A special breakfast makes weekend waking a pleasure--unless you are the one tasked with making it.

Commit ten minutes of time the night before (even manageable in your Saturday night dancing shoes) and, in the morning, with nothing more than a press of a button and a ferry from fridge to oven, you'll have your hands free to maintain that vice-like grip on your coffee cup.

After 30 minutes, when this French toast that is daylight's answer to bread pudding aromatically signals its grand achievements, you'll likely have mustered up the strength to shake on some powdered sugar.

A trickle of maple syrup wouldn't hurt either.

Overnight French toast

Serves 6

Adapted from smitten kitchen

1 loaf challah bread, sliced into 1" slices
pat of butter for greasing the pan
1 cup buttermilk
1-1/2 cups whole milk
3 eggs, lightly beaten
3 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. almond extract
little extras (I used cinnamon, turbinado sugar, desiccated coconut, and dried cherries.)

P.M.

Slice the challah into 1" thick slices. It should holla back.

Butter a 9" x 13" glass baking dish.

In a large liquid measuring cup, whisk together ingredients from the buttermilk through the extracts and set aside.

Arrange challah slices in a single layer across the dish's bottom and then shower them with your chosen affections. Use the remaining bread to create a second layer (cutting pieces and jigsaw puzzling them to fill in any gaps) and then show them the same love.

Pour the custard evenly across the bread, cover it tightly with foil, and bid it sweet dreams as you tuck it into the refrigerator.