peaches-and-cream baked french toast

we love fun breakfast recipes over at our house, and recently we created a new breakfast recipe which has now become one of our favorites . . . peaches-and-cream baked french toast.

a few weeks ago, ryan and i were talking about food (a pretty common occurrence at our house) and the topic of baked french toast came up in our conversation.  one thing lead to another, and we started constructing a recipe for baked french toast.  i'll give ryan credit for thinking of incorporating the peaches.  i'll take credit for thinking of incorporating the cream cheese.  thus, peaches and cream . . . i call that good team work.

this recipe kicks things up a notch on the french toast scale.  it is definitely not your grandmother's old-fashioned french toast.  instead, it's almost like a french toast bread pudding.  this dish can stand alone as a weekend morning breakfast, or it can serve as an awesome side dish for a brunch.  it would be perfect for special occasions too.

all of the work is done the night before, so when you wake up in the morning, all you have to do is preheat your oven and let it bake.  it doesn't get much better than that!  serve it at your next gathering, and you'll be a hit for sure!

ps: today i'm guest posting over on angie's blog "this crazy nest" and sharing this recipe.  be sure to check out my guest post here.

gather your ingredients

beat the cream cheese until smooth

mix in the sour cream, milk, brown sugar, and maple syrup

add the eggs, cinnamon, and vanilla

beat everything together until smooth

place 1 inch cubes of bread and the peach slices
in a buttered glass baking dish

pour the mixture over the bread cubes and the peach slices,
then cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate overnight

the next morning, allow the dish to come to room temperature, then bake

allow the dish to sit for several minutes before cutting

serve hot with powdered sugar, maple syrup, whipped cream, and peaches

. . .

peaches-and-cream baked french toast
prep time: 10 minutes
resting time: approximately 8 hours
baking time: 60-65 minutes
yields: 8-10 servings

ingredients:
12 oz. french bread
16 oz. frozen peaches
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup light sour cream
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2-3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
10 large eggs
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

directions:
cut the bread into 1 inch cubes and place the bread cubes in a buttered 9x13 inch glass baking dish.  evenly spread the peach slices on top of the bread cubes.  in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth with an electric hand mixer.  add the sour cream, milk, brown sugar, and maple syrup.  beat until all of the ingredients are incorporated and the sugar is dissolved.  add the eggs, cinnamon, and vanilla.  beat until smooth.  pour the mixture over the bread cubes and the peach slices.  cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate overnight.

remove from the refrigerator and allow the dish to sit on the counter for 30 minutes to come to room temperature.  meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.  bake covered for 30 minutes.  uncover and continue baking for an additional 30-35 minutes, or until there are no visible signs of liquid egg mixture.  remove from the oven.  allow the french toast to sit for several minutes to set up before cutting.

serve hot, dusted with powdered sugar.  garnish with maple syrup, whipped cream, and additional peach slices.

enjoy!

love, laurie