I love making breakfast for our college students on Sunday morning, and with the arrival of fall weather, I thought a hot breakfast bake would hit the spot. I also like recipes that I can set up the night before, and then just pop in the oven in the morning. I came across a couple of recipes — one I’ve had for years and one I’ve never tried — that I could adapt for this morning. I struggled to decide between the two, but with 12-20 in our Sunday school class, I didn’t have to decide between them — I made both!

Peaches and Cream French Toast Bake

• 8 oz of sturdy bread (French or day-old bakery bread. I used hoagie rolls)
• 6 eggs
• 1 3/4 C milk
• 1/2 C heavy cream
• 1/4 C sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 15-oz cans of sliced peaches, drained
• 1/2 C brown sugar
• Cinnamon for sprinkling

Cut bread into one inch cubes. Arrange tightly in a greased 9 x 13 baking dish (If you have a deep dish baker, use that.)

Whisk together: eggs, milk, cream, sugar, vanilla. Pour over bread making sure all pieces are soaked, turning them as necessary to coat.

Arrange peaches on top. Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon.

Cover tightly with foil and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.

Bake covered at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove foil, and bake for an additional 30 minutes until French toast is lightly browned and egg mixture is set.

Blueberry Cream Cheese French Toast Bake

• 8 oz sturdy bread (Again, I used hoagie rolls)
• 6 eggs
• 1 1/2 C milk
• 1/4 C maple syrup
• 1 stick margarine or butter, melted
• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1 pint blueberries (fresh or frozen)
• Cinnamon for sprinkling

Cut bread into one inch cubes. Arrange tightly in a greased 9 x 13 baking dish (If you have a deep dish baker, use that.)

Whisk together: eggs, milk, maple syrup, melted butter. Pour over bread making sure all pieces are soaked, turning them as necessary to coat.

Sprinkle with cinnamon.

Cube cream cheese into centimeter-sized cubes and sprinkle over bread mixture. Sprinkle blueberries over bread mixture.

Cover tightly with foil and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.

Bake covered at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove foil, and bake for an additional 25- 30 minutes until French toast is lightly browned and egg mixture is set.

I made baked them both at the same time, and the sweet fruit and cinnamon smell just about brought  me to tears. The blueberry bake was done about 5 minutes before the peach bake. Each serves 8.

I served both with syrup on the side, but neither really needed it. The peach bake was definitely sweet and moist enough without it, and lived up to the deliciousness of its peaches and cream name. The blueberry was a little less sweet, with great burst of tart blueberries and smooth cream cheese. Both were absolutely delicious. Either would be great for a Christmas brunch, or any time you want to show some college students some home-cooked love.