French Toast Casserole

Ingredients

• ½ a loaf of day old French bread (about 8 oz) cut into cubes
• ½ cup butter
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 6 eggs
• 2 cups milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon divided
• 1 Tablespoon brown sugar for topping
• powdered sugar for topping optional

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Butter a 13x9 inch baking pan and set aside.
• In a small sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat. Once butter has melted, stir in brown sugar until dissolved and mixture is smooth. Pour mixture into the bottom of a 9x13 pan and spread evenly.
• Add bread cubes to the pan, spreading over the top of the brown sugar/butter mixture.
• In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla, and 1 tsp of cinnamon. Pour egg mixture over the top of bread cubes, insuring that all pieces of bread are saturated. Sprinkle with remaining 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1 tablespoon of brown sugar.
• Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until top is golden brown. Remove from oven and sprinkle with powdered sugar 
  
  
  For Calvin- add 1/2 cup blackberries or blueberries to his side during step 4
  
  
  Make ahead: prepare up to step 5, then cover tightly with aluminum foil and refrigerate over night. Bake an additional 5-10 minutes.