Ohio Blueberry French Toast

One of the joys of early summer is the abundant berry (blueberry, raspberry, and strawberry) harvest in Northeast Ohio. In fact one of the largest blueberry farms in Ohio is located just south of Cleveland in Mansfield. This blueberry French toast recipe makes good use of this bounty.

This dish is ideal for Sunday brunch, for when you have overnight guests, and during the holidays. Freeze your freshly-picked blueberries on a cookie sheet and then transfer to Ziploc bags for a year-round supply.

Prep Time: 1 hours, 25 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 loaf of French bread
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 4 1/2 cups fresh blueberries *
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 2 Tbsp. melted butter
• Powdered sugar

Preparation:

Assemble the dish
Slice the bread diagonally into 10 to 14 slices, about 1/2" thick. Place in a 13" x 9" glass baking dish.

In a medium bowl, combine eggs, milk, baking powder, and vanilla. Whisk lightly. Carefully pour over the bread, turning the slices to coat completely. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature 1-2 hours, or overnight in the refrigerator.

Bake the dish
Preheat over to 450° F. Butter another 13" x 9" glass baking dish. Combine sugar, cinnamon, cornstarch, and blueberries and pour into the baking dish. Place bread, moist side down on top of the blueberry mixture. Lightly brush the top of the bread with the melted butter. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until toast is lightly brown and berries are bubbling. Remove from oven and dust the top with powdered sugar. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Serving the dish
To serve, place a slice or two of bread on a plate and spoon the berry mixture over the top. Makes 6 servings.

*you may use fresh frozen blueberries, but store-bought frozen berries tend to be too mushy. If using frozen, do not allow to defrost.

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