Peach French Toast Bake

This is a stunningly simple and delicious recipe from The Food You Crave cookbook. I have copied exactly, the books version but we make it slightly different at our home. I've used artisan loaves of bread: raisin/pecan; apricot/almond; and other fruit/nut combinations for the bread. Then, instead of the combination of egg whites and whole eggs, we just use the entire egg and 2% milk. I have found that there is NO difference between the hard-to-find frozen peach slices and drained, canned peaches so we now use canned. I've also made this with a combination of fruit: canned peaches and apricots, just one of the fruits or sauteed Granny Smith apple slices with butter and Applejack Brandy added to the saute pan. This is a hearty and beloved recipe at our home and extremely easy to adapt to your taste and calorie needs. It can also be cut in half and made in an 8" x 8" pan with the same great results.

• Ready In: 1 hr 10 mins
• Serves: 6
• Yields: 1 slice

Ingredients

•  cooking spray
• 1  large whole wheat baguette (about 8 ounces)
• 4  large eggs
• 4  large  egg whites
• 1  cup nonfat milk
• 1  teaspoon vanilla
• 5  cups  frozen peaches (thawed, sliced and unsweetened)
• 2  tablespoons brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 1⁄2 cups plain nonfat yogurt (optional)
• 3⁄4 cup pure maple syrup (optional)

Directions

1. Coat a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Cut the baguette into 1/2 inch thick slices and arrange them in a single layer in the pan.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the whole eggs, egg whites, milk and vanilla. Pour the egg mixture over the bread in the pan.
3. Scatter the peach slices evenly over the bread. Sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon over the peaches. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
4. Preheat the oven to 350°F Uncover and bake until it is slightly puffed and the bread is golden brown, about 40 minutes.
5. Top with yogurt and drizzle with maple syrup, if desired.