Blueberry French Toast Casserole

French Toast is one of my favorite breakfast foods, and it is very easy to make it for a small crowd. It's simply put together in a 9 x 13" baking dish that is refrigerated for several hours or overnight, and then baked in the oven. I typically use almost an entire 1-pound loaf of French bread, and then make a custard. Sometimes I add fruit, other times, I don't. 

There are many versions of this sort of dish that can be found online. This one has intrigued me, since you lightly toast the cubed bread before adding your custard, I assume to prevent the bread from getting soggy once it's baked. I have not tried this particular recipe yet, but am posting it here so that I remember to try it in the future. I found this recipe in the Delish Comfort Food magazine, but it can be found here on their website. 

Photo courtesy of Delish . com

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Serves 8

1 (one-pound) loaf of unsliced challah bread, cut into 1" cubes (yielding about 10 cups of bread cubes)
1/2 cup pure maple syrup (not pancake syrup) 

3 (4" x 1") strips of orange zest (orange peel) (open link to find directions on how to so this)

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice

3 cups fresh blueberries (about 16 ounces) blueberries (about 16 ounces), divided (see step two)

Kosher salt

6 large eggs

2 cups whole milk

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated if you are able

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar  (open link to see what that is)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus more for greasing the pan

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. On a large, rimmed baking sheet, spread the bread cubes in an even layer, then bake 325 degrees, stirring halfway through, until the bread is lightly toasted, but not browned, about 10 minutes. Allow the bread to cool on the baking sheet.

2. In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the maple syrup, orange zest and orange juice, 2 cups of the blueberries, and a pinch of kosher salt to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the blueberries have released their juices and only half of them are still intact, about 10 minutes. 

3. Transfer 1/2 of the blueberry sauce you just made into a small bowl, and stir in the remaining 1 cup of blueberries. Set this aside until you are ready to assemble the casserole. Transfer the remaining sauce into an airtight container, cover, and refrigerate it. You will serve this remaining sauce alongside the casserole at serving time. 

4. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9" x 13" baking pan. In a large bowl, using a hand-held electric mixer on medium speed, beat the eggs until well combined. Add the whole milk, heavy whipping cream, vanilla extract, nutmeg, 1/4 cup of the turbinado sugar and an additional 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt and beat until smooth. Add all of the toasted bread cubes to the bowl, toss them in the custard, and let them soak in the custard for about 5 minutes. 

5. Spread two-thirds of the bread mixture into your prepared baking pan. Spoon the 1/2 cup of your blueberry mixture that you had set aside evenly over the top of the bread mixture. Top with the remaining 1/3 bread mixture, gently pressing down into an even height. Scatter the 2 tablespoons of cut up pieces of butter over all, then cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 10-12 hours.

6. To bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. While the oven is preheating, let the casserole and the reserved blueberry sauce sit at room temperature. Before you bake it, sprinkle on the remaining 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar over the top of the casserole. 

7. Bake the casserole until it has puffed up, the edges are crisp, is golden brown in color, and is set in the middle, about 45 minutes. Allow to cool slightly, about 5 minutes, before serving. Serve with the reserved blueberry sauce on the side.