Blueberry Bagel French Toast

Sometimes the best recipes seem to come from out of nowhere - just the perfect combination of things you have on hand and that idea of what you want to do with them. This particular recipe came from my desire for French Toast without having to stand there at the stove and flip the toast pieces. Lazy, I know, but I was feeling a bit sluggish this Sunday morning. I also wanted something more than just a plain old slice of French toast from a loaf of store-bought bread. Obviously, if I'd been thinking ahead, I would have made a loaf of country white bread last night and used that but again, laziness and lack of planning were my downfall this morning. So, instead of bread, I used blueberry bagels. I always buy bagels and sadly, I seem to be the only one to eat them, and end up throwing out half of the bag because they turn moldy so I didn't feel bad about sacrificing bagels for my French toast.
To call this a true French toast is a bit of a misnomer. It's more like a modified bread pudding but hey, it's my recipe and I can call it whatever I want to. I was quite pleased with the result - a nice, moist French toast casserole that puffed up nicely in the oven and, best of all, I got to enjoy a cup of coffee while it was baking. While I used blueberry bagels because that's what I had on hand, you can substitute another sweet bagel of your choosing. Topped with fresh fruit and syrup, this bagel french toast is going to become a go-to classic in my breakfast recipes.
Blueberry Bagel French Toast
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients:
2 large blueberry bagels
5 eggs
1 cup of fat free half & half
2 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to Betty Crocker temperature (350 degrees)
2. Spray a 2-quart casserole with cooking spray.
3. Tear bagels into large, bite-sized pieces and spread in the casserole dish.
4. Beat the eggs, half and half and cinnamon until combined and pour over bagel pieces.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes until egg mixture is set and a toothpick inserted into the center of the casserole comes out clean.
6. Top with butter and syrup.