Holiday Morning Mixed Berry French Toast Bake

berries

On Thanksgiving Day, the Fitness Center I work out of remains open until 2pm. All group fitness classes are still set to run as scheduled, although this year we did move my 5 am Krank Class to 7 am, due to the fact that nobody had to be to work (except those of us that work in the Fitness Center mind you!). While teaching my TRX Class, I mentioned to them that I had made Mixed Berry French Toast Bake for my kiddos for Thanksgiving morning. Several of the women there started asking me how I made it, what was in it and all the other details of the recipe. To make it easier on everyone involved, I promised to put it on my website….Promise fulfilled. Here it is.

Holiday Morning Mixed Berry French Toast Bake

I usually only make this dish for holidays or Special Occasions. Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter are the ones that come immediately to my mind. Depending on your preferences, you can switch the berries out for a different fruit of your choice as well. Just make sure that whatever fruit you substitute will bake well. Some fruits definitely do better than others!

  • 2  loafs  Whole Wheat French Bread, cubed
  • 4  cups Egg Beaters (or 12 egg whites and 4 eggs)
  • 3 cups 1% Milk
  • 2  tsp. Agave Nectar
  • 2 tsp. each Cinnamon, Vanilla Extract and Almond Extract
  • 1/4 tsp. Sea Salt
  • 2 pkgs. (12 ounce size) Frozen Mixed Berries (Use unsweetened)

Place bread cubes in a 15 x 11 pan, coated with nonstick cooking spray. In a large bowl, mix egg beaters, milk, agave nectar, cinnamon, vanilla, almond extract and salt. Pour mixture over the bread. Cover and let sit in the fridge overnight.

In the morning remove the berries from the freezer and the pan from the fridge. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes covered, while the berries  sit on the countertop  and begin to thaw out.

At this point, take the pan out of the oven and uncover it. Sprinkle the berries over the top of the bread and return it to the oven for an additional 15-20 minutes, uncovered. To make sure that it is done, a knife inserted in the middle of the pan should come out clean and the bread should have a nice golden brown color to it. Let it sit for 2 or 3 minutes before trying to cut and serve it. Enjoy!

I hope you and your family enjoy this dish that has become a holiday tradition at our house and that your Holidays are filled with family, friends and loved ones you hold dear to your heart.

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