Let's Toast

breakfast for dinner is always in style

Hey there all you wonderful people. This week we’re kicking off a brand-new recipe series here in The Broiler Room: an ode to casseroles, sheet pan meals, and things made in the oven. The weather’s still chilly and these heating bills, even here in LA, are getting outta control. So let’s warm ourselves up the best way we know how, with food. There’s something special about windows fogged up by a hot stove so the next few weeks we’re getting baked for dinner. But before we get to that, I (Michelle) have a personal announcement. Next week I’m getting married and camping my way up the California coast for a week-long honeymoon. The last few years have been hard on all of us and I’m so grateful to have found someone I get to spend the rest of my life with. Just thought you might want to know.

My sweetheart loves breakfast for dinner so this week we are kicking off the new series with a Blueberry French Toast Casserole. Chickpea flour thickens the whole thing up without creating a gummy texture that can be so common in dishes like this. Not too sweet, the casserole is perfectly complimented by a maple syrup drizzle with nothing else needed. I used a cranberry pecan loaf, but sourdough is equally delish. Use whatever you love and looks good at the market. The bread needs to be a little stale so if you’re using a fresh loaf, cut it up and throw it on a cookie sheet and place it in the oven while it warms up and while you prep the rest of the ingredients. 10 minutes should be more than enough to dry it out just fine. Honestly the hardest part of the recipe is cutting up the bread, so you can always do this the day before to cut down on labor. The leftovers reheat like a dream though so feel free to make it the night before and warm it up when you’re ready to serve it if you’re short on time in the morning. The blueberries are *technically* optional but they help to lighten the whole thing up. Plus, they’re in the name of the recipe so you’ve got to try it with them at least once. I’m confident you’re gonna love it.

Blueberry French Toast Casserole

Makes 6 servings

One pound loaf of bread, cut into bite-sized cubes, about 10 cups*

3 ¼ cup plain nondairy milk

2 tablespoons of nondairy butter

½ cup chickpea flour

½ cup cane sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground ginger

1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

Spray oil

Toppings: maple syrup and powdered sugar

Warm up your oven to 375. Grab a 9 by 13 inch baking pan and grease it up with a little nondairy butter and then set it aside.

Place all your bite-sized bread into a large bowl. On the stove or in the microwave, warm up 2 cups of the milk with the butter until it’s scalding hot and the butter has melted. In a medium bowl whisk together the chickpea flour, sugar, cinnamon, and ginger. Whisk the hot milk and butter into the chickpea flour mixture until a smooth batter has formed. This thickens up quickly but don’t let it freak you out. You’re on the right track. Stir in another cup of the milk then toss this over the bread until all the pieces look coated. Toss in the blueberries and stir a few more times.

Dump all of that into the prepared baking dish, making sure to scrap the side of the bowl to get all of the batter out. Drizzle the remaining ¼ cup of milk over the dish, cover it in foil and bake it for 20 minutes. After the 20 minutes are up, take the dish out of the oven, remove the foil, and spray the top lightly with some oil. Stick this back in the oven and let it bake for 10-15 minutes more until the tops of some of the bread look a little golden but the dish doesn’t look dried out. Let the casserole cool for 5 minutes before sprinkling over some powdered sugar.

Serve warm with a side of maple syrup.

*Use whatever kind of crusty loaf you like but we love sourdough or something with nuts in it.

Thanks again for joining us here in the recipe club. We appreciate all your support and hope you’re having as much fun as we are throughout this adventure. See you in the kitchen next week!

Michelle (and Matt)