Baked French Toast

Steps

1. 1Whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, vanilla, salt and milk. Place the bread slices in the custard base and let stand until the bread is saturated, about 1 hour.
2. 2Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Place rack in middle of oven.
3. 3Heat an oven-proof skillet (cast-iron skillet works great) over medium-low heat. (Note: really be patient here and keep the heat at medium-low.) Melt the butter to coat the bottom of the pan. Lift each bread slice from the custard base and place in the pan. Cook the slices for about 3 minutes, occasionally pressing them against the bottom of the pan with a spatula so the bottoms cook evenly. This step seals the bottoms of the slices by cooking the outer layer of custard base. It also prepares the bread for receiving more custard base.
4. 4Spoon or ladle more custard base into the center of each bread slice. (Note: I did not do this. The slices seemed saturated enough with custard that adding more seemed unnecessary, but by all means give this a go.) If the liquid leaks out of the bread and onto the skillet, the bread slices are not quite sealed. Continue cooking for 1 minute, pressing the slices slightly to seal. Transfer the skillet to the oven’s middle rack — do not flip over the slices.
5. 5Bake the slices for 12 to 15 minutes. (Note: I find 15 to 20 minutes or even a few minutes more than 20 to be a better length of time — at 12 to 15 minutes, my slices are still soggy in the center. Definitely check the slices at 15 minutes, however. The book notes that it may take up to 20 minutes depending on the thickness of the bread for the slices to cook all the way through.) The French toast is done when the custard seems solid and each slice appears inflated, as the custard souflées when fully cooked.
6. 6Using a spatula, remove the French toast from the skillet and place them, caramelized-side up onto plates. The skillet side should be caramelized and crisp.