprinkle the cinnamon over the bread and egg combination.

Bake for 30 minutes on 350 or until it’s no longer jiggly. (Jiggle means the eggs aren’t fully cooked and this is the last thing that you want.)

Tips & Tricks

This is really a measure with your heart recipe. As I mentioned with the bread, use your best judgment. When we have a lot of eggs to get rid of, I’ll use 18 of them. When we don’t have as many, I’ll settle for 12. Oftentimes my ½ cup of milk turns into a splash of milk and a splash of vanilla too. You’ve just got to measure it with your heart! This is the best type of recipe because there isn’t a lot of measuring needed or required. Not only does this cut down on dishes but it also makes it super easy to throw together. If having a newborn has taught me anything, it’s that the quicker I can get things in and out of the oven- the better!

In Conclusion: French Toast Casserole

This french toast casserole is so great for several reasons. First, it’s super easy to make which is my favorite part. It’s definitely one we’ll teach our kids when they’re old enough to cook. Second, it uses up a bunch of eggs. Chicken owners rejoice, this will clear out at least one carton for you. Third, it’s so freaking good! If you love french toast, you will love this even more. This casserole is perfect for a quick weekday meal or a special weekend breakfast.