Overnight Coconut-Almond French Toast Casserole

| Melanie Dueck
Serving size:9
Prep Time:
Total Time:
Overnight Coconut-Almond French Toast Casserole

French Toast

  • 1 loaf (9 slices) artisan French bread (the kind that has a hard crusty outside)
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 31/2 cup half-and-half
  • 6 eggs, beaten
  1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 inch pan with butter.
  2. Slice French bread into thick 1 inch slices (you only need 9). Lay the bread on a baking sheet and bake for 6 minutes on each side to dry out the bread.
  3. In a large bowl, mix together the sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Beat in the eggs, half-and-half, and vanilla.
  4. Dip each slice of bread in the mixture and then arrange staggered in pan like shingles. Pour the remaining mixture into the pan. Cover the pan with a lid or plastic wrap and place in the fridge overnight (at least 6 hours).

    Topping

    • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
    • 1/2 stick butter, melted
    • 2 tbsp milk
    • 1 egg
    • 1/8 tsp salt
    • 1/4 cup sugar
    • 1/4 cup flour
    • 1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons sliced almonds (divided)
    • 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons sweetened coconut flakes (divided)
    1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
    2. In a blender or food processor, puree ½ cup coconut, ? cup almonds, flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Spread the paste over the soaked bread. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons coconut and 2 tablespoons almonds over the top.
    3. Bake for 50 minutes and then allow the casserole to cool for 40 minutes to an hour before serving

      Garnish

      • Raspberry sauce (recipe below)
      • Fresh berries
      • Powdered sugar
      1. Garnish with powdered sugar, fresh berries, and raspberry sauce. (You can also top with whipped cream or syrup.)

        Raspberry Sauce

        • 1 tbsp corn starch
        • 3 tbsp sugar
        • 1/2 cup water
        • 1 (12 ounce) package frozen raspberries
        1. Add all sauce ingredients to a small pot and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes until sauce thickens. Strain sauce through a mesh strainer and into a bowl to remove the seeds. You will have to push the sauce around with a spatula to help it through. You will be left with a thick paste of seeds that you can discard. Cover the strained sauce and refrigerate.

        Recipe Source: Slightly adapted from Taste of Home (different bread, more cinnamon, slightly different amounts of various ingredients, topped with raspberry sauce)

        For the full post, visit Garnish and Glaze.