Apple French Toast Casserole

Easy make-ahead breakfast dish. Lovely smells of cinnamon wafting. Need I say more? :-)

1 cup brown sugar
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
1/2 cup butter, melted
3 apples: peeled, cored, sliced*
1/2 cup raisins
1 (1 pound) French baguette**
6 eggs, lightly beaten
1-1/2 cups milk***
1 T vanilla extract

Grease a 9" x 13" baking pan. In a large bowl, combine brown sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, and melted butter. Mix well. Stir in sliced apples and raisins and toss until evenly coated. Place apples into prepared pan.

Slice baguette into 1-inch slices. Arrange bread slices in an even layer over apples.

In the same bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, vanilla, and 2 tsp cinnamon. Pour evenly over bread slices, making sure every slice is soaked through. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

In the morning, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove pan from refrigerator while oven is heating. Bake covered for 40 minutes. Remove cover and bake an additional 5 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Makes 12 servings.

For smaller families: You can halve the above recipe and make it in an 8" x 8" pan. Adjust baking time to 30 minutes covered, 5 minutes uncovered.

* Use baking apples. I like Granny Smith or Golden Delicious.
**I used a multigrain baguette.
***I used organic soy milk.