This is one of those recipes in which you throw everything into a casserole dish, refrigerate, bake, and voila! French Toast Strata, a special occasion breakfast or brunch centerpiece.

The hardest part may be remembering to mix the ingredients ahead of time so you can refrigerate the dish between 2 hours and overnight.

The easiest part? Savoring the sweet results.

  • Yields: 12 servings
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Total: 55 mins plus 2 or more hours of refrigeration
  • Active: 10 mins

Ingredients (8)

  • 8 Eggland’s Best eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups lowfat buttermilk
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 French baguette loaf, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 325 °F. Coat a 13-by-9-inch casserole dish with cooking spray and set aside.
  2. Cut the baguette into 1/2-inch cubes and spread along the bottom of the dish.
  3. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, buttermilk, maple syrup, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Mix well and pour it over the bread.
  4. Cover the casserole dish with plastic wrap and press down lightly, so the bread absorbs the egg mixture. Refrigerate it at least 2 hours (or overnight) before baking.
  5. Bake for 45 minutes, or until eggs are set.
  6. After removing the dish from the oven, sprinkle it with brown sugar and let it stand for 10-15 minutes before serving.