Boozy Baked French Toast

“Jocelyn, advance over. I’m making baked French toast for Dave and I.”

“I’m too hung over. I’m death.”

“Bailey’s French toast will remedy the rest.”

“I will’t attain it. I will’t deal with sunlight hours and open air yet.”

“Right name a car carrier. You’ll be here in half-hour. Come on, you must.”

“I’ll never accomplish it. It’s too a long way.”

“Function you desire me to name for you?”

“No, I’ll enjoy Jacqui accomplish me French toast as a alternative. How attain you accomplish it?”

“Milk, eggs, bread, sugar…”

“Oh my god! Jacquelyn!” Jocelyn starts banging on her sleeping roommate’s door. “We enjoy now eggs! We enjoy now milk! We enjoy now bread! Why aren’t you making me French toast? Debbie’s making Dave French toast!”

Jacquelyn locked the door and hid below the covers.

“You of us are terrible friends,” talked about Jocelyn. “And you both owe me French toast.”

In her quintessential Jocelyn manner, seven years later the lady serene likes to procedure shut me back to the indisputable fact that I owe her the French toast she used to be too hungover to defective the East River to acquire, so when she invited us over for champagne and tree-trimming this afternoon, I finally caved to her ridiculousness and baked some up. I mean, it’s no longer tackle I used to be complaining or the rest; this stuff is the most easy.

And the very top! Seriously, procedure shut one loaf of your decision of bread — I’ve made it with the complete lot from Balthazar buttery brioche to Wonder bread and it’s consistently delectable — lay it out in one, two or three layers a properly-buttered baking dish, pour an egg/milk custard over, flavored with your well-liked blend of booze, extracts, zests, nuts, dried fruit — you title it — and then bake it for approximately half an hour. That’s it. That’s all there is. Extra bread pudding than classic French toast, you would possibly well perchance even decrease back the energy with decrease elephantine milk or jack up the richness by buttering every cut of bread earlier than arranging them within the pan.

But, absolutely the one negate about this skill to French toast, and the reason I used to be drawn to it within the principle role is that in making it the evening earlier than, it’s the appropriate guests-for-brunch food as you would possibly well perchance well presumably enjoy none of that standing over a pan cooking particular particular person portions mess whereas of us wonder where their host is, and in actuality no work to attain at all on the day of. With the exception of, express, acquire your butt to where you’re going or possibility waiting seven years to acquire your absorb. That section’s all you.

Boozy Baked French Toast

1 loaf grocery store Challah bread in 1-straggle slices, no want for the immense-tackle stuff here

3 cups complete milk

3 eggs

3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

Your decision of flavorings: I declare 3 tablespoons Bailey’s and 3 tablespoons Cointreau, nonetheless Frangelico (hazelnut), Chambord (raspberry), Creme de Cassis (dark currant) Sizable Marnier or true a teaspoon or two of vanilla or almond extract can attain the trick. You might perchance possibly well perchance bump up a citrus flavor with a teaspoon of zest, add a half-cup of chopped nuts akin to almond slivers or pecans between layers or on high or an analogous quantity of raisins or assorted dried fruits.

1. Generously grease a 9×13-straggle baking dish with salted (my decision) or unsalted butter.

2. Arrange bread in two tightly-packed layers within the pan. I consistently decrease one cut into smaller items to absorb in gaps, especially when using braided Challah. If using a thinner-sliced bread, you would possibly well perchance well presumably wish for more layers, despite the indisputable fact that I salvage that over three, even baking would possibly furthermore be complicated. Whenever you’re using any fillings of fruit or nuts, here’s the time to acquire them between the layers or sprinkled atop.

3. Streak milk, eggs, sugar, salt and booze or flavorings of your decision and pour over the bread. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.

4. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. The bread will soak up all of the milk custard whereas you sleep.

5. Bake at 425 for half-hour, or unless puffed and golden. This can procedure shut longer whereas you happen to can enjoy additional layers.

6. Decrease into generous squares and relieve with maple syrup, new fruit, powdered sugar or all of the above.

Serves 6 as fundamental path.