Baked Croissant French Toast

I love using croissants to make fresh-tasting sandwiches, especially with egg salad.  But after a day or two if they have not been used up croissants start to dry out and lose their appeal.  Finding myself in that situation, I thought, why not make French Toast with them?

The one thing I was uncertain about was what form  should the croissant be in,  i.e.. left whole, broken up into pieces?  So I went where everyone goes for answers, the internet!  Into the Google search window I typed ” French Toast made with croissants”. and up came a whole load of sites, as you would expect.  Selecting one that seemed to have some promise, I ended up on a site called “Yummly”, and a recipe from Rachael Ray.  This gave me all the information I needed to proceed, and a fantastic new slant on baked french toast.   So here it is,  a  french toast that is very light and airy, nicely flavored with maple syrup, and baked till brown and crispy on top.

I wanted this for Sunday morning breakfast, and so I prepared the recipe the evening before and refrigerated it overnight.  Pop it in the oven to bake while having a first cup of coffee, and in about 35 – 45 minutes you can be sitting down to this extremely enjoyable breakfast, with a serving of fruit on the side.   Dee-lish!

CROISSANT FRENCH TOAST

Yield:   makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. pure maple syrup
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 cups milk  ( any kind  is okay.)
• 2 large eggs
• 5 croissants, cut in half horizontally

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350* F. Butter a  cake pan appropriately sized.  ( 9″ round,  8″ x 12″ rectangle)

2.  In a small heavy saucepan, bring the sugar, 2 Tablespoons maple syrup, and 1/2 cup water to a boil over medium-high heat, without stirring, and cook for about 5 minutes.  Boil until the caramel is a light golden color or a candy thermometer registers 240 degrees, 5 – 8 minutes longer  Working quickly and carefully, remove the thermometer and pour the maple caramel into the prepared cake pan.    Set aside.

3.  In a large bowl, whisk the milk, eggs and the remaining 1/4 cup maple syrup.  Arrange the croissants over the maple caramel in the baking dish.  Slowly pour the egg mixture over the top making sure to moisten all of the bread.  Press down gently to flatten.  Wait about 10 minutes, then go back and flatten again.  The dish may be baked at this time, or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until you are ready to bake it.  Before baking press down on the croissants again .

4.  Prior to baking sprinkle a cinnamon sugar mixture all over the top to create a sugary, crisp topping.  (This is my addition to the recipe,)  Bake at 350* for 35 – 45 minutes until custard is set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Browned and crispy on top.

Remove from the oven , cut into wedges or squares, and serve with butter and additional maple syrup if desired.

Serve with butter, maple syrup and a side of fruit.

TIP:   Swap out the croissants and use raisin bread or cake doughnuts instead.

SOURCE:   Everyday with Rachael Ray via Yummly.com