Picture a decadent French baguette – you know the ones you get at train stations in Europe. The eye candy for a hungry stomach. Now think French toast, soft white bread soaked in eggs dusted with cinnamon cooked to perfection in a buttery pan and glistening with syrup on your plate.
This Baguette Breakfast casserole brings all these delicious elements together for this very important meal. To prepare this breakfast treat start by completing the first 5 steps then set the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) while you pop the kettle on for your morning cuppa.
Allow 40 min to cook this bread beauty so more time relax in bed and snuggle. By the time you shower and get dressed a hot breakfast will be ready and waiting for you to serve.
If this casserole is being dished up as a breakfast make the standard recipe with cinnamon and lavender flavourings but if you plan to sleep in then try the variation with allspice and Chocola simple syrup flavourings for a satisfying brunch. The recipe below serves four people comfortably.
Eat cold left overs for afternoon tea. Still delicious.
Ingredients:
- 1 tsp butter or non stick spray
- 1 French baguette (medium size) cut into thick 2-3cm slices
- 1 cup milk
- 4 eggs (70g)
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon or allspice (variation)
- 1 tsp ground coffee (this is an opportunity to reuse espresso coffee machine gind)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans or apple (variation)
- 1/4 cup margarine
- 2 tbsp or drizzle of Lavender or Chocola (variation) simple syrup
Instructions:
- Butter a square baking pan
- Place baguette slices into the bottom of the prepared pan
- Whisk milk eggs vanilla cinnamon in a bowl
- Pour egg mixture over bread slices and let sit on the bench soaking up the liquids
- Turn the oven to 180 degrees C and leave to heat up for 10 min- meanwhile
- Combine brown sugar pecans & margarine with a spoon (I use my hands which gets messy)
- Spread the mixture over bread evenly making sure to cover each slice with the topping.
- Bake in the oven for 40 min or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean
- Serve breakfast casserole on plate with some crispy bacon (savoury option) or with a dollop of creamy vanilla yogurt (sweet option)
- Drizzle Lavender simple syrup (or Chocola) over the top until your slice until it glistens