Reviewed: Dec. 25, 2008

Pretty great. But I have some hints if you're just making it for a family of four like I did. The best way to get a great, slightly lighter, casserole that can satisfactorily feed 4: 1) Grease the bottom of a 9X13 thouroughly with 1 TB butter 2) Combine two beaten eggs with 1 cup of milk( maybe 1/4 c more), 1 ts vanilla, cinnamon and then pour into the greased pan 3) Layer 8 pieces of bread, sliced into strips( I cut each slice into 3 strips and then cut in half horizontally to get squares) into the bread and let it soak 4) Add 2 chopped apples, 2 TB brown sugar, raisins, nuts like walnuts or pecans( a must!) over the bread- that part can actually be added the next morning. If you want it a little richer, I would suggest combining another TB of butter with the apple mixture. I used 100 % whole grain sandwhich bread...I like that much better for french toast because I love the crust part:) Best if can serve it with some homemade vanilla syrup, no weird high fructose corn syrup in it.

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foodlover

Cooking Level: Beginning

Living In: Houston, Texas, USA

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Reviewed: Dec. 23, 2008

Yum yum yum! I've made it 2x's now and it's sooo good! I did use some leftover pound cake so it's really sweet but just so darn good! Thanks for the recipe!

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SisK

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Encinitas, California, USA

Living In: San Marcos, California, USA

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Reviewed: Dec. 21, 2008

I have made this recipe several times and my family loves it! I usually substitute Craisins (dried cranberries) for the raisins...yummy!

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HKKathy

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Reviewed: Dec. 2, 2008

Just leave out the raisins or exchange for dried apricot or craisins. Also make a topping sauce of squirtable cream cheese and brown sugar to decorate the top. Fed 300 ladies at the Circus Breakfast.

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Beany B

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Reviewed: Nov. 30, 2008

this was delicious. used about a half a loaf of bread. i sliced it into 1 in stips instead of whole slices 1 in thick. very good.

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christian1

Cooking Level: Beginning

Home Town: Cleveland, Ohio, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 24, 2008

I have made this the past few years for Thanksgiving brunch for my family and they LOVE it! It is a real crowd pleaser.

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ematia4

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Reviewed: Nov. 9, 2008

Fantastic flavor. Might make a few tweaks next time though, since the apples were still kind of crisp and there was some extra liquid from the apples in the bottom of the pan. We had a similar recipe at a Bread & Breakfast in Wisconsin, and they cooked the apples in brown sugar on the stove top prior to baking. I would do that plus add a little dry tapicoa to the apples to absorb any excess liquid from the apples. Used Honey Crisp and Liberty apples (sweet and tart) from our recent trip to Wisconsin.

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Lori

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Des Moines, Iowa, USA

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Reviewed: Oct. 24, 2008

Yummo!!! I'm not sure about some of the other reviews but I had no problems with this recipe. I tried it exactly the way it was written to *see* for myself how it turned out. The only thing I omitted was vanilla because I had none and I added a bit of nutmeg and probably more cinnamon then it call for lol. Other than that, that was it! It was sooooooooooo yummy!!!! OMG, I couldn't get over the taste! Totally not too sweet which I kinda worried about with the brown sugar and apples. I even splashed it with maple syrup afterwards but didn't need it. I did cook this at 200C for 40 minutes uncovered. I don't like my French Toast dried out, not how it should be, so it was perfect; moist and spongy ;) I also let it stand the extra 5 minutes, could have stood longer only cause it holds the heat. The other thing is FYI NZers: I only used 24 slices of French bread cut between 1-1.25 inches in thickness. I think our French sticks must be denser cause I weighed out a pound but was too much. Totally recommend giving this one a go ;)

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KANLAN

Cooking Level: Expert

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Reviewed: Oct. 17, 2008

OMG, this is WONDERFUL! Sooo easy to make. I used 3 Granny Smith apples and the regular amount of butter. The only thing I did a little differently, was melt the butter, brown sugar and cinnamon together into a glaze, so that it would be easier to mix onto the apple slices & raisins. I also followed some of the other reviewers' advice and soaked the bread cubes (I just used regular French loaf bread) in the egg mixture overnight, separate from the apple/raisin mix in the baking pan. Cooked it for about 40 minutes and 10-12 minutes uncovered. I took this to a work function for Boss's Day, it was GONE in no time! Everyone was asking me for the recipe and it got rave reviews. Great recipe, I'll definitely be making this again. Thanks so much for sharing!

