Vermont Breakfast Bread
Yield: approximately 6 servings

Leftovers are delicious over several days when reheated in the toaster oven.


Ingredients

  • 3 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup (4 ounces) milk of choice*
  • 2 cups (16 ounces) 2% flavored yogurt of choice (non-Greek works best)**
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 (16-ounce) loaf French bread, cut into 1-inch thick slices***
  • Oil/butter for cooking
  • For serving: additional yogurt, fresh fruit, and/or maple syrup

Instructions

  1. In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs. Add the milk, yogurt, and vanilla, and stir until incorporated. Pour the mixture evenly between two 9×13-inch pans.
  2. Place the bread in the yogurt mixture, flipping and making sure that both sides are thoroughly coated. Cover the pans with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight. Carefully, turn the slices once or twice during this time to make sure they absorb plenty of the custardy yogurt mixture.
  3. The next morning, prepare a hot nonstick griddle or frying pan with oil or butter. (If you prefer the flavor of butter, mixing in a little oil will help prevent the butter from burning.)
  4. Lightly brown each side of the bread, cooking slowly over low heat. I start the bread on medium heat to get a nice golden brown color and then reduce the heat and wait patiently. This will ensure the insides are thoroughly and evenly cooked and the outsides are a little crispy.
  5. Top the cooked bread with additional yogurt, fresh fruit, and/or maple syrup.

Notes

  • *You can use anything from nonfat milk to cream, canned coconut milk to carton almond milk. The level of richness/end result will vary only slightly. I enjoy a hint of coconut flavor, and have used the canned variety as well as Silk’s unsweetened almond-coconut milk, which is sold in a refrigerated carton.
  • **My family enjoys a vanilla-berry version made with equal parts strawberry and French vanilla yogurt as well as an all-French vanilla variety. For a peach-melba option, use equal parts peach and red raspberry yogurt. Feel free to experiment with your favorite yogurt flavors. (Again, Greek yogurt is a bit too thick. If this is what you have and prefer to use, I recommend experimenting with a little less yogurt and a little more milk. The mixture should be thick yet pourable.) I think plain yogurt flavored with maple syrup would be delicious, too. For added sweetness with any variety of yogurt, you may add maple syrup, to taste, to the soaking mixture.
  • ***Sturdy white bread will work best in this recipe. French is my favorite, although sourdough, ciabatta, or a similar loaf may be used. I have used Udi’s white bread, which is sturdier than typical sandwich bread, for a very good gluten-free option. In this case, look for the 24-ounce sandwich loaf using roughly two-thirds of it. The slices of bread are cut thicker than those in the 12-ounce loaf (of which you’d need part of a second loaf) and stand up better to an overnight soak. Beyond this gluten-free option, sandwich bread can be tricky. I have tried the recipe with Pepperidge Farm white bread, and though the taste was very good once cooked, the bread was harder to handle after the extended soak. Whole wheat sandwich bread is not recommended as it will likely become too mushy to handle.
  • Tip:
  • Stovetop cooking will create a perfect result, but a big batch of French toast does require a little patience. For a speedier oven option, I have used the following option with good success: Place the soaked bread on one or two well-greased baking sheets and bake in an oven preheated to 350 degrees F for approximately 25 minutes, flipping after 12-13 minutes, or until the insides are cooked through and the outsides are golden and slightly crusty.

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