Two for Tuesday: French Toast Casserole

Originally, this recipe came from allrecipes and was called "Overnight French Toast II". I haven't changed much about the recipe, just added a sprinkling of cinnamon.That and I rarely make it overnight. Hence the name change.

French Toast Casserole

Ingredients

• 2 Tbs corn syrup
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• cinnamon to sprinkle
• 1 loaf French bread (white or wheat)
• 5 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp salt

Directions

1. Combine the corn syrup, butter, and brown sugar in a small sauce pan. The original recipe says to simmer until the sugar is melted. I've never figured this step out. My syrup always seems grainy, but it works.
2. Grease a 9x13 casserole dish. Pour syrup mixture into the bottom of the casserole dish. Sprinkle the surface with cinnamon.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla, and salt.
4. Slice bread into thick slices, like an inch and a half thick. Place bread slices in casserole dish over the syrup mixture.
5. Pour the egg and milk mixture over the bread slices. Yes, this will completely fill the pan and the spaces in between the bread slices. It's supposed to do this.
6. Cover with plastic wrap. Place the dish in the refrigerator overnight OR prep this in the morning and let it soak all day for dinner in the evening. (And as a side note, don't be like me. Clear off a place to put this before you open the fridge door and try to hold the heavy dish full of liquid with one hand while you precariously stack plastic containers of leftovers and half full salsa jars with the other hand. That sort of scenario rarely has a happy ending.)
7. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. 

This dish does not need a syrup, since it makes its own. This makes it great for taking places, as long as you do the appropriate prep work the night before or early enough in the day. (In other words, you can't wake up at 7 and try to make and bake this dish for a 9am Bible study.)

I'm a big fan of breakfast for dinner once a week, and I like using this recipe for that purpose. I serve it with either thick bacon slices or thick ham slices and fresh fruit (strawberries, cantaloupe, honeydew melon) if I have some.

Normally, I'd leave you with a link to another interesting looking recipe, but right now, I'm trying to recover from blogroller turning evil and hijaking my blog. Curse you blogroller. Curse you.