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.
Ya’lls recipes are great, I love it thank you so much. ;)
I LOVE CHRISTMAS!!!
Looks delicious! Can’t wait to see Ree’s new cookbook!
Christmas is our favorite holiday.
We have a tradition doing something special for breakfast Christmas morning. This would be great to have, would make choosing that breakfast treat harder. :)
My favorite holiday is Christmas. I have such wonderful memories of my childhood that are from the Christmas season, and I hope my son will have that same type of memory when he is grown.
I do enjoy Christmas and seeing it through my boys’ eyes is just too fun.
Thanksgiving!!
Halloween is my favorite holiday followed very closely behind Christmas. I love the warm fuzzies I get from Christmastime.
sellcrystal2 at yahoo dot com
I don’t think I can pick a favorite winter holiday for sure when Halloween comes seems like we dont stop cooking in this house. I am looking forward to trying some of Ree’s recipes this year – so many good ones I will have to try at least one each weekend! Looking forward to all of them!
I must say Christmas!
Love Christmas and Thanksgiving-getting together with family is priceless!
Sure would love to have her 2nd cook book. I have so enjoyed the first one!
I would love one of these copies!!
Thanksgiving and Christmas! I love cooking and baking for my family and watch them enjoy it.
Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas are my absolute favorite holidays!
Easter because we celebrate the resurrection of our Savior! So thankful for my salvation! Plus it’s also marks the very first holiday that we spent with my sister(she’s adopted, so it’s her “gotcha day”).
Thanksgiving, because who doesn’t love being able to spend time with family and friends over delicious food!
Christmas, because we celebrate Jesus Christ’s birth. :) Plus I love to cook and decorate!
Love Ree! Excited to get your newsletter now!
I love Thanksgiving!
I luv Christmas and baking an assortment of cookies for the holiday. I adore Ree and her PW show. It would be a great honor to win her new cookbook….my fingers are crossed :-)
I love Hanukkah!