LaraW: Blueberry Stuffed French Toast

[Molli526]

Lara,

I was wondering if you would please share your recipe for Blueberry Stuffed French Toast.

Thanks!

[LaraW]

Sure, Molli! I love this stuff, and it is so easy!

Blueberry Stuffed French Toast

12 slices French bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 8-oz pkgs cream cheese, chilled, and cut into 1-inch cubes (I use neufchatel cheese)
1 C fresh blueberries, rinsed and drained (can use frozen)
12 large eggs (I use 1/2 egg sub and 1/2 eggs)
1/3 C maple syrup
2 C milk

Blueberry Syrup
1 C sugar
2 TB cornstarch
1 C water
1 C fresh blueberries, rinsed and drained (can use frozen)
1 TB unsalted butter


Grease a 13x9-inch baking pan. Place 1/2 the bread cubes evenly in prepared pan. Scatter cream cheese over bread and sprinkle with 1 C blueberries. Arrange remaining bread cubes over blueberries. In a large bowl combine eggs, syrup, and milk. Whisk to blend. Pour over bread mixture. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake, covered with foil, in middle of oven 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking 30 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown.

In a small saucepan combine sugar, cornstarch, and water over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until thickened. Stir in 1 C blueberries and simmer, stirring occasionally 10 minutes, or until most berries burst. Add butter and stir until melted (may be prepared up to 1 day in advance. Chill and reheat gently).

Serve the syrup with the french toast, or top the french toast with syrup while still in the pan

[Linda in MO]

I've had this. It's good! I wonder why it calls for so many eggs though. I've always wondered if you could reduce the amount and still have it turn out good.

[Molli526]

Thanks Lara, that sounds fabulous and right up my alley :D

Quick question about the bread - are they assuming each slice is ~ 1 oz? I only see french bread sold as whole loaves around here so would be buying one of those.

[DoDoDurk]

Would skim milk and Splenda work? Anyone have
a nutritional breakdown for this?

Thanks much!:)

[LaraW]

Molli, I usually buy a loaf of French bread and just cut it up into cubes. I guess I've never really measured it :o its just what fits in my pan.

Also, I don't usually serve the syrup separately. I just pour it on when serving. It seems like people forget its there and then I'm left with a bunch of syrup.

I've never tried it with Splenda, so I have no idea if it would work or not. I've never cooked anything with Splenda for that matter.

[Gracie]

Does this recipe get soggy? I was reading other overnight-soaked French toast threads and people were discussing how soggy this got.

We're having a farewell brunch for one of my employees and I thought this would be a great dish. I'll have to bake it at home in the morning and then bring it in to work with me.

Will this travel well? How can I keep it from getting soggy?

Loren

[garden_girl_kp]

this recipe looks great and I'd be interested in the nutritional info, too!

I have a weakness for breakfast foods & blueberries. Might have to try this recipe for a brunch/lunch special meal.

Thanks for posting

Karen

[JJeannette]

Gracie, if you look carefully at the recipe, what you are actually making is a version of bread pudding (which is the reason for so many eggs). Your end result should be custardy and soft rather than crisp/soggy. But, the good news is that it should travel well--. And you should be able to sub low fat/fat free ingredients and splenda(for at least part of the sugar) with decent results--the richness will be affected, but it will be much more healthy and if a person has never tried the original version, they shouldn't notice a difference---.

[veschke]

Mmmm... my husband's aunt makes this when the family is there for the holidays. It's wonderful, though a small piece goes a long way. I've never had a good excuse or a large enough crowd to make it.

[Gracie]

Originally posted by JJeannette
Gracie, if you look carefully at the recipe, what you are actually making is a version of bread pudding (which is the reason for so many eggs). Your end result should be custardy and soft rather than crisp/soggy. But, the good news is that it should travel well--. And you should be able to sub low fat/fat free ingredients and splenda(for at least part of the sugar) with decent results--the richness will be affected, but it will be much more healthy and if a person has never tried the original version, they shouldn't notice a difference---.

Thank you! I'm going to go for it! I'll let you know how everyone liked it.

Loren

[Molli526]

Loren,

I made this for Charlie's baptism and everyone raved! My SIL, acarfed this down while saying a few times she does not like blueberries!

