Baked Orange Stuffed French Toast

Leisurely breakfasts are a necessity when you’re on vacation so you can’t have the same thing you’d cook up during the other 11 months of the year. I mean vacation’s kinda’ like Christmas …it’s special!

When Big Guy and Sophia were out clamming at the crack of dawn yesterday, I whipped up a mess a’ French Toast to have waiting in the fridge to be baked when they returned from their gathering and got cleaned up.

This one’s a combination of 2 different recipes, from Jackson Hole Cooks and from the Best of the Best of Arizona – hey I know 2 good things when I see ‘em. Simply thickly sliced French bread, stuffed with a mixture of orange marmalade and cream cheese, the slices are dipped in a mixture of beaten egg and orange juice with a touch of heavy cream and head into a butter and sugar lined pan. After 20 minutes in a 400 oven the slices come out all puffy and golden with a crusty sugary caramelized bottom thanks to the sugar bed.

Flipped onto a plate and dusted with powdered sugar, it’s bliss on a plate or as described rather appropriately by one rather silent participant (except for the moans and groans) who said it’s an explosion of flavors – a powdered sugar covered volcanic mountain oozing an orangy cream cheese lava. Rather descriptive isn’t she!

Baked Stuffed Orange French Toast (Adapted from Jackson Hole Cooks and Best of the Best of Arizona Cookbooks)

4 tablespoons melted butter

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

Grated rind of 1 orange

1 loaf day old French Bread

4 ounces cream cheese

4 tablespoons orange marmalade

6 eggs

1 cup orange juice

1/4 cup heavy cream

Powdered sugar

Orange slices for garnish

Melt butter and pour into 9 x 13 baking dish. Combine sugar, cinnamon, salt and orange rind. Sprinkle evenly onto bottom of dish.

Cut French bread into eight 1-1/2 inch thick slices then cut a slit to make a pocket in each slice but do not cut all the way through. Fill pocket with a heaping teaspoon of marmalade and a finish with a slice of cream cheese. Press together to allow the cream cheese to seal the slit.

In a large bowl whisk together eggs, orange juice and heavy cream. Dip each slice of stuffed bread into mixture, being sure to cover both sides and arrange in prepared baking pan. Pour any remaining egg mixture over the bread. Refrigerate for minimum 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400. Bake for 20 minutes or until puffy and golden brown. To serve, flip bottom side up onto a warm plate or platter and dust with powdered sugar. Garnish with orange slices. Serves 8.

 

Comments

[Lea]

What a winning description! WTG Sophia! I would absolutely adore this!

[June]

Lea, I'd love to make it for you some day. I also know you'd love our girl Sophia and she'd reciprocate :-)

[Lorraine]

Oh man! Now I am really feeling sick that I missed out on those beauties. And Sophia...she is a beauty too! What a smile.
I have never made French toast in the oven before...what a great idea, especially when you have them stuffed to gills like these guy were. Bet Sophia did a better job at clamming than I did, what with being a few decades younger and all.

[June]

Lorraine - she is a beauty isn't she? Sophia went clamming as a mere observer since she didn't have a license so you're definitely one up on her there. As for the french toast, I'm sorry you missed it too but we'll catch up when you're feeling better.