Lunch: Baked French Toast With Maple Syrup and Granola

Recipe by Les Mosko This is a recipe that I developed while feeding a group for a Sunday brunch. It can be made the night before; it will pick up a more intense flavor.

This recipe includes superfoods such as:

Cinnamon

Health benefits of Baked French Toast With Maple Syrup and Granola

Cinnamon is one of the best ingredients that someone with insulin sensitivity can eat. Half a teaspoon of cinnamon per day has been shown to be very effective at normalizing blood sugar levels. Cinnamon contains hydroxychalcone, which is thought to enhance the effects of insulin. It has also been suggested that Cinnamon prevents post-meal blood sugar spikes by slowing the gastric emptying rate - meaning that food digests slowly. (Reference: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11506060).

Ingredients

1 (1 pound) loaf challah bread, sliced 1/2-inch thick
4 eggs
1 quart half-and-half cream
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup granola cereal
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

Instructions

Butter a 9x13-inch baking dish. Lay the bread slices into the prepared baking dish in 2 layers. Beat eggs, half-and-half cream, orange juice, white sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a bowl until smooth, and pour over the bread. With a large spoon, press the bread down into the egg mixture so all the bread becomes soaked with the mixture.
Sprinkle the granola evenly over the casserole, and drizzle with maple syrup and melted butter. Cover the dish with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.
About 1 hour before serving, remove the casserole from the refrigerator, and take off the plastic wrap. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, then turn oven temperature up to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Bake the casserole until browned, about 15 more minutes. Serve warm.

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