Apple & Raisins Baked French Toast
Wow! Words are just not enough to describe my joy when I first made this baked french toast. I always love the idea of french toast for our weekend brunch but when I decided to “healthy it up” a bit I had my doubts about what it would taste like. I decided to use whole wheat bread, egg whites instead of whole eggs and skimmed milk. Also, I skipped the sugar and added some honey. So the calories are cut almost by half and the fat is reduced by 80 percent. And let me tell you (even to my surprise) the result is absolutely delicious.
This baked apples & raisins baked french toast can be prepared the night before (or a few hours in advance) and then simply popped into the oven for a leisurely weekend brunch.
- 1 loaf sliced whole-wheat bread (500gr.)
- 3 cups skimmed milk (750 ml)
- 8 egg whites (medium eggs)
- 3 Tbs honey
- 1 & 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 vanilla
- 4 apples
- 1/2 cup raisins
- a pinch of salt
In a bowl whisk milk, egg whites, honey, vanilla, and salt. Grate two of the apples and cut the other two into small pieces. Trim the crusts off 8 bread slices and set aside. Cut the crusts and the remaining bread into small squares. Toss with apples, raisins, cinnamon and nutmeg in another bowl. Coat a baking pan with some cooking spray (or some other oily substance – I used some light margarine) and transfer the bread mixture to the pan. Put the reserved crustless slices evenly on top and pour the milk mixture evenly over the bread, making sure it’s evenly moist. Cover with parchment paper and foil and refrigerate overnight or for at least 8 hours.
Bake in a preheated oven (180 ℃), covered for 40 minutes. Uncover and continue baking for about 20 minutes more (or until it is puffed, set and lightly browned). Let stand for 10 minutes and serve with a drizzle of honey or maple syrup.
