Blueberry French Toast Bake

Get ready to elevate your brunch game with our irresistible Blueberry Lemon French Toast Bake! This recipe combines the comforting flavors of classic French toast with the zesty brightness of lemon and the burst of sweetness from juicy blueberries. It's the perfect dish to impress your family and friends at any gathering or lazy weekend morning. Use the full recipe for feeding a crowd, or cut in half for enough for a loaf pan (if you’re like me and your husband doesn’t like french toast) it’s the perfect compromise.

Ingredients-

• 1 pound loaf rustic bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 10 cups of cubes)

• 1 1/2 or 2 cups blueberries, frozen or fresh

• 5 large eggs

• 2 cups of almond milk

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 8 tablespoons sugar, divided

• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest

• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (or butter substitute), diced

Directions-

• Assemble the dry ingredients:

  • Butter a 9 x 13-inch (or other 3-quart) baking dish. Spread half of the bread cubes in an even layer in the prepared pan. Top with 2/3 of the blueberries, followed by the remaining bread cubes and blueberries.

  • If using frozen blueberries, add them to the casserole while still frozen (do not thaw). This helps prevent the berries from coloring the casserole too much.

• Whisk the liquids:

  • Beat the eggs, milk, vanilla, 6 tablespoons of the sugar, lemon zest, and the salt together. Pour the mixture over the bread cubes, pressing down gently (so you don’t burst the berries) to make sure the egg mixture is absorbed.

• Soak at least 30 minutes, or overnight:

  • If soaking overnight, cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

• Preheat the oven to 350°F:

• Turn on the oven about 15 minutes before you plan to bake the casserole. If you refrigerated the casserole overnight, let it sit out while the oven preheats.

• Bake the casserole:

  • Just before baking, sprinkle the top of the casserole with the remaining sugar and dot with the diced butter. Bake for 45 minutes, until slightly puffed and golden brown. (Casserole that chilled overnight might take a few minutes longer.)

  • Top with maple syrup and enjoy!