Apple French Toast Casserole ***

We loved this!  I've been trying to find a good overnight french toast-type casserole.  Since we all love apples and cinnamon, this seemed an obvious choice.  It was so yummy!  Not to mention that it looks so pretty when you invert it onto a cake plate.  The bread firms up nicely, and you can hardly taste the egg mixture at all.  My favorite parts were actually the crusts of the bread, since they had a chewier texture to them.  The butter/brown sugar doesn't carmelize as strongly as many of the other recipes have, which was a nice change.  It kept the sugary flavor from being too overpowering.  I used Granny Smith apples, and they worked perfectly.

Photo courtesy of Recipezaar

APPLE FRENCH TOAST CASSEROLE
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ Recipezaar)

4 tablespoons butter
3 large apples, peeled and sliced thinly 
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon cinnamon
8 slices Italian bread, 1 inch thick
4 large eggs
1-1/4 cups milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Melt the butter in a large skillet and add apples.
Cook and stir for 5 minutes.
Add brown sugar, water, and cinnamon and continue to cook and stir for 10 minutes until apples are tender.
Spoon mixture into 13x9 baking dish.
Cover apples with bread slices, making sure to cover the entire surface.
Trim the bread to fit if you must.
Beat eggs until foamy, then beat in milk and vanilla.
Pour egg mixture over the bread slices.
Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
In the morning, remove the dish from the refrigerator and let it stand while oven is preheated to 375 F.
Bake uncovered for 35 minutes, or until bread is golden and firm.
Let sit 10 minutes before serving.
To serve on a platter, run a knife around the edges of the casserole, place platter on top of casserole, and carefully flip.
To serve individually, use a spatula to remove serving, place serving plate on top of serving and carefully flip so apple side is up.