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Units Scale
- 1 1/2 loaves French bread (1 pound each)
- 2–3 tablespoons butter (for sides of the dish)
- 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
- 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
- 9 large eggs, divided
- cranberry syrup (recipe follows) or tart berry jam, or tart pie filling
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 1/2 cup milk
- 1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 tablespoons orange flavoring
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (less if table salt)
- 2 tablespoons grated orange rind
- Cranberry Syrup:
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 cups (almost 10 ounces) fresh or frozen cranberries
Instructions
- Slice the crust from the bottom and sides of the bread leaving the soft top crust. Cut the bread into 1 inch cubes. Place 2/3 of the cubes in a buttered 9 by 13 inch dish.
- Beat the cream cheese, 1/4 cup of the sugar, 2 tablespoons orange juice and 1 of the eggs together on medium speed until blended. Pour over the bread cubes in the dish.
- Spoon dabs of cranberries from the cranberry syrup randomly on top of the cream cheese mixture making sure every piece will have some of the cranberries.
- Cover with the remaining cubes of bread.
- In a large bowl, mix the heavy cream, milk, 1/2 cup of the remaining sugar, vanilla, orange flavoring, salt and the remaining 8 eggs together on medium speed. Pour evenly over the bread making sure to spoon some of the mixture over the drier parts.
- Cover tightly and place in the refrigerator for at least one hour or overnight.
- Mix the last 3/4 cups sugar with the orange zest and place in the refrigerator until needed.
- When ready to bake, remove the french toast casserole from the refrigerator.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Unwrap the dish and sprinkle the sugar and zest mixture evenly across the top.
- Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. This will be a very soft, bread pudding type dish.
- Serve with warm Cranberry Syrup, maple syrup or any other berries used in the recipe.
- Directions for Cranberry Syrup:
- In a small sauce pan, whisk the water, sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice together until well blended and there are no lumps in the cornstarch. Add the cranberries and place over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a boil and remove from the heat as soon as the cranberries begin to burst. Pour into a heat proof dish to cool and thicken.