12 serving(s)
PREP TIME: 15 mins
COOK TIME: 1 hr
TOTAL TIME: 1 hr 15 mins

Ingredients
FOR THE FRENCH TOAST:
1 loaf crusty sourdough or French bread
8 whole eggs
2 c. whole milk
1/2 c. heavy whipping cream
3/4 c. sugar
2 tbsp. vanilla extract
FOR THE TOPPING:
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. firmly-packed brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1 pinch nutmeg (optional)
1 stick cold butter, cut into pieces
Fresh fruit (optional)

Directions
1Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with butter. Tear bread into chunks (or cut into cubes) and evenly distribute in the pan.
2Mix together eggs, milk, cream, sugar, and vanilla in a medium sized bowl. Pour evenly over the bread. Cover tightly and store in the fridge for several hours or overnight.
3Mix flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a separate bowl. Add nutmeg if desired. Add butter pieces and cut them into the dry mixture until the mixture resembles fine pebbles. Store in a zip-top bag in the fridge.
4When you’re ready to bake the casserole, preheat oven to 350°. Remove the casserole from the fridge and sprinkle the crumb mixture over the top. (If you’re using fruit, sprinkle on before the crumb mixture.) Bake for 45 minutes for a softer, more bread pudding-like texture. Bake 1 hour or more for a firmer, crispier texture.
5Scoop out individual portions. Top with butter and drizzle with maple syrup.
This is a scrumptious make-ahead breakfast casserole that’s so easy to prepare, it should be illegal. Leave it plain as the recipe dictates, or throw in blueberries or apple chunks to give it a little more dimension. And what I love about this dish is that you can decrease the cooking time a bit in order to result in a more moist bread pudding-like dish… or bake it a little longer to make the final product more crispy and “done.”

Perfect for guests, kids, foreign dignitaries, heads of state, dimwits, dillweeds… and me.

Here’s what you need—looks like a lot, but it’s all simple as can be. Sourdough (or other crusty) bread, eggs, milk, cream, vanilla, sugar, salt, cinnamon, flour, brown sugar… and butter.

Of course.