1 (10 oz.) long, thin loaf French or Italian bread without seeds
5 lg. eggs
2 1/2 c. milk
3 tsp. sugar
3/4 tsp. salt (if desired)
1 tbsp. vanilla
2 tbsp. lightly salted butter cut into sm. pieces

Use extra butter to grease a 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking pan. Cut bread into inch thick slices and arrange in 1 layer in bottom of pan. In a large bowl, beat eggs with remaining ingredients except butter. When thoroughly mixed, pour over bread in pan. Cover with foil and refrigerate 4 to 36 hours.

To bake, uncover pan; dot bread with the 2 tablespoons butter and put pan in oven. Turn oven on to 350 degrees and bake 45 to 50 minutes, until bread is puffy and lightly browned. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes before serving. Makes 8 servings.

Serve with choice of syrup, honey, yogurt or sour cream and fresh fruit. Leftovers are delicious, too.