Crispity-crunchity on the top, and soft and eggy tender underneath, this Overnight Coconut-Ginger Baked French Toast has everything – EVERYTHING – going for it!
When I saw this recipe for Coconut-Ginger Baked French Toast in Ree’s newest cookbook, The Pioneer Woman Cooks – A Year of Holidays, the only thing I could think of was MOM. Oh, how she loves coconut. There were plenty of other recipes that definitely called my name, too, but I just had to give this one a try. For MOM. ;)
I absolutely love a big dish of breakfast that can be made the evening before, placed in the fridge to get all cozy in its flavors overnight, and then baked the next morning without lifting a finger except to preheat the oven. And Ree’s coconut and ginger baked French toast did not disappoint. My family has overwhelmingly approved it.
My favorite overnight savory dish is a Prosciutto & Goat Cheese Egg Bake. It is spectacularly flavorful. Even people who don’t like eggs (our oldest daughter) or egg bakes (my husband) love this dish, and go in for seconds every single time I make it. And another recent favorite, more to the sweet side, is an Overnight Baked Apple Oatmeal with Crunchy Brown Sugar Streusel. It’s heavenly, and has won over my dad and mom.
This overnight dish, though, deserves a whole different category. Might I suggest “dessert for breakfast”?
It is sweet and gorgeously fragrant with coconut and ginger. Crispity-crunchity on the top, and soft and eggy tender underneath, this French toast bake has everything – EVERYTHING – going for it.
And I can even say that before I ever added a pat of softened butter and drizzled a bit of extra coconut cream yum over the top of my portion. The French toast bake surely doesn’t need this extra bit of lovin’. It’s plenty wonderful without, but I think it’s the only way to go. And I’m 100% positive that MOM, who already makes so many of Ree’s recipes, will agree with me.
I canNOT wait to make this dish for our next overnight guests. Hmmmmm…any takers for a night at the Score Hotel??
Coconut-Ginger Baked French Toast
Ingredients
French Toast
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 pound artisan or crusty sourdough loaf (I use sourdough)
- 1 cup cream of coconut (I use Coco Real brand "Cream of Coconut", sold alongside drink mixers in stores.)
- 1½ cups whole milk
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
- 8 large eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- ½ cup unsweetened coconut flakes
Topping
- ½ cup cold unsalted butter, cut into ½" pieces
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon dried ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon Morton kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons finely minced candied ginger
- ½ cup unsweetened coconut flakes
Serve
- softened butter
- warm maple syrup
- additional cream of coconut
Instructions
French Toast
- Butter the bottom and sides of a 9" x 13'' pan. Cut or tear the bread into chunks, about 1" in size.
- In a large bowl, combine the cream of coconut, milk, cream, ginger, eggs, sugar, vanilla and coconut extracts. Whisk until smooth and then stir in the coconut flakes. Pour mixture evenly over the bread.
Topping
- In a medium bowl, combine the butter, flour, brown sugar, ground ginger, and salt. Use a rigid pastry blender or fork to cut together until crumbly and combined, then stir in the candied ginger and coconut flakes. Sprinkle topping mixture evenly over the soaked bread, then cover the pan with foil and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
Bake
- Remove pan from fridge and uncover. Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Place pan in oven and bake 45-60 minutes for a softer casserole, or a bit longer for a firmer French toast with a crisper topping. Remove pan from oven. If desired, drizzle a bit more cream of coconut over the top. Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.
Serve
- Serve with softened butter, warm maple syrup, and/or additional cream of coconut. Fresh berries are also good with this.
Notes
Nutrition Information:
Isn’t Ree’s latest book just so pretty?! It begs you to hold it, to page through it, and to step into her family’s life through a year of holidays on the ranch. It’s so much more than a cookbook. Filled with heartwarming and witty and often laughable stories, plus awesome ranch photos and enticing recipes, I’m certain this book is going to get alot of use around here.
I met Ree for the first time about a year ago, with our daughters, at a book signing at Mall Of America. Ree was so warm and lovely to Hatti & Tessa – she really made a lasting impression on their young minds. That experience still plays a big part in their wanting to watch Ree’s show on Food Network, and they especially enjoy when we make one of her recipes.
Tessa, our youngest, is crazy for animals. Especially horses. And Ree’s cookbooks are always the ones I’ll find missing from the shelves when she is needing a horse fix…
…or a Charlie fix. She thinks that dog is cute and funny and adorable, and always loves when he makes an appearance on Ree’s Food Network show.
I had to laugh when I got to the Acknowledgements in the back. To the paragraph where Ree thanks almost a dozen bands/singers from the 80’s for being with her during the cookbook writing process. Ree’s good like that, always keeping it real. Always making you smile. And I can totally relate…sometimes a little “Sweet Child ‘o Mine”, cranked a little too loud, is the only way to get the job done.
The Pioneer Woman Cooks – A Year of Holidays is a wonderful book that I hope finds its way under many a Christmas tree this year. It’s filled with scrumptious recipes to make any celebration a special and delicious one.
Disclosure: Thank you, Ree, for sending me a copy of “The Pioneer Woman Cooks – A Year of Holidays”. All opinions are my own.
I love Christmas & spending time with family!
Would love to win this cookbook. Christmas is my favorite.
I like all the holidays and so will really enjoy Ree’s new book.
I love them all but I guess I would have to say Christmas tops the list! Rees show on the Food Network is my favorite to watch and I can’t wait for the Thanksgiving show to be followed I am sure shortly by Christmas. Makes me look forward to my Saturday mornings with a smile on my face and in my heart. She does everything from her heart and soul and it shows! Keep us smiling Ree!
oh!! I gasped at this giveaway…favorite holiday: Halloween!! :)
Christmas!
Love Christmas, but Halloween is a close second.
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. It’s all about family and friends, gratitude, sharing great food and football! Doesn’t get any better than that!
The Patriotic Holidays are my favs -Memorial Day, Fouth of July, Labor Day, Veteran’s Day etc
I love Christmas!
I love Easter.
I love valentines day.
Love Christmas!
Easter is my favorite! New beginnings…
Christmas is my favorite holiday, because of all the kiddie Joy!
I love the Fourth of July!
I Love Christmas, remembering the reason for the season!
I love thanksgiving.
I love Christmas, the lights, the decorations, the food, especially the food! And shopping for the perfect gift for everyone as I love to shop. Oh and I’d love to come and visit if you’re going to make that for breakfast or any of Ree’s recipes! Her cookbooks are the only ones I use these days!
I love my birthday.