french toast? oui.

When I was a kid, French toast was white loaf bread, dunked in a milk and egg combination, and grilled up in a non-stick skillet in a good dose of margarine. Mom didn't make it often, but when she did, it was glorious.

Since margarine was deemed healthier than butter in the 80s, that French toast was perfectly salty. The crusts were the slightest bit crispy, and if the milk to egg ratio was just right, I could taste the tiniest hint of a fried egg hanging off the edge of one of the slices.

I'll always have a special place in my heart for Mom's simplest French toast. I was charmed every time I sat at our kitchen island and watched her make it in front of me.

Because I'm a bread lover, I was delighted at my first order of French toast as an adult, out on my own, that was made using thick slices of homemade French bread. So authentic, I thought. Whipped cream on the side, with strawberries, and warm maple syrup? What could be wrong with that?

It was a little too pristine, though, with its powdered sugar dusting the tops, and a doily peeking out from under the toast. I quite missed Mom's version.

I rarely order French toast if I'm ever out for breakfast or brunch -- which is a rarity, anyway -- because while it's usually lovely to look at, it also usually leaves me feeling filled with bread, but unfulfilled with flavors and textures.

But this. This.

You will be fulfilled beyond your wildest expectations. I made this heavenly dish for brunch this morning while my dear friend Amy was in town. Company is always an excuse to prepare an indulgent breakfast dish, and wowsers, did this one deliver.

It's barely sweet (acceptable so as to not directly compete with Mom's savory French toast), with a cinnamon and sugar topping that will fool you into thinking cinnamon rolls are hiding inside.

And, it's a super-simple make-ahead dish that can be ready to go with just 30 minutes or so in your oven on the day you serve it. This recipe serves only 4-6 people, so double it if you need to.

Baked Croissant French Toast
Serves 4-6

3 large croissants, a few days stale (I used 6 small, fresh ones. Whatever you can get, people. I doubt any croissant will disappoint.)
3 eggs
3/4 c. milk
3 Tbsp. Greek yogurt
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 Tbsp. vanilla exract
3 Tbsp. flour
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
pinch of salt
3 Tbsp. cold butter, cut into small pieces
Maple syrup for serving

1. Grease a baking dish with butter. (I used a 1 1/2-quart, deep dish casserole, but a pretty loaf pan would also work.) Tear the croissants into small pieces and place in the bottom of the dish.


2. In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, yogurt, sugar and vanilla. Pour evenly over croissants. Cover and refrigerate overnight in the fridge.


3. In another small mixing bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Cut the cold butter in with a fork or pastry blender, until your mixture looks like small crumbs. Store covered in fridge.


4. On serving day, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle crumb mixture on top of croissant and egg mixture. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean.


5. Serve warm with maple syrup.