Buttermilk is the secret to this light and lemony baked French toast recipe. Whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, cream, sugar, and other ingredients. Dip the bread slices individually in the egg mixture, saturating both sides, just like you would for a traditional French toast. This will ensure that the bread is evenly soaked and there are no pockets of eggy custard at the bottom of the dish. After placing the bread slices in the baking dish, let stand an hour before baking. Are you hosting a weekend brunch or have overnight guests coming? Make this satisfying and delicious breakfast casserole ahead of time. Let the bread slices soak, covered, in the baking dish one day before serving. As the oven preheats, allow the casserole dish to come to room temperature. Drizzle this oven baked French toast casserole with powdered sugar or maple syrup and serve with fresh fruit.
How to Make It
Lightly coat a 13- x 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Whisk together eggs, buttermilk, cream, granulated sugar, lemon zest and juice, vanilla extract, and salt in a large bowl. Working with 1 slice at a time, dip bread in egg mixture to completely saturate on both sides. Shingle soaked bread slices in prepared baking dish. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 325°F. Meanwhile, pour out and discard any egg mixture that has accumulated in bottom of baking dish. Transfer baking dish to oven, and bake French toast until top is golden brown, about 30 minutes.
Remove dish from oven; let stand 15 minutes. Serve with maple syrup, powdered sugar, and berries.