Excellent I used sprouted grain bread. It was very good but I am guessing it made it a little less fluffy. I thought it was excellent but I don't have a comparison. Pros: Reasonably healthy and very filling. I love that you can make it ahead. Cons: Nutmeg - not a fan and would leave it out next time.
very good! This was very good. Some changes I made: I halved it baking it in an 8x8 pan. Also I omitted the raisins and used a crusty wheat raisin pecan bread from the local co-op. YUM! added one tsp. maple syrup to the mix and whisked in the cinnamon and nutmeg with the egg mixture. Refrigerated it overnight and popped it in the oven in the morning. Served it with maple syrup. It was awesome. I wanted to eat it for lunch too:D
Tastes great; looks okay Tried this recipe for the first time this weekend. As has been suggested in several comments I mixed the cinnamon and nutmeg with the egg mixture rather than with the bread mixture -- this made intuitive sense to me for better dispersal and it turned out just fine. I also took the liberty of sprinkling a bit of extra cinnamon on top prior to baking. First off the taste was wonderful. With the apples and raisins there is really no need for any additional flavoring of syrup whipped cream etc. The only negative is that with the whole-wheat bread the coloring of the dish turns out a little drab/gray (refer to the photo accompanying the recipe itself and you can see this --sorry I didn't think to take a picture of mine). This doesn't impact the flavor but it keeps me from giving the recipe five stars. I'm not sure what alterations one could make to address this (admittedly fairly minor) issue but perhaps someone has some ideas. Pros: flavorful no topping necessary Cons: presentation (particularly the color) is not wonderful
Make ahead brunch hit The quote from another reviewer makes a very important point. You need to use quality whole wheat bread in this recipe. I purchased La Brea Bakery multi-grain bread and sliced the loaf myself. The seeds in the bread increased the visual appeal and texture of the finished product. I also used Egg Beaters brand egg whites (not the egg mix with fat and coloring added). Because my grocer is not stocking dried apples I used dried peaches. They are moister so in order to get a full half cup of snipped pieces the 6-ounce package was required. I also used golden raisins. I baked as directed with no temperature or time change. As one reviewer noted the powdered sugar needs to be applied immediately before serving. I did the dusting at home and toted the dish to a party. The sugar disappears but the dish still tastes good. I prepared Cinnamon Syrup from another Eating Well recipe and it was a delicious accompaniment. Pros: Make ahead flavorful serves a crowd easy versatile recipe Cons: Recipe should specify quality of bread
This recipe was just okay for me. I tried this as part of the 28 day Eating Well Meal Plan and I really wasn't impressed with it. I wouldn't make it again.
Turned out great with a few minor changes I followed all of the directions except i substituted blueberry craisins for raisins and I baked at 375 instead of 350. I also mixed the cinnamon and nutmeg in with the egg/milk mixture instead of the bread mixture. It was very good and goes well with maple syrup and a cup of coffee in the morning Pros: delicious healthier than most
This was AWFUL. We tried it for Christmas Day brunch with 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries per another reviewer's suggestion since we're not huge apple fans. And we used a rustic whole grain bread from the bakery per several reviewers' suggestions. We also added the cinnamon and nutmeg to the egg mixture per yet more reviewers' suggestions. After baking it per the instructions we had to put it back in the oven covered for another 15 minutes to get the center of the casserole to set. Regardless the end result was a sloppy mess. The texture difference between the bread on top (crispy) and the egg whites below (mushy) was too much for anyone. The flavors all mushed together leaving us all confused by what we were eating - was it cinnamon? was it blueberry? was it an egg dish? It certainly wasn't baked french toast; it was just bad. Merry Christmas.
It looked GREAT - but...it was disgusting:( No one in my family would eat it. I'm so sad to have wasted so many ingredients. Just threw everything out. Boo!! Jessica
I think your results will depend largely on the quality of bread you use. If you choose a gummy soft commercial "whole wheat" bread it will probably be a mess. If you use a quality whole wheat or multigrain bread ("artisan" or health food store) you will probably be happier with the results.
