French Toast Bake

I usually do not like to toot my own horn, but..... toot toot! I created this recipe based on past french toasts I have made. It was easy to put together and was really delicous. To be completely honest, my measurements were not exact so I may need to tamper with them next time I make this to get more exact measurements. 

After baking this and letting it cool, I cut it into squares and froze them so I could continue to enjoy them through the week. I forgot to take pictures while cooking so had to resort to taking a picture of a piece I was about to devour for breakfast while at work (eating from a super fancy paper plate with a plastic fork! haha!). If you are eating a reheated piece of this, I would recommend microwaving whatever you will be eating for 40 seconds then putting it in the toaster at 400 degrees for a couple of minutes.

Ingredients:

8 ciabatta rolls ripped into small pieces (about 1inch cubes but does not need to be perfect by any means)

4 (ounces) low-fat cream cheese (if warmed slightly it is easier to mix)

8 large eggs
2 cups milk (I used skim but it probably would taste even better with 2% or whole milk)
1/2 cup half and half cream

1 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

a couple of pats of butter (for pan)

Topping:

1/2 stick butter, warmed

3/4 cup of brown sugar

3/4 cup of sliced almonds

1/2 tsp+ cinnamon (I think I used a bit more)

Directions:

1.  Use the pats of butter to grease a 9x13 baking pan. Place bread cubes in the pan.

2.  In a large bowl, mix cream cheese, milk, half and half, vanilla, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt with a whisk.  Add eggs and whisk well.    Pour cream cream cheese mixture over the bread; cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, overnight is ideal and easy!

3.  Remove pan from refrigerator, and let stand at room temperature for 20-30 minutes.  Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Also, get the topping ready by combining all the topping ingredients in a bowl and mix with a fork. Spread the topping over the french toast.

4.  Bake covered with foil for 30 minutes then turn the over temp to 375 and bake for an additional 20 minutes uncovered, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. 

5. Serve with maple syrup and ENJOY!