Apple Cinnamon Breakfast Bake

During the week breakfast is not a priority  around here. My husband leaves at the crack of dawn and my two teenage  girls are gone by 7 o'clock.
They get free breakfast in school, so they do eat something! My youngest daughter and I have time to sit down and have breakfast together. For her it's a bowl of cereal, fruit and/or scrambled eggs. For me it is the proverbial bowl of oat meal. During the weekend we make breakfast extra special. My husband is the usual breakfast cook and he has mastered the art of really thin Norwegian style pancakes. He makes delicious fancy oatmeal and his own granola too. How lucky are we? We love you Robert! On the rare occasion that I make weekend breakfast I like to make a breakfast strata or casserole, or in this case baked french toast. The beauty of this dish is that you make it and assemble it the night before and let it sit in the refrigerator over night. Then all you have to do in the morning is pop it in the oven and bake, while you take a shower or crawl back under the covers. The delicious smell wafting from the kitchen will wake everyone up and emerge from their rooms and gather 'round the table. That makes me happy! This was a delicious and filling start to a beautiful fall Sunday!

It is apple season and I think most any apple variety would work here. I used a mix of Sweet Tango, Honey crisp and Gala. Golden delicious or Granny Smith would work too.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon butter

4-5  medium size apples, cored and peeled

7 tablespoons sugar, divided

Cooking spray

1 loaf (approximately 12 slices) cinnamon swirl bread, slices cut in half diagonally

3/4 cup chopped pecans, divided

1 1/2 cups milk (whole or low-fat)

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

5 large eggs

Preparation:

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add apple slices and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar.

Saute 8-10 minutes or until apples are tender and lightly browned. Remove from heat and cool 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, coat a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Arrange half of bread in dish. Top with apple mixture and sprinkle with 1/2 cup pecans. Arrange remaining bread over pecans.

In a medium bowl, whisk together 5 tablespoons of sugar, milk, cinnamon and eggs. Pour mixture over bread, pressing down gently with a spatula, to submerge. Cover and chill overnight.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Uncover dish. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup pecans and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar evenly over bread. Bake for 45-55 minutes depending on how crusty you like the top. Let it set for about 5 minutes before serving.

A dusting of powdered sugar at serving time would look pretty, but my family just couldn't wait to dig in so I skipped it. Serve with fresh fruit. Have Syrup handy for those who like that sort of thing (not me!) and for an over the top treat bring out the whipped cream. This was the highlight for my 8-year-old daughter!

Serves 8 well

(Recipe adapted from Cooking Light)