French Toast Bake

This recipes comes from my wonderful best friend Kelly Jo Kemper.  She served it at one of our annual Winter Weekends and it was a hit.  She is a great cook and baker and I always enjoy when she cooks for me.  This is perfect for when you have company and you don't know what to serve for breakfast.  Just remember you must prepare the night before because the bread needs to soak.  My nephew Evan was a huge fan of this.  I believe he ate it for breakfast and dinner a few days in a row and then asked for more.  So Mom's out there if you have a picky eater maybe just maybe they will give this a try.


Ingredients

1 Loaf (10 oz) French Bread, Cut into 1-inch cubs (10 cups)
8 Eggs
3 Cups Milk
4 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 teaspoon salt (optional)

Topping
2 TBSP butter, cubed
3 TBSP Sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

Place bread cubes in greased 13 in x 9 in x 2 in baking dish. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla and salt. Pour over bread. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.

Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Dot with butter. Combine sugar and cinnamon, sprinkle over the top. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand for 5 minutes. Serve with syrup if desired.