Low FODMAP Overnight Eggnog French Toast – The Perfect Holiday Breakfast
We love French toast, but when we have lots of guests in the house we don’t want to be a slave to stove pan-frying all those individual slices of bread. Thankfully it is very easy to create a do-ahead version, such as this Overnight Eggnog French Toast.
Custard, Bread, Whiskey & Nutmeg!
As with any French toast this begins with a custard of eggs and milk or cream. I’ve used lactose-free half-and-half, which is richer than milk, but not quite as rich as cream. It is perfect for this dish.
To give the French toast that classic eggnog flavor I added some whiskey and freshly grated nutmeg. Gotta have freshly grated! It makes a world of difference.
Let The Refrigerator Help
Prep time is 5 minutes. Then the concoction spends an overnight in the fridge. Not only does this allow you to just pop it in the oven come morning, but the rest time allows the custard to really meld with the bread. The result is almost soufflé-like
By the way, isn’t that dish pretty? It is a new release from Anchor Hocking. It’s called Laurel Embossed and it is the most delicate pale pink. They have a deep-dish pie plate in the same design and I couldn’t resist buying them.
How Sweet It Is
How Sweet It IsThe ¾ cup (149 g) of sugar called for in the recipe makes for a sweet French Toast, in my opinion. Adding maple syrup or confectioners’ sugar on top of that would be overkill. So make some decisions ahead of time.
If you want maple syrup, or think your lucky breakfast guests will then cut the sugar in the custard down to ½ cup (99 g). After you make this dish the first time you will be able to gauge the amount of sugar that is to your liking.
For another special breakfast dish, try our Scrambled Eggs with Smoked Salmon & Cream Cheese.
Overnight Eggnog French Toast
Overnight Eggnog French Toast is super quick to put together and is the perfect holiday breakfast or brunch dish.
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 pounds (680 g) low FODMAP gluten-free sliced white bread, such as Udi’s
- 8 large eggs
- 2 3/4 cups (650 ml) lactose-free half-and-half
- 3/4 cup (149 g) sugar (or ½ cup (99 g) - read the headnote above)
- 2 tablespoons whiskey
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg, divided
- Cinnamon
- Confectioners’ sugar, optional
- Maple syrup, optional
Preparation:
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Coat the inside of a 13 x 9 inch (33 cm x 23 cm) oven-safe dish with nonstick spray. Arrange the slices of bread in a slightly overlapping fashion. You might have a few slices left over; I usually do not use the ends. Save those for another use.
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Whisk eggs in a large bowl until well blended. Add half-and-half and sugar and whisk together well, then whisk in whiskey, vanilla and ½ teaspoon nutmeg. Pour mixture evenly over bread. Seal the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
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Take casserole dish out of refrigerator so that it can begin to come closer to room temperature while the oven preheats. Sprinkle bread with remaining nutmeg and a dusting of cinnamon.
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Position rack in middle of oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C.
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Bake for about 40 to 50 minutes or until custard is set and the bread is golden brown. Remove from oven and dust with confectioners’ sugar if using, or leave plain and serve with maple syrup, if desired. Serve immediately.
Notes:
If You Can Tolerate
- Fructans: If you have passed the wheat fructan challenge, and can eat gluten, feel free to use conventional sliced bread. Note that the recipe will no longer be gluten-free.
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more. For a more detailed explanation, please read our article Understanding The Nutrition Panel Within Our Recipes.
Lactose free half and half is not available in my area. What can i substitute?
You could use whole lactose-free milk and a little bit of cream. You can very safely use 2 tablespoons of heavy cream per serving.
What if I don’t want to put whiskey in it? Any good substitutes for the flavor?
You could try more vanilla, or leave the whiskey out. The vanilla will have alcohol content anyway. The percentages of alcohol in vanilla and whiskey are different, but in the volumes we are talking about here (a tablespoon or 2) we should think about the true impact. Your choice, though, of course.