Lighten holiday stress by making this French toast casserole ahead of time

I am a Christmas overachiever. I aim for something between Norman Rockwell and Martha Stewart, so I pull out the decorations, bake cookies and scour Pinterest weeks ahead of the big day. I have become pretty good at getting things done ahead of time, trying to eliminate as much last-minute chaos as possible.

For years, in spite of all my planning, Christmas morning still seemed a bit rushed, at least to me. I wanted everything to be special but quickly realized making everything perfect for everyone else was very stressful for me. Finally, I discovered this French Toast Bread Pudding recipe, a breakfast casserole, which helped to make my Christmas morning more enjoyable.

There are many variations of the breakfast casserole, but the thing they all have in common is eggs. In some cases, they are more like a bread pudding, as they include bread of some kind, while others more closely resemble a frittata and include hash browns.

A group of friends and I made savory bread pudding versions with either ham or sausage, topped with lots of shredded cheddar cheese once a month for our church brunches and affectionately called the un-baked mixture "schmooey." While the term may not sound appetizing, the finished product met with rave reviews from our fellow church-goers. It is almost like an omelet baked in a pan with gooey cheese and my favorite, the slightly chewy, and sometimes crisp, corners.

Unfortunately, when I made this at home, the reviews were not as good, so I needed to find an alternative. That's when I stumbled upon this recipe.

Bread, eggs, milk, sugar, and some spices, all topped with toasted pecans and a little syrup, quickly became a family favorite. It got my vote for three reasons; it is made the night before, bakes while we are opening gifts, and tastes great.

My family loves French toast, and while I usually make it with sandwich-style white bread, it is especially delicious when made with egg bread like brioche or challah, or round-crusty French loaf. The same applies to this recipe.

Egg bread is made with an enriched dough and contains more than the typical flour, yeast, salt and water. Butter and eggs go into brioche, and challah is sweetened with honey or sugar, both adding flavor to French toast.

On the other hand, the chewy crust of a good French bread adds texture. If you enjoy sourdough bread, that would also be a good option. We all know the difference the bread we use when making a sandwich has on the sandwich-eating experience; French toast is no different.

I think a combination of both breads creates the perfect balance of flavor and texture, but please, if all you have in your house is good quality white sandwich bread, it is OK to use, too.

Make this ahead of time. You can prepare the bread a couple of days before, but be sure to keep it in an airtight container or bag in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it. If I see bread on sale a few weeks ahead of time, I store the torn/cut bread in the freezer until the day before I am going to use it. This hack is especially helpful when I see what I need on the "day old" rack at my grocery store at a bargain price.

I have also processed the remaining ingredients, except the pecans, in the blender a day before assembly. When ready to put everything together, place bread in a buttered dish, and pour the egg mixture over the top. It is that simple.

I have been making this for years and have come up with some tips when making this recipe:

• Cover the pan with plastic wrap when placing it in the refrigerator overnight. When I used aluminum foil, I noticed a transfer of some kind from the foil to where it touched the French toast.

• Place the pan into a cold oven and allow the two to heat up together. This will ensure the cold glass pan does not break when being placed into a hot oven.

• Be creative and put your own twist on this recipe. There are ideas at the bottom of the recipe.

To complete the meal, I typically pre-cook some sausage or bacon a day or two before and make sure we have some fruit ready to be served, along with the toasted pecans to sprinkle on top of the French toast casserole.

After discovering this recipe, our Christmas mornings changed. While the kids are still asleep, my husband and I get up, put the casserole in the oven, place some cookies on a plate for snacking during present opening, and perhaps my first gift of the day - my husband makes coffee. Then he and I take a moment to have a "cup-o-joe" together and await the pitter-patter of little feet. OK, to be truthful, it is more like a stampede at our house.

You likely already have treasured Christmas morning traditions, but just in case you are interested in trying something new, consider this easy and delicious breakfast.

My kids are older now but still look forward to being together Christmas morning, and this dish is one of the reasons. From my family to yours, Merry Christmas.

Baked French Toast Bread Pudding

16 ounces egg or French bread, or a combination, torn or cut into ¾" pieces

10 large eggs

3 1/3 cup milk

2/3 cup sugar

2½ teaspoons vanilla

1 teaspoon nutmeg

pinch salt

2/3 cup chopped and toasted pecans (optional)

Warm maple syrup

Butter a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish. Place bread in dish. Whisk eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, nutmeg and salt in medium bowl. (A blender also works well.) Pour egg mixture over bread. Using a spatula, lightly press down on bread to moisten completely. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. (Do not use foil, as some of the foil may transfer to wet egg mixture.)

The next morning, remove pan from refrigerator and remove plastic wrap. Cut a piece of aluminum foil large enough to cover pan and either rub with butter or spray with cooking spray; cover dish tightly with aluminum foil.

Place foil-covered dish in cold oven and set to 350 degrees. Bake 40 minutes; remove foil and continue baking an additional 40 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown. To test; insert a knife into middle - if it is clean when removed, it is done.

Allow to set 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Spoon pudding onto plates, sprinkle with toasted nuts and drizzle with maple syrup.

Make it your own with one of these variations:

Orange Hint: Add the zest of an orange and ¼ cup orange liqueur

Berry: Stir in 1 cup fresh blueberries or raspberries prior to baking

Cinnamon Roll: Substitute brown sugar for the white sugar and add a teaspoon of cinnamon

Ultimate decadence: Fold in an 8-ounce package of cubed cream cheese and 1 cup of berries after adding egg mixture to bread.

Penny Kazmier