A writer friend of mine blogged about baked French toast the other day—she wasn’t thrilled with the recipe—and it got me thinking about the amazing Overnight Baked Panettone French Toast I’d made for a Christmas brunch last year. Sweet baby Jesus in a chicken basket*, that was good. But not terribly Weight Watchers-friendly, plus we’re a week or two shy of panettone season, so… When I realized we had two-thirds of a loaf of Italian bread leftover from dinner last night, those concerns were tossed aside in a heartbeat.
Since I wasn’t using rich, eggy bread and Weight Watchers is my lord and master these days, I had to adapt. I changed the ratio of egg whites to whole eggs, and to add a shot of moist, sweet flavor, I shredded a Granny Smith into the low-fat custard. And whaddya know, it worked! A good long soak in the fridge yields a breakfast that’s soft and melty on the inside, and firm but not tooth-busting crisp on the outside. All this for about 20 minutes of work last night, and only 3 Weight Watchers points.
Folks, if you’re not on Weight Watchers, go right ahead and make a decadent version of this: Use 6 whole eggs and heavy cream. Yowza, that sounds good.
* To quote my husband, the very lapsed Catholic
No, silly, that’s not grated cheese. It’s apple!
Serves 6
Cooking Time: 20-30 minutes of work the night before, plus an hour baking in the AM
Weight Watchers: Each serving is 3 points, before you pour on the maple syrup
6 ounces Italian or French bread
3 eggs
5 egg whites
1/2 cup low-fat milk
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup, plus more for serving
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of grated nutmeg
Pinch of salt
1 medium apple, peeled and grated
- Cut the bread into 1/2” slices. If your bread’s not already fairly dried out, place the slices in a single layer on a cooling rack and stick in the oven set to “Warm” for 20 to 30 minutes. Allow them to cool before proceeding.
- Coat a small baking dish (mine is 7 x 10) with nonstick spray, and place the sliced bread inside—two layers is just fine.
- Whisk together the remaining ingredients, and pour over the bread. Nudge some of the shredded apple down into the crevices to ensure apple-y goodness throughout. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and refrigerate at least 2 hours, or overnight.
- Heat the oven to 350°F. Place the dish, still covered with foil, inside and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake an additional 15 minutes, until the top is nicely browned. Serve with more maple syrup.
That sounds delicious.
Never thought of adding apple! Will try this tomorrow morning. Thanks!
Sounds fabulous – love the apple added in!
This sounds delicious!
omg, I am totally making this next Sunday for a brunch meeting.
sounds amazing~and only 3 points! Thanks for this recipe!
Wow, thanks for the enthusiasm, all! My favorite part of the whole endeavor: We've got leftovers.
I happen to have all these ingredients, and some free time this morning…yay!
I love apples in just about anything. But to combine them with french toast, that's sounds just perfect. Printing this now…
I've been making baked French toast for almost two decades now. Got the recipe from the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco at the top of Nob Hill. I use a basic baguette – not an eggy bread like Challah or Brioche. I add cinnamon, nutmeg and pure vanilla to take it beyond.
Yes, it's possible to make it TOO in the past. I've made that mistake before. But I've found that's really all about the temperature of the oven and how long you cook it.
I just "vegan-ized" this recipe & it was awesome! I used 3 T of ground flax seeds, 15 T of warm water. I blended that with a whisk & let it sit for 5 minutes or so (so it gets gooey). Then I added 1 C of Odwalla Monster Protein (vanilla) b/c I was out of soy milk. I baked it in a cast iron skillet for the same amount of time and broiled it on low for about 5 minutes or so. It was perfect. A little gooey-er than I imagine it would come out with eggs but it was still VERY tasty. Thanks Debbie! xoxoxoxo
I just realized I could do stuffed French toast pies in my new personal pie maker… SWEET!
Denise: Glad you agree about adding cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla. Not sure I understand what you mean about "too in the past"–do you mean putting it together too soon? Mine sat for a good 10 hours and it was terrific. Wonder what the threshold is…
Taryn, that is INGENIOUS. Seriously, I tip my hat. Never would've thought French toast could be veganized.
Casey, just the words "personal pie maker" make me smile.
This looks so so so delicious!!