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WCC #4: Lemony Bread-Pudding French Toast

Date: Apr. 17th 2006
Category: Flavour of the Month, Lemon, Brunch
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What is that glorious scent? Something warm and eggy in the air is pulling me out of a deep sleep. It’s calling me, more and more forcefully, urging me to wake up and make my way to the kitchen.

Incredibly I resist wakefulness. I’m so tired. I went to bed at 3:30 a.m. after baking the crust for a lemon meringue tart that we’ll be enjoying after our Easter feast. I’m soooooo tired. I can’t get up! I won’t get up!

But wait … there it is again. That mouth-watering smell now yanking at my senses and literally pulling my eyelids open. My head makes its own way from out under the covers, all the better to get at that olfactory feast in the air. Before I know it, my hands are reaching out and stretching. I can’t take it anymore. Even though I’m still bone-tired, I have to get up and discover what the yumminess is that has awoken me.

Dscn1610Bleary-eyed I make my way gingerly down the stairs. I shuffle into the kitchen and am instantly enveloped in the oven’s warmth. And perched on the stove, like a trophy, is the source of the aroma that is making my mouth water in anticipation. It’s the pan of Lemony Bread-Pudding French Toast that I’d prepared the night before … or wait … was it in the wee hours of this same morning? Hmmm … don’t remember and quite frankly don’t care either!

I rush to the refrigerator and dig madly for the little tub of crème fraîche hiding behind two legs of lamb, bunches of broccoli raab, stuffed olives waiting to be fried, the lemon curd filling for my tart, green beans, two huge bags of salad that I painstakingly washed, a container of artichoke pâté for the antipasto, a hunk of Gorgonzola, more lemons than I can count, a package containing a pound and a half of thinly-sliced Prosciutto di Parma, grape tomatoes and a beautiful bunch of red grapes. Somewhere, behind all that food, my now wide-awake fingers find the precious tub. As I pull my arm out I almost knock over a bottle of Riesling, but at this point I’m too frantic to care.

I serve myself a most generous slice of french toast, pile on the crème fraîche and drown it all in pure maple syrup. I’m not even fully-seated at the kitchen table before I already have a huge piece of french toast in my mouth. I look like Nigella Lawson downing Yorkshire pudding covered in cream and golden syrup. But I don’t care. I’m in heaven.

And then it slowly comes back to me. I remember buying the white sandwich bread at the supermarket (yes … I know … refined white bread is bad for you but what can I say … it’s my weakness). I remember mixing together eggs and milk and deciding to use five eggs even though the recipe called for six. I remember buttering a glass baking dish and stacking twelve slices of bread in four piles of three. I remember pouring the egg and milk mixture on the bread and mushing it down with my fingers. I remember covering the dish and tucking it away in the refrigerator (how did I manage to close the door with all that food in there?) to sit overnight.

The rest is a blur. Something to do with a tart crust, washing salad, using the food processor to make an artichoke appetizer and stumbling into bed exhausted. The unbelievably luscious french toast has now revived me enough to figure out that my lovely mamma put the dish in the oven about an hour earlier to bake into a puffed and golden dish of goodness.

And of course, I now remember that this was my contribution to the fourth Weekend Cookbook Challenge hosted by Alicat of Something So Clever and Sara of I Like to Cook.

But most importantly, I remember that it’s Easter morning. The sun is shining. My mother and I are enjoying our brunch dish, feeling our spirits lift and energizing ourselves for the hours to come when we will be preparing lunch for thirteen people.

I remember. And I am so happy.

Ciao!

Lemony Bread-Pudding French Toast

Adapted from Lemon Zest by Lori Longbotham.

  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest
  • 5 large eggs (original recipe uses 6 eggs)
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 12 slices white bread (I used Wonder Bread, but Lori suggests using Pepperidge Farm Original White bread.)
  • 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
  • 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted  butter, at room temperature
  • pure maple syrup
  1. Bring the milk just to a boil. Remove from the heat and add the lemon zest. Allow to steep for 10 minutes and then pour the milk through a sieve to remove the zest. Allow the milk to cool for an additional 15 minutes.
  2. Whisk together the eggs and vanilla extract. Add the milk and whisk well.
  3. Butter an 8-inch square glass baking dish. Arrange the bread in the dish in 4 stacks of 3 slices. You may have to squish the sides of the bread together to get it all to fit in.
  4. Slowly pour the egg/milk mixture over the bread. You may have to stop every once and a while to allow the liquid to seep in. Once you’ve poured it all in, press down on the bread with your fingers to submerge the bread. Cover the dish and refrigerate it overnight.
  5. In the morning, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  6. In a small bowl, combine the butter and brown sugar into a paste. Spread over the top of the french toast.
  7. Bake the french toast for an hour or until a knife inserted in the centre comes out clean.
  8. Let the french toast cool for 10 minutes and then serve with maple syrup and crème fraîche if you have it!
  9. Enjoy!

