Blueberry Stuffed French Toast Casserole

I love breakfast for any meal, but this breakfast….. I think I could eat it 3 meals a day for at least a week. It is THAT good. When I first tried it something went wrong. By the time I cooked and tweaked it several times, this version is THE best crock pot stuffed french toast I’ve ever, ever, ever had. (and I’ve had A LOT).
Here is how I do it:
– 2 Tablespoons of butter
– 1 cup softened cream cheese
– 1 loaf of french bread, sliced into 1 inch thick pieces
– 1 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
– 8 eggs, beaten
– 2 – 5 ounce cans of evaporated milk
– 2/3 cup of heavy cream
– 1 cup sugar
– pinch salt
– 2 t vanilla
– 3/4 t cinnamon

Grease a 5 – 6 quart crock pot with the butter & leave the excess in the crock. Spread cream cheese on to one side of the bread slices. Place the bread, cream cheese side down, into the crock. It is OK to layer the bread. Sprinkle the blueberries evenly over each bread layers. Combine the remaining ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Pour mixture over the bread and berries in the crock pot. The bread will start to float up. Gently press the bread down into the egg mixture. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes and then press the bread down again. Repeat this until it’s absorbed for 30 minutes. Cover with paper towel and secure the paper towel with lid. Cook on low for 3 – 4 hours. The casserole will be “poofed” and slightly browned on the edges when done. IF it appears that there is excess liquid you can remove the lid and cook for an additional 30 minutes to an hour. That will allow any excess moisture to evaporate. Serve with powdered sugar, maple syrup or blueberry syrup for topping.
*Notes*1.) After slicing bread, leave it sit on the counter top on a plate or cookie sheet for at least a couple (2 – 4) hours to dry out. Eight hours is better. This will make a difference, believe it or not.2.) Make sure you use the evaporated milk that’s called for. Evaporated milk has a higher tolerence to the extended heat than regular milks do. If you substitute regular milks you are chancing that the milk may clump or curdle during cooking…. ruining the entire dish. 3.) Give the bread plenty of time to soak up the liquid before cooking. I usually give it at least a total of 30 minutes, pressing any bread that floats back down every 10 minutes.4.)If you skip step 1 in these notes, this is what has caused your dish to be soggy, not excess liquid. Understand that when adding liquid to fresh bread you are setting it up to be soggy from the beginning. The liquid breaks the fresh bread down. Dry, or stale, bread holds is much sturdier and holds it’s shape better for a dish like this. (It really reminds me of a bread pudding…. what do you think?)5.) This is perfect for a brunch, breakfast or even dinner… all I pair it with is fresh fruit or fruit salad.