Mother’s Day Brunch: Baked Blueberry French Toast
Packed with fresh fruit, loaded with cream cheese, and covered with a rich sauce, this baked blueberry French toast recipe makes for a delicious Mother’s Day brunch. Best of all, the dish can be prepped the day before and placed in the oven to bake in the morning, which will leave you plenty of time to write the perfect card for Mom.
What you need:
- 1 loaf of day-old brioche bread
- 2 (8-oz.) packages cream cheese
- 2 c. fresh blueberries
- 12 eggs, beaten
- 2 c. milk
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/3 c. maple syrup
- 1 c. white sugar
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 2 tbsp. cornstarch
- 1 c. water
- 1 tbsp. butter
- Large casserole or baking dish
- Medium saucepan
- Spatula
- Knife
- Cut the bread into 1-inch cubes. Lightly grease a casserole or large baking dish with butter and arrange two-thirds of the bread cubes into the bottom of the dish.
- Cut the cream cheese into ½- to 1-inch cubes. Place in the dish atop the bread cubes.
- Sprinkle 1 cup of the blueberries over the cream cheese. Top with the remaining bread cubes.
- Mix the eggs, milk, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and syrup together in a bowl. Pour the mixture over the bread cubes. Use your spatula to push the bread cubes into the mixture and make sure all of the bread cubes are coated with the wet ingredients. Cover the dish and refrigerate overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350°. Remove the dish from the refrigerator. Cover the dish and bake for 30 minutes. (If you don’t have a top for your baking dish, use aluminum foil.) After 30 minutes, uncover and bake for another 30-40 minutes, until the center is firm and the top of the dish is lightly browned.
- To make the blueberry sauce: In a medium saucepan, mix the sugar, cornstarch, and water, and bring to a boil. Cook 3-4 minutes over medium-high heat, stirring often. Mix in the remaining cup of blueberries, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes, until the blueberries burst. Stir in the butter and pour over the baked French toast when you are ready to serve it.
Tip: If you’re going to be rushed on Mother’s Day, you can make the blueberry sauce ahead of time. Just cover, refrigerate, and reheat in the microwave once you’re ready to serve.