Note:  This recipe serves 4 to 6 people. The only recommendation that I would make that is different from the original recipe is that you put the dish on a baking sheet before putting it into the oven. It rises quite a bit and you may have some liquid fall over the side onto the floor of your oven. The baking sheet will protect your oven from any spills.

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39 Comments

Lera

04/17/06 at 11:48 pm

Wow, This one is a “Lovely ” picture & a recipe to match..just yummm!

rob

04/18/06 at 12:13 am

Touching post, Ivonne.

I love French toast with citrus, though I’m something of an orange fan myself. The dollop of creme fraiche is over the top delicious.

Sonali

04/18/06 at 12:42 am

This looks & sounds so good ! Love to reading your writing too (”And then it slowly comes back to me. I remember buying the white sandwich bread … ” :))

Bookmarked this one and I am waiting to make it for the next festive occassion.

MM

04/18/06 at 3:29 am

Goodness, that looks amazing! I adore bread & butter pudding and went through a serious French toast phase once. Yums - love it!

ilva

04/18/06 at 4:22 am

this is really tempting! I think I’ll make it one Sunday morning!

Baking Soda

04/18/06 at 7:23 am

How did you know I had so many odd bits of stale easter breads? Tadata..no bird feeding today..(sorry birdies). Thanks!

lee

04/18/06 at 7:46 am

Hey! I made french toast with the bread I made for Weekend Cookbook Challenge! Easter is my favorite because the focus is on breakfast/brunch-my favorite meal!

Sally

04/18/06 at 8:43 am

I make bread pudding all the time…but I never thought of refrigerating it overnight. What is the purpose of that? Sounds intrigueing. I wish I could have eaten Easter dinner at YOUR place! LOL

Tanna

04/18/06 at 10:55 am

That was thrilling! You are so lucky to have your mum to share it with. Goodness that looks incredible, I’ll have to make it so that I can have a real bite. Thanks.

Tania

04/18/06 at 11:18 am

Lovely post, Ivonne, and a lovely recipe, too! I love the cozy image of you and your mother sharing breakfast … but where was your brother? He did get some, too, didn’t he??

Sara

04/18/06 at 11:27 am

How wonderful Ivonne! Sounds like your Easter dinner was pretty terrific too. Hope you had a good holiday weekend.

kickpleat

04/18/06 at 12:41 pm

wow, this would definitely wake me up in the earliest of mornings!

Bea at La Tartine Gourmande

04/18/06 at 12:59 pm

Looks great Ivonne. The simplest things bring happiness, dont’ they? I had to smile at your fridge description, Mine was so packed that it was a relief when all the food got out! Like being smushed on a bus at rush hour!

Dianka

04/18/06 at 1:12 pm

Ivonne,

We relate so much! Nothing like baking traditional recipes with your family. I love bread pudding and this looks so delicious. Great pictures, you are a pro!

~Dianka
http://na-zdravi.blogspot.com/

linda

04/18/06 at 1:16 pm

never had bread pudding…and till now never really had the urge…but when I saw this one…yummy!

Nazca

04/18/06 at 2:37 pm

Never been a big fan of custard or creme Anglais, so bread and butter pudding was never a draw for me [I think I’m the only person in Britain who thinks this way :-)]. I always though french toast was bread dipped in egg and shallow fried?

Still the pic looks good :-D

Baking Soda

04/18/06 at 3:14 pm

I made this tonight, used leftover bits and pieces of Easter bread, added a swig of eggnog…loved it!

lakshmi

04/18/06 at 3:22 pm

this looks great. came to your blog th’ sailu’s cuisine.

kelli ann

04/18/06 at 4:30 pm

i can almost taste it. oh, my, goodness. thank you!!
kaf

Vanessa

04/18/06 at 4:49 pm

looks fabulous! i make bread pudding all the time but more as traditional dessert… a breakfast version sounds more than delectable.

sally - putting the bread pudding in the fridge just lets all the fantastic sauce mixture really seep into every crevice and have the bread completely soaked with no sauce left. at least that was my take on it.

