Very Berry French Toast Bake

I love strawberries and blueberries so the dish originally only had those two fruits. I adapted a baked french toast recipe that originally sat overnight in the frige - but one time I wanted it now, not tomorrow, so I used plastic wrap to force the egg mixture into the bread - and it worked! Now that I have married, I added raspberries to the mix since my hubby loves them and we grow them. He says it's a winner every time (he also says it's too good for breakfast - I should serve for dessert!)

Very Berry French Toast Bake
 
Ingredients:


12-14 slices of day old bread
1 cup blueberries rinsed
1 cup raspberries (or blackberries) rinsed
1 cup strawberries rinsed capped and sliced
10 eggs
2 cups milk

2 Tablespoons vanilla extract (I use pure, you can get it at Sam's Club at a reasonable price)
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 stick margarine or butter
Maple syrup and additional butter/margarine

Directions:

• Remove crusts (I don't - but it's up to you) and cube bread.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Spray or grease a 13 x 9 x 2 baking pan/dish.
• Layer 1/2 bread, all fruit and remaining bread into prepared pan.
• In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs until well blended and light in color.
• Add milk, stirring well. Pour egg mixture evenly over bread & fruit.
• Cover baking dish with plastic wrap and press on mixture several times to absorb eggs/milk; remove wrap.  (OR you can pop into your refrigerator at least 8 hours or overnight like the original recipe).
• Sprinkle brown sugar over top of mixture and dot with butter pieces.
• Cut heavy duty foil large enough to cover your baking pan/dish.
• Tent foil over dish and bake covered at 350°F for 30 minutes.
• Uncover and continue baking 25-30 minutes longer or until golden brown and center is set.
• Yield:  6-8 servings (if serving for dessert or you want smaller portions - it could yield up to 12 servings).

Additional Notes:


Serve drizzled with maple syrup and additional butter if desired. Pair it up with maple sausage links, coffee and orange juice for a great breakfast/brunch.   It would also make a terrific dessert, topped with a small dollop of whipped cream.