Ready for a long-winded background story about a recipe? Here we go! First off, you need to know two things:
1. I just finished reading my first book of 2012, Kisses from Katie. (I’ll have my review of the book up tomorrow.)
2. I hate wasting food. And after reading all about the little ones Katie cares for on a daily basis, I am even more committed!
So I was in quite the predicament when I had three-quarters of an uneaten loaf of homemade bread the other day. My kids love bread straight from the bread machine, but the next day….well, not so much. I was determined not to waste (and not have to eat it by myself!) so I put on my thinking cap (aka Google) and found an awesome recipe I just had to share!
I put the recipe together in the afternoon with the intention of serving it for breakfast the next day, but quickly turned it into a “breakfast for dinner” meal. It only sat in the fridge a few hours, but was still delicious. I imagine it only gets better if it sits overnight! Enjoy.
4 Tablespoons butter, melted
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 loaf brioche or challah (I used regular white bread and it was still good)
8 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup whole milk
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger (optional – I didn’t have any and it still tasted great!)
1/2 cup pecans, measured then chopped (also optional – we have many non-nut eaters in our house)
1/8 teaspoon salt
maple syrup and/or powdered sugar for topping
In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and melted butter and pour on the bottom of a 9×13″ baking dish. Arrange slices of bread in the baking dish, overlapping if necessary. Combine milk, eggs, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, and ginger in a bowl and pour evenly over bread slices. If desired, sprinkle chopped pecans over bread slices. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 4-12 hours. In the morning, take the casserole out of the fridge for at least 10 minutes while you are preheating your oven to 350 degrees. Bake casserole for 30-35 minutes. If top starts browning too quickly place a foil loosely over the top of the casserole for the last 10 minutes or so. You want it to cook long enough to make sure the bottom part is cooked but don’t dry it out completely. Remove casserole from oven and let it cool slightly before serving. Serve with a dusting of powdered sugar and a drizzle of maple syrup.
