Baked Coconut French Toast

Weekday mornings are so rushed with getting ready for work, breakfast is usually something quick like a scone or granola bar with coffee.  But on the weekend I like to make more complete breakfasts, to be enjoyed more leisurely.  This weekend I made this recipe for a baked French Toast that was fantastic!

The recipe was one that I had clipped out of a magazine some time ago and tucked into one of my (many) recipe books and forgot about.  While I was looking for another recipe this one fell out onto my lap.  When this kind of thing happens I take it as a sign that now is the right time to make it, and so I did.

Oh, what we’ve been missing all this time!…a little rich, a little high in fat and carbs, but we can fix that.  I’m printing the recipe as it was written, and then including my modifications for cutting back on fat, and sugar.  Here we go—-

BAKED COCONUT FRENCH TOAST

YIELD:  8 servings, 2 slices of French Toast

INGREDIENTS

• 1 French bread baguette, (10 ounce size), sliced diagonally, 1-inch thick

• 

  Diagonally sliced French baguette

•  cooking spray

• 1 1/4 cups coconut milk  ( I used light coconut milk–less saturated fat)
• 4 large eggs ( substitute with 1 1/4 cups egg substitute, or 2 eggs and 1/2 cup egg substitute)
• 1/2 cup sugar  (you can reduce to 1/4 cup, especially if using syrup on your toast)
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup flaked sweetened coconut

1.  Arrange the slices of bread in a single layer in a 13″ x 9″ bake pan,  or 12″ x 8″ pan coated with cooking spray.

Arrange Bread slices in baking pan.

2.  Combine the coconut milk, eggs or egg substitute, sugar and vanilla, stirring with a whisk, and pour evenly over the bread slices.  Turn the bread over to coat both sides.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.

Pour egg and milk mixture over bread slices.

3.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

4.  Remove bread from refrigerator, and uncover.  Turn bread slices over, and sprinkle evenly with  flaked coconut.  Let it stand at room temperature 15 minutes.  Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 30 minutes or until coconut is golden.

Turn bread over and sprinkle with coconut before baking.

Serve warm with a fresh fruit compote to complete a very enjoyable breakfast or brunch.

Serve with fresh fruit compote.

SOURCE:   Unknown