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Angelica

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Winder, Georgia, USA

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Reviewed: Oct. 13, 2008

Very good and pretty easy and quick. I used french toast bread, but really any plain or sweet bread would work. I also added fresh ground nutmeg and vanilla bean. LOVE that you can prepare the night before, and I actually think that is the key to this dish- It gives the bread time to soak everything up and I think resulted in a much more even texture than if you baked it right away. I was concerned it was going to be soggy, so I may have baked it a few extra minutes because of that and it was PERFECT. Could easily be scaled down and made in a loaf pan. Great way to feed a lot of people and re-heats well.

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Starlet

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Maple Valley, Washington, USA

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Reviewed: Oct. 13, 2008

This was better in theory than in practice. I don't know why we didn't just love it. Don't get me wrong - it wasn't bad, per se. We like all the various ingredients. I used a hearty home made bread, the Amish White Bread on this website. The casserole tasted OK, but just didn't ring our bells. My daughter said she'd rather have just plain French toast with syrup than this, and I realized reluctantly that she was right. I'm sure it's a time saver when serving breakfast to a crowd, but as my family is small, I won't be making it again.

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Baricat

Cooking Level: Professional

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Reviewed: Sep. 13, 2008

I cut the recipe to 4 servings and used one small apple and one small pear in addition to the raisins; I also cut the sugar by a bit. I did need to bake the casserole for about 20 minutes longer than stated, but I like my French toast very firm. I also didn't make this the night before, but threw it together the morning of. Both DH and I were impressed with the flavors (though I think I put in cloves in place of cinnamon; it was VERY early and the bottles all look alike...) and the texture. I will definitely be making this one again.

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KitchenWitch

Cooking Level: Expert

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Reviewed: Aug. 21, 2008

Good but not fantastic. May or may not make again.

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Jennifer B.

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA

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Reviewed: Aug. 2, 2008

This was served at a very remote location in the California Sierras for an intimate gathering of ~200 campers. Because of the scale, the birthday girl decided to substitute frozen peaches for the apples, and cranberries for the raisins. It was heaven! Everyone raved about it! I've made something like this before that did not call for fruit but after making it a couple of times I invented the apple slices on the top to help keep the bread from getting too crusty to eat. Generally, when the bread is on the top (unless you push it down like another review suggested) the bread gets too crunch to eat, especially for young kids. The peach version is fantastic (and easier than peeling apples). I don't think I'll go back to apples since this is so yummy! P.S. "ditto" on the "too sweet syrup" as mentioned in another review. I'm trying the brown sugar not packed and the fruit on the top; maybe that will help.

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Reviewer:

I hate cooking

Cooking Level: Beginning

Home Town: San Mateo, California, USA

Living In: Paso Robles, California, USA

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Reviewed: Jul. 23, 2008

Used the cin/raisin bread as suggested...upped the recipe to serve 30 for a large graduation brunch along with many other items. This was the "hit" of the party!

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Elaine

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan, USA

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Reviewed: Jul. 15, 2008

Very sweet, a little too sweet even for my taste. I coated the bread with the mixture so I think that helps it not come out dry. I will make again, just with less sugar.

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melissa_h34

Cooking Level: Intermediate

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Reviewed: Jun. 20, 2008

Wow. Is this GOOD! I had to cut the recipe in half for my family. 9x13 was just too big, but it divided in half well. The only thing different I did was use half of a loaf of day-old homemade Eggnog Quick Bread. That had plenty of nutmeg, so I didn't add any to the egg. I used a Granny Smith for the apple/fruit part of the recipe. I did add cinnamon to both the fruit mixture and the egg mixture. This is FABULOUS. I'll be sure to make this again for sure.

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tat2whttrsh aka Lambchop's Mom

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Seattle, Washington, USA

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Reviewed: May 13, 2008

This was delicious! I substituted with Sun Maid raisin bread and cut into cubes like someone else suggested. Used 1/2 cup of Splenda brown sugar blend and only 1/4 cup of butter. Will definitely make this again.

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Candeapl

Cooking Level: Intermediate

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Reviewed: Apr. 14, 2008

I made this for Easter with the in-laws coming over. It got rave reviews! Great recipe!!!! I also substituted 1/2 c of the milk with heavy cream. :-)

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PrincessBee

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Austin, Texas, USA

Living In: Los Angeles, California, USA

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Reviewed: Apr. 5, 2008

Very Tasty. I tried to make a bit healthier and I substituted Pepperidge Farm Whole Wheat Swirl Cinnamon Raisin bread. I also only used 1/4 cup of butter. The recipe was still very good and I would make this way again. However, I have made this recipe with the full 1/2 cup of butter and regular Cinnamon Raisin (not whole wheat) and I must say it is better that way. I guess it depends on if you feel like being a little naughty or not. I did quickly soak bread in the egg mixutre prior to layering onto the apple mixture and poured the excess over the bread afterwards. This assures it is not too dry.

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