We love breakfast for dinner.  I had been planning on making this for a couple of days.  I just kept forgetting to put it together first thing in the morning so that it had at least 8 hours to sit before I cooked it.    I finally got around to making it and we were all glad I did.

Verdict:

We loved it.  This was not one of those sickly sweet over the top french toast casseroles that make you wonder if they put anything other than sugar in it.  In fact we had to dust each piece with powdered sugar which made it just right for us.

I also made one without berries that I drizzled with melted butter and warmed maple syrup just before serving.  It was heavenly.

The last pieces were eaten for breakfast this morning.  For my gluten-free son I made his in a separate pan with Udi’s bread chopped in little pieces.  Then I made a half batch of the egg mixture and did everything else just the same for his as the recipe calls for.

Ingredients:

• 1 loaf day old Italian or French Bread
• 4 cups mixed berries (I used blackberries, raspberries and sliced strawberries) – Can be omitted if desired.
• 6 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups fat-free half and half
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 4 oz. cream cheese, softened and cut into pieces
• 4 TBSP butter
• 1/4 cup of brown sugar
• powdered sugar, syrup or melted butter for serving if desired

Directions:

1. Cut bread into small chunks.
2. Spray a 13×9 pan with non-stick spray.  Add enough bread to the pan to cover the bottom evenly.
3. Cover bread layer with 3 cups of berries.
4. Add rest of bread over the berries and push down lightly on the  bread to pat it down.
5. In a bowl, with a mixer, beat the cream cheese to smooth by drizzling in the milk a bit at a time.  Continue to beat mixture and add eggs one at a time, then sugar until all is blended well.  You may have little cream cheese bits but that is fine.
6. Pour egg mixture evenly over the bread.   Sprinkle last cup of berries over the top.
7. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate dish for at least 8 hours or up to 12.
8. Remove casserole from refrigerator when ready to bake.  Pre heat oven to  350 degrees.
9. Remove plastic wrap.
10. Melt the butter and drizzle over the top of the casserole.
11. Cover the casserole with aluminum foil and bake 25-35 minutes until eggs are almost set.
12. Remove aluminum foil and return pan to oven to bake 10-15 more minutes until top begins to brown.
13. Remove pan from oven and allow to sit 5 minutes before serving.
14. Serve with powdered sugar over the top.   I added melted butter and maple syrup to the plain casserole I made (picture below)