[Gracie]

Molli - did you lighten it? and was it soggy in any way? I'm making it tonight!!

Loren

[Gracie]

I liked the idea of just putting the syrup right on top so that you can ensure that it gets used.

Should I wait and add that right before serving?

Loren

[Molli526]

It wouldn't say it was soggy by any means. It was like a bread pudding sort of. There was bread cube texture though.

I did use 1/3 less fat cream cheese, but whole eggs and regular everything else. I was cooking for my audience and most of them aren't into healthy foods, so I figured, why waste my money? I think full fat cream cheese would cut into cubes better than the 1/3 less fat.

[Molli526]

I made my syrup the night before, then reheated it in the microwave and added it on top of the casserole before serving.

[LaraW]

I agree that it is more custardy and is not really soggy. Loren, I'd make sure to use a pan that is big enough, because it will "expand" up when it bakes and when I put the syrup on it, some spilled out over the side. My pan was *exactly* big enough though - no extra room.

The 1/3 less fat cc doesn't cut up real easily, but I was thinking about putting it in the freezer for a 1/2 hour, if that would make it easier. I guess I'll just have to try again! ;)

Another note is that this keeps really well left over, and doesn't turn to goo in the refrigerator.

If someone has master cook, they can get the nutritional info, though this is one that I'd rather just not know. It came from one of the Denver Junior League cookbooks (not sure which one, I can check at home if anyone wants to know, though).

[Gracie]

Thanks Molli and Lara! I'm thinking of making it in an oval Pyrex casserole dish instead of a regular 13 x 9 - some for presentation and some because the sides are about 4 inches rather than my 2 inch 13 x 9. I'll measure the oval's capacity vs. the 13 x 9 before I start, though.

Loren

[LaraW]

Loren, something else you can do to prevent sogginess is to cut the bread a day before, and let it dry out. I forgot that I do this step as well, because I don't like soggy bread.

[Molli526]

I forgot to mention that I let my bread cubes sit out the day before to dry out.

[AdGirl]

Here it is, with the ingredients as listed. 12 servings. If you use 1/3 less fat cream cheese, each serving has 40 less calories and 5 less grams of fat.

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 441 Calories; 21g Fat (42.9% calories from fat); 13g Protein; 50g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 237mg Cholesterol; 421mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 1/2 Grain(Starch); 1 Lean Meat; 0 Fruit; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 3 1/2 Fat; 1 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.

[ErinM]

Yum, the official ErinM Family Christmas Breakfast! :)

[Gracie]

We just finished our work brunch and the french toast went over well. It wasn't a star, but it was good.

I personally think there was too much cream cheese, but that's a personal preference. I put it together last night and got up early this morning to bake it. I went back to bed and so it cooked for almost 50 minutes covered (!) and then when I woke back up I baked it uncovered for another 30 minutes.

It rose beautifully but in the time that it took me to bring it to work it had deflated a bit. That was good, though because I had room to spread the blueberry syrup where I wouldn't have before. It was not in the least bit soggy.

I would probably make it again with only 1 8-oz block of cream cheese. It sure made the house smell wonderful this morning!

Loren

[LaraW]

Glad you enjoyed it - we don't have it super often because of how rich it is, but its a hit when we do have it :)

I'm glad it wasn't soggy too :)

[Gracie]

I forgot to mention that I lightened it completely. It was totally fat free and I also used Splenda so the only carbs in it was the bread itself. I used FF cream cheese, all egg whites (it took 19 egg whites to make the equivalent of 12 eggs), sugar free syrup, skim milk and the Splenda.

Everyone liked it and, having never had it before, could not believe that it was light, never mind fat free.

Loren

[matt]

I could not find french bread .is Pepperidge Farm a good bread to use? thanks guys

[matt]

i had gotten the Pepper Ridge original bread do u think it will be sturdy enough to do the french toast justice?

[EmilyK]

Okay, I made this for a potluck at work today and it was fabulous! My coworkers were raving about how great it was... (I did dry my bread overnight) My question: after it's sitting out all day, is it still okay to put in the fridge and reheat tomorrow? I know there are eggs in cookies, but what about the cooked milk and cream cheese? Not sure what to do with the leftovers.

Thanks for any hints!! :)