Winter Brunch: Baked French Toast

There is a theory that is often applied in math and science called Occam's Razor, stating that "simpler explanations are, other things being equal, generally better than more complex ones." This obviously applies to food, too. The more tools, ingredients and time that go into a dish, the more things there are that can go wrong. 

It's true, of course, that a select few things in life are both very complicated and well worth the while, like making a perfect layer cake with french buttercream. But generally speaking, the simplest of dishes never cease to penetrate me to the core (sometimes overwhelmingly), with their intense...goodness.

Food doesn't get much more delicious than french toast, an age-old dish so stupidly simple that it only has four components: custard, bread, butter and sugar. The soft part of the bread soaks up the custard and when baked, forms a fluffy and luxurious texture that contrasts harmoniously with the crunch of sugar on top. It's gently sweet with just a kiss of salt.

Baked French Toast
-serves 4-8, depending on how hungry your guests are
 
one 16oz baguette
salted butter at room temp
1 2/3 cup whole milk
2 large eggs
large pinch of kosher salt
1T good vanilla
turbinado  sugar

Preheat oven to 400.

Slice bread into 1" pieces and copiously butter one side, then arrange them, butter side up, in a baking dish. Beat eggs, vanilla, milk and salt together and pour over bread. Let sit for one hour (or if you bread is stale to begin with, over night in the fridge). Remove bread from custard and place on a greased cookie sheet. Cover butter with a spoonful of sugar. Bake for 20 minutes, or until heated through and puffed on the bottom. Serve warm with homemade (unsweetened) whipped cream, dried fruit, and honey or maple syrup.