Today I would like to share with you one of our favorite breakfasts for the weekend - Overnight Caramel French Toast. We don't make it all the time because it is fairly high in sugar, but it makes a nice treat every once in awhile. This nice thing is it makes its own syrup so you don't need to add any.

Unlike regular french toast, this is prepared like a casserole.  The bread is allowed to soak up the milk overnight and then you bake it in the morning.  Quick and easy, with no standing over a skillet flipping slices.

You might be tempted to slice this recipe in 6, but trust me, 12 is better. This recipe is extremely rich. We usually make it with some scrambled eggs on the side to balance the sweetness.  A small glass of green smoothie would be great with it too, as the fiber from all the greens would help balance the glycemic response from the french toast.

Overnight Caramel French Toast Recipe

• 12 slices whole grain bread (look for 3 or more grams of fiber per slice if you don't make your own)
• 1 cup sucanat or rapidura
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 tbs honey or agave nectar
• 6 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp sea salt

 In a medium sized pan, cook the sucanat, butter, and honey on the stove, stirring often, until it just starts to boil.  Remove from heat and pour into a greased 9 x 13 inch pan.  Lay 6 slices of bread over the caramel layer then lay the remaining 6 slices on top of the original bread layer.   In a large bowl, beat the remaining ingredients.  Pour over top of the bread.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.  Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes.  Let stand 5 minutes, then cut and serve.

Makes 12 servings.

Per serving:

• 310 calories
• 13.7 grams fat
• 4 grams fiber

(Actual nutrition information may vary depending on the bread you have available.)

About the ingredient choices:

• It goes without saying, but I recommend organic ingredients if you have access.
• I used Private Selection Flax and Fiber bread in this recipe.  It has a whopping 4 grams of fiber per slice!  Homemade whole grain bread would be best, but I didn't have any made.  If you don't make your own bread, look for varieties that are higher in fiber with no high fructose corn syrup in the ingredients.
• Look for butter from pastured cows if you can find it.  It is higher in CLA.  You want a bright yellow color in your butter, not the pale color that you will find in most butters at the grocery store.  Kerry Gold, although expensive, is a great brand.  Trader Joes has the best price on it around here. 
• The original recipe called for corn syrup, but I have found that honey or raw agave nectar makes a great substitution.  Like most other ingredients, processing is everything.  I like to start with raw honey or raw agave nectar if I can find it.  Local honey is a great choice because then you can ask the beekeeper questions about how the honey is processed. 
• Look for eggs from pastured chickens.  Just because an egg carton may state "free-range" or "cage-free" it does not mean that the chickens spent their days roaming around foraging for grass and bugs.  Some eggs that are marketed this way still come from factory farms.  Those labels just mean that the chickens have access to the outside, it doesn't mean they actually go outside.  By looking for pastured eggs, you know the chickens were free to roam around outside.  The bottom line is the proof is in the color of the yolk.  Yolks should be orange, not the pale yellow that you find in most grocery store eggs.  Of course, during the winter the yolks are going to be lighter than in the summer.
• As for milk, I recommend raw if you can find it and afford it.  Otherwise look for organic and non-homogenized.   At any rate, avoid ultra high heat pasteurized if you can.  Do you really want to be drinking milk that is so dead you can store it at room temperature for long periods of time?  Think about what that heat must have done to the nutrients inside.

This post is linked up to the Recipe Roundtable at Sarah's Deals and Big Binder, Tasty Tuesdays at 33 Shades of Green, Tuesdays at the Table at All the Small Stuff, and Tasty Tuesday at For the Love of Blogs.