Ivonne

04/18/06 at 7:53 pm

Hi everyone!

Thanks so much for your wonderful comments.

The french toast was DELICIOUS and it was a terrific way to be woken up on Easter Sunday morning.

If you get a chance, try it!

As always your words are so inspiring and encouraging … I wish I could have all of you over for a blogger feast!

Liza

04/18/06 at 8:36 pm

Well, obviously, this is my kind of recipe… And I know I want to get “Luscious Lemon Desserts” but I forgot about “Lemon Zest”, which I HAVE to get VERY soon as well…
Thanks for leaving comment on my site :)

Michelle

04/18/06 at 10:29 pm

Oh wow!! That looks terrific! I love lemon desserts! I even went and bought myself a lemon tree this year and it is loaded with tiny lemons! I can’t wait to make things with them. I have never seen this cookbook, but I am on my way to Amazon right now! Thanks for the info! Have a great night!

Ramya

04/19/06 at 6:32 am

your recipe for wbc#4 is simply delicious though I avoid egg yolks.ButI knew about its real taste.Took my time to see your site today.You are really a fab cook!

Jennifer

04/19/06 at 9:40 am

Hi Ivonne!
That is a breakfast I could really get into–my favorite French toast recipe is made the night before also, and I love that in my morning bleary-eyed state, all I have to do is open the oven. The lemon and creme fraiche sound like luscious additions!

emily

04/19/06 at 11:57 am

Oh wow.This looks divine.I’m a huge fan of anything lemon,so this one will certainly be made soon.

Ivonne

04/19/06 at 12:19 pm

Hi Liza,

My pleasure. I highly recommend this book!

Hi Michelle,

You’re so lucky that you have your own lemon tree … I wish I had one!

Hi Ramya,

Thanks for stopping by! And thanks for the kind words.

Hi Jennifer,

This is the first time I’ve made baked french toast and I will be doing it often! I enjoyed having it first thing in the morning while in my jammies.

Hi Emily,

So glad to hear it!

Cannella

04/19/06 at 2:39 pm

Ivonne, voglio fare il pane di Pasqua di tua mamma e tua nonna, il post era bellissimo, una storia emozionante! Baci!

Paz

04/19/06 at 9:47 pm

This is something to be happy about: The lemony bread-pudding french toast and a beautiful Easter day and sharing it with a loved one.

Paz ;-)

Ivonne

04/19/06 at 9:53 pm

Ciao Cannella,

Sei sempre cosi’ dolce! Grazie mille!

Hi Paz,

I couldn’t agree with you more!

genevieve

04/19/06 at 11:13 pm

Ivonne! That looks marvelous. I have such a weakness for bread pudding. I am happy that you have dubbed April your lemon zest month - I just treated myself to a Microplane. :)

Ivonne

04/20/06 at 12:34 am

Hi Genevieve!

I love Microplanes … I hope yours brings you many years of happy zesting!

Pille

04/20/06 at 4:43 am

That looks divinely delicious!!

wandering coyote

04/20/06 at 12:05 pm

This sounds absolutely divine, Ivonne. It’s exactly like a strata, only sweet. I love stratas, and have a recipe for one in my archives somewhere. This I’ll have to try out one of these days.

BTW, I see your theme for this month is lemons. I have an amazing recipe for Real Lemon Pie in my archives, in the fall I think. It is awesome, and easy, and a real conversation piece because it’s so different.

lin

04/21/06 at 12:40 pm

heyy.. i tried this recipe and it was WONDERFUL! my mum loved it a lot, and we drizzled it with warm honey, as we couldnt find creme fraiche and didnt have maple syrup on hand.

Ivonne

04/23/06 at 4:18 pm

Hi Pille,

Thank you so much and thank you for stopping by!

Hi Wandering Coyote,

I’m countin on seeing that lemon pie recipe on your blog!

Hi Lin,

Oooooooh! Good idea with the warm honey. I’ll have to make this again just to try it with the honey.

barbie2be

04/24/06 at 1:22 am

oh. My. GOD! this looks amazing!

Mimi

09/16/06 at 10:29 am

My sentiments exactly, barbie2be.

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