12 oz. low-calorie bread, cut into cubes
3 c. skim milk (I used 1%)
6 large eggs
2 large egg whites
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 c. light brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
pinch of salt
maple syrup, for serving
Streusel Topping (Opt.)
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. light brown sugar
1/4 c. pecans, chopped
1 1/2 Tbl. butter, cold
Place cubed bread into a lightly greased 9x13-inch casserole dish. In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, egg whites, vanilla, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Pour the mixture evenly over the bread. Make sure every last piece of bread gets coated in the liquid. For the streusel: combine flour, brown sugar and chopped pecans in a small bowl. Add the butter and using your clean fingers, work the butter into the ingredients until crumbly. Sprinkle evenly over casserole. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes or up to overnight. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove plastic wrap and bake casserole for 45-60 minutes. It will be puffed up and golden and barely jiggly in the middle. Slice and serve with warmed maple syrup. Serves: 6-8
Note: This casserole puffs up a lot while baking, but it shrinks once removed from the oven.
Jenn's Notes: I made 1/2 a batch and used leftover ciabatta rolls (I know they probably aren't low-fat). Three of my sandwich-size ciabatta rolls weighed 6 ounces. Bobby adds pecans to his casserole, but does not add a streusel topping. I love streusel topping and I think it made this casserole amazing, but it will obviously add more calories, so it's up to you if you want to add it.
slightly adapted from: Bobby Deen