French toast tray bake
This is quick and easy to make in the morning: let the oven do the work, and it makes a good pud. In France, the dish is called pain perdu, meaning lost bread. Why lost bread? Originally, people made French toast from stale bread in order to make use of bread that would otherwise have been thrown away
Serves 45
You will need clean hands chopping board and knife pie dish or small lasagne dish, approximately 20cm x 20cm, greased lightly with butter (using saved butter paper scraps) serrated knife mixing bowl wooden spoon fork/whisk
6 slices bread, buttered
1 cup frozen berries of your choosing 2 eggs
2 Tbsp sugar (I used coconut sugar) 2 cups milk/milk alternative (I used
oat milk)
1 tsp vanilla essence
1⁄2 tsp cinnamon icing sugar, to dust maple syrup and fresh berries, to serve
Method
Heat the oven to fan bake 180degC Cut each slice of buttered bread in half diagonally to make two triangles. If you are using a loaf of bread, carefully slice thin slices then do the same.
Lay four bread triangles butter side down.
Sprinkle with frozen berries and repeat to form layers.
Finish with a layer of bread with the butter side up.
Beat the eggs and sugar together, add the milk and vanilla. Pour over the bread and butter and sprinkle the top with cinnamon, if using.
Leave for 15 minutes or so for the bread to soak up the custard.
Bake for 30 minutes until golden brown and the custard is set.
Dust with icing sugar and serve with some yoghurt or cream and fresh berries, drizzled with maple syrup. Also lovely with fried banana and bacon!
For a less crispy top, cover with foil when cooking (I like it crispy).