Strawberry French Toast Recipe

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
16 slices day-old sandwich bread, white or light wheat, trimmed, if desired
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
½ cup sugar
½ cup coarsely ground pecans, optional
8 eggs
2 cups half-and-half
3 tablespoons butter, melted
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup strawberry jam or preserves
1 quart ripe strawberries, sliced

1. Pour vegetable oil into a 13 x 9-inch pan, tilting to coat bottom. Arrange 8 slices of bread in a single layer in pan, trimming to fit as needed.
2. Combine cream cheese and ¼ cup sugar in a medium bowl; beat until smooth. Stir in pecans, if using. Spread evenly over bread. Top with remaining bread slices.
3. Mix eggs and half-and-half in a bowl and blend well. Pour evenly over the bread. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.
4. Preheat oven to 375F.
5. Remove pan from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Remove plastic wrap. Drizzle melted butter over top of egg mixture.
6. Combine remaining ¼ cup sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and sprinkle evenly over top. Cover pan with foil and bake 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake, uncovered, 15 to 20 minutes longer, until puffy and golden brown. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting.
7. Heat jam in a large saucepan over low heat until melted. Remove from heat and stir in strawberries. Serve berry mixture warm on the side. Serves 10 to 12.

Tips From Our Test Kitchen: This also works well with fresh blueberries and blueberry jam. For a large crowd, make both kinds of sauces, keeping them on the warming tray so guests can choose what they prefer. Have some maple syrup available, too, and pass whipped topping, if desired.