The last two pieces of a loaf of bread, what do you call them: butts, ends, or heels?
Now, what do you do with them?
Eat them? Toss them? Repurpose them? Don’t know?
For me, the butts of bread are consistently the last ones standing in the bread bag. Maybe it’s because half of the end slice is covered in crust and I strongly disliked crust growing up. Maybe it’s because they just don’t taste the same. Regardless, I always feel so torn and a little sad about not wanting to eat them, but also not wanting them to go to waste.
But now, there’s a reason to look forward to them because this dairy-free and gluten-free friendly single serving recipe is made special for bread butts!
The soft, springy consistency of the bread bites in this Single Serve French Toast Casserole are enveloped in a crisp, golden crust – a delightful blend of textures. Highly adaptable and suitable for all taste buds, the creamy, faintly sweet mixture that the bites are soaked in serves as a neutral base opening the door for a world of flavor combination possibilities!
And don’t let the size of this deceive you; with a nutritious balance of high quality protein, healthy fats, and complex carbs, it’s surprisingly filling and will keep you satiated all morning.
Single Serve French Toast Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 bread butts regular slices can also be used
- 1 egg
- 3 TBSP unsweetened dairy-free milk*
- ¼ tsp. cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp. stevia or sweetener
- ½ tsp. vanilla
Optional Brown Sugar Oat Crumble topping
- 4 g vegan butter
- ⅛ tsp. cinnamon
- ½ tsp. stevia brown sugar
- 1 ¼ tsp. flour any kind
- 1 g oats
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F
- Cut the bread into bite-sized cubes and spread them out in a small, sprayed baking dish*
- In a bowl, whisk the remaining ingredients together
- Pour the mixture over the bread cubes and use a fork or rubber spatula to lightly move the bread around to coat each piece
- Add optional crumble topping or any other toppings (see below for more ideas)
- Bake for 20-23 minutes or until the top is crisp and the middle is moist and not wet or soupy – check by inserting a fork or toothpick into the center*
Notes
- *Dairy-free milk: more milk may be needed for larger slices or breads with thicker crusts – when the liquid is added, the liquid should be about halfway up the top layer of cubes
- *2. The size of the dish is flexible – I’ve used a shallow ramekin dish that’s about 5” across as well as a mini loaf pan that’s 3” deep – the only impact the size has is in the baking time
- *6. The deeper the dish, the longer it’ll need to be baked
With how easily you can jazz up and hit a variety of flavor profiles with this recipe, it’s sure to be a crowd-pleaser! There’s a number of ways to shake up the mix-ins and toppings to fit your preferences and here are a few flavor combos to try (most of these can be mixed in prior to baking or added on top after):
- S’mores: vegan marshmallows, chocolate, and graham cracker crumbs
- Chocolate pecan pie: chocolate chips and pecan pieces mixed in before baking, then topped with chocolate chips, pecans, and a sprinkle of stevia brown sugar after baking
- Banana maple walnut: chopped walnuts, maple syrup, pinch of nutmeg, fresh banana slices
- Strawberries and nut butter
- Toasted coconut and pineapple
- Cinnamon apple pecan
- Classic powdered sugar and fresh fruit
- Cookies and cream with crumbled Oreos
- Frozen berries added after baking
- Peaches and coconut cream
- Nutella and banana
- Savory French toast options such as scrambled eggs, avocado, vegan cheese
To really tie it together and further balance your breakfast, this Protein Coffee pairs perfectly with the French Toast Casserole while giving you an added boost of protein!
Feeling bad about unused bread butts is a thing of the past. Thanks to this easy, fluffy French toast casserole recipe, I get excited about bread heels now, and I hope you start to look forward to them too!
And if you’re looking for more ways to repurpose food, check out these Taco Crusted Chicken Bites!
If interested, the macronutrients are below. They are kept separate at the very end of each recipe blog so that this can remain a safe, positive space for all as not everyone wishes to see the nutritional information.
Macros (with the crumble topping): 39.4 C | 11.4 F | 10.6 P
Here are the macros without the crumble topping: 34.4 C | 8.5 F | 10.2 P
Since bread macros vary greatly depending on the brand and slice size, the most accurate method would be to add the macros of the 2 slices of bread you use to the macros of the recipe without the bread and crumble topping: 0.4 C | 5.5 F | 6.2 P
The macros for recipes are also available on MyFitnessPal. Simply search the name of the recipe followed by “ – SUNutrition” (so for this recipe, search “Single Serve French Toast Casserole – SUNutrition”).
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