As we find ourselves with extra time on our hands, many of us turn to activities we find comforting to fill the void. For many, that’s baking or cooking. I thought it would be fun to share a recipe made famous by Pennington Point Inn in the Precipice Series.
Made Famous by Pennington Point Inn
Elizabeth Pennington strives to carry on her family’s tradition of keeping a popular inn on the coast of Maine, which includes a Sunday brunch that would not be complete without their Orange Macadamia Nut French Bread. Tourists and locals, as well as guests from the inn, line up for Sunday brunch because of it.
Toss Aside The Frying Pan
I love the thick slices and ease of cooking for a group. In the recipe below, it’s been scaled down from the inn’s cooking-for-a-crowd sized directions to a family of six.
Consider preparing this on a weekend—or any day of the week if they all seem like Saturday—to bring everyone together and make it feel special. It has a delightful touch of orange and is not overly sweet. I’ve also made a gluten free/dairy free version of this—substituting GF bread for Italian, almond milk for the half & half, egg whites for the eggs—and it’s delicious, too. Chances are your GF bread will be thinner than what’s called for, so adjust your baking time accordingly.
While you’re following the recipe, you can imagine the chef at Pennington Point Inn preparing tray after tray of this popular dish to satisfy his guests.
But does anyone else see the irony of using Italian bread to make French toast??
Orange Macadamia Nut French Toast
Ingredients:
5 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup orange juice
½ cup half & half
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 16-ounce loaf Italian bread, cut into 1-inch slices
½ cup butter or margarine, melted
½ cup macadamia nuts, chopped
Confectioner’s sugar for garnish, syrup if desired
Directions:
- Arrange bread slices in a single layer in a lightly greased baking dish.
- Whisk together the eggs, sugar, cinnamon, orange juice, half & half, and vanilla.
- Pour egg mixture over bread slices. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight, flipping the slices over once.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Pour melted butter onto a large cookie sheet with sides.
- Arrange bread slices in a single layer.
- Sprinkle with macadamia nuts.
- Bake 17-20 minutes until lightly browned along edges.
- Garnish and serve immediately.
- Enjoy!
Yield: 6 servings
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Notes:
#SundayBrunch #MaineInns #FrenchToast #PenningtonPointInn #MysterySeries