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If you’re like me, you’ve had a loaf or two of bread turn out not-so-great. No need to cry over burnt bread, turn it into breakfast instead. May I present, Overnight French Toast.

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Bread Baking Fail = Delicious Breakfast

For the most part, any bread that doesn’t turn out great can still be re-purposed into something delicious. I started dabbling in overnight french toast a few months ago when I dove into using Einkorn Flour. This is highly nutritious and hardy flour made from an ancient grain. While it tastes delicious and looks beautiful, it is a little tricky to bake with.

I followed the recipe to a T, but apparently my oven runs a little hot because the loaves came out way too dark with a hard as wood outer shell. It was obvious this bread wasn’t going to make it in the sandwich world, so I decided to make it into French toast instead.

This week I was trying out a few sourdough recipes that also flopped, so they received new life as a breakfast.

ways to use stale bread rough and tumble farmhouse

What else can I do with bread baking fails?

Croutons are a great option. Bread crumbs is another. Bread pudding is something else you might do. In my opinion bread pudding is basically french toast but called pudding so you can eat it as a dessert later in the day.

Overly dry loafs, slightly burned loafs, under baked loafs, funky shaped ones, smooshed or unrisen… you get the idea. They all will make for an excellent overnight French toast.

There may be the odd loaf that simply can’t be brought back from the dark side. We’re talking charred to the point you could put it in your grill with some lighter fluid and make steaks. Heck, I guess even a charred loaf might have its uses.

If you are absolutely certain the bread can’t be used for something else, crumble it up and throw it for the birds, offer it to your pig, or add it to your compost.

Supplies and Ingredients for Overnight French Toast

Supplies

Measuring Spoons
Measuring Cups
13×9 Pan
Foil or pan cover
Large Bowl
Fork or whisk

Ingredients

1 1/2 Cups Blueberries
1 Cup Maple Syrup
Loaf of bread
2 Tbsp Cinnamon
2 Tbsp Vanilla
Dash of Nutmeg
2 1/2 Cups Milk
6 Eggs
Cream for whipping (optional)

farm fresh eggs rough and tumble farmhouse

How to make Overnight French Toast

First, butter the bottom and sides of a 13×9 pan.

Next tear the offending loaf into small bite sized pieces and place them in the pan. As you add bread to the pan, sprinkle in a few blueberries here and there. About 1 cup’s worth. This is a great project for little ones.

Next, whisk together the milk and eggs until thoroughly combined. Add the cinnamon, maple syrup, vanilla, and nutmeg. Whisk well again.

making french toast rough and tumble farmhouse — *I whisked it up more after this photo to bust up that bit of yolk.*

Pour the liquid mixture over bread. Try to make sure you even pour it over all the chunks. Sprinkle with the remaining blueberries.

french toast bake rough and tumble farmhouse

Cover and and pop in the fridge overnight.

The next morning, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Remove the french toast from the fridge, especially if you are using a glass pan, and let it warm to close to room temperature.

Bake for 35-40 minutes uncovered.

Remove from the oven and serve with whipped cream, a drizzle of maple syrup, or whatever else sounds good to you.

Do I have to let it chill overnight?

Nope! You can bake it the same day but if you can let it sit for at least a few hours that is best. That will give you a more tender, gooey bread texture.

Additions and Substitutions

To make this more decadent, you can substitute 1/2 a cup of milk for cream or swap the milk entirely for half and half.

Another delicious twist is to add 4-8 ounces of cream cheese. Slice or tear the cream cheese into marble sized chunks and sprinkle them in the bread along with the blueberries.

If you don’t want to use the full cup of maple syrup, you can substitute 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of brown sugar.

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