Ham and Gruyere Baked French Toast

For the Bread:

1. Cut away any heavy crust from sides and top of loaf, taking care not cut away too much of the bread itself.  This is much easier if you have a serrated knife.  You really just want to shave off the crust.
2. Slice the bread into thin slices, about a 1/4 inch thick.  At this point, you can leave the bread sliced in the baking dish to dry out a little overnight or a day.  Drying the bread helps to keep the french toast from becoming to gooey. 
3. If you do not have time to stale the bread, place the sliced bread in a single layer on a baking sheet in an oven pre-heated between 180-200 degrees.  This will help to dry the bread out, but keep a close eye on it or you will end up with croutons.

4.  Once the bread has dried out a bit or staled, its time to start preparing the french toast.

For the Caramelized Onions

1. Heat a large saute pan over medium heat, and add 1 teaspoon of olive oil and the diced onion.  Saute for about 5-6 minutes with the pan covered.  This will help to sweat the onions without additional oil.  Once the onion begins to turn golden around the edges, reduce the heat to medium-low and continue cooking, while covered.
2. Check the pan every 3-4 minutes for color and stir.  After the onions develop an amber color (about 15 minutes), remove from heat and let cool.

For the Custard:

1. Whisk the eggs in a large bowl or pyrex until well blended. 
2. Add the milk, salt and hot sauce and whisk vigorously, until frothy.  (Do not add the herbs or black pepper.  I have found through trial and error, that they pool at the bottom of the bowl.  Once the contents are poured onto the bread, it leaves an ugly streak of black and green herbs on the top of the bread.  I have found that it is better to sprinkle these spices individually over the bread when putting the french toast together.)

To Prepare the French Toast:

1. Lightly spray a 13 x 9 inch glass or glazed baking dish with Bak Klene ZT. 
2. Lay bread in a single layer on the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
3. Top with about 2 tablespoons of caramelized onion.

 Place the sliced ham on top of the onion and sprinkle half of the grated cheese over the ham slices ( about 1 1/2 ounces). 5.  Lightly sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon of Herb de Provence and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper over the bread slices.   6.  Top with the remaining bread slices. 7.  Dot the top layer of bread with about another 2 tablespoons of onion.  8.  Gently pour the custard over the bread in a slow and steady stream, letting it trickle over the bread slices.  10.  Once all of the custard has been poured over the bread, sprinkle with the remaining herbs and pepper.  Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of the cheese over herbs, reserving the remainder of the cheese to be placed on top near the end of baking. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the casserole dish and refrigerate overnight. 

To Bake:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Remove prepared French Toast from the refrigerator and let come close to room temperature while the oven is preheating.
3. Remove the plastic wrap and cover baking dish with foil.  Place baking dish on a cookie sheet.   This will protect your oven should there be a spill over.  
4. Place in oven and bake for 35 minutes covered. 
5. Remove the dish from the oven and remove the foil.  Continue to bake for an additional 15 minutes.
6. Remove from oven and sprinkle remaining cheese over the top of the French Toast.  Continue to bake until the cheese is melted and a knife inserted into the center of dish comes out clean, about 10 minutes more.
7. Remove from oven and let rest for 15 minutes.  Cut and Serve.