What's For Breakfast: Individual Baked French Toast

I started the week out with a recipe for buttermilk French toast, and since I had some leftover challah on hand, I figured I might as well end the week with another French toast recipe. This baked French toast, served in individual ramekins, would be a great option for brunch, since you put it together the night before. (And, if you'd prefer, you could easily bake this in a casserole dish.)

I used many of the same flavors from the buttermilk French toast I made earlier in the week; however this time around I included a little maple syrup in the custard to add some extra sweetness. While I loved Monday's French toast recipe, this individual French toast recipe truly takes it up a notch. The resulting dish features puffed up bread baked in a rich citrus- and vanilla-infused custard. Yum.

Baked French Toast (printer-friendly version)
makes 2 individual servings

For each French toast portion:
2 large eggs
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/8 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon orange zest
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
1/4 loaf challah bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (2 1/2 cups)

For each serving:
powdered sugar
maple syrup

1. Whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, orange zest, and orange juice.
2. Gently stir in the bread cubes until they are evenly coated in the custard mixture. Let the bread-custard mixture sit for about 15 minutes to allow the custard to fully soak in.
3. Lightly butter two 6-ounce ramekins. Spoon the bread-custard mixture into the two ramekins. Cover each ramekin with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
4. In the morning, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Bake the French toast for 20-25 minutes.
5. Top each serving with powdered sugar and pure maple syrup.

 (adapted from this Everyday Occasions recipe)