This recipe is inspired and adapted from one of our favorite food bloggers / cookbook writers, Smitten Kitchen. If you like the sound of this recipe, we highly recommend taking a look at her book.
How to Make French Toast in the Oven
We adore our original French toast recipe, but if we are cooking for more than 4, this baked French toast recipe is where we turn. To make it, generously spread each bread slice with butter and sprinkle with a little cinnamon sugar. Then bake the buttered slices in the oven until toasted and the sugar has some crunch. After they cool off a bit, layer the bread in a baking sheet and pour over a mixture of milk, eggs and vanilla. Set the baking dish aside for 15 minutes or so and give the top of the bread a push to help absorb some of the custard. After about 30 minutes in the oven the French toast will be puffed and golden. Slice into squares and serve with maple syrup and butter on top. 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon 16 slices cinnamon raisin sandwich bread 8 tablespoons (115 grams or 1 stick) unsalted butter, softened 3 cups (710 ml) whole milk 6 large eggs 1/4 teaspoon sea salt 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 2In a small bowl, whisk the sugar and cinnamon together. Place the bread in one layer onto the baking sheets. Spread each slice with a little butter and sprinkle with about a teaspoon of cinnamon-sugar — you might have some cinnamon-sugar leftover. 3Slide the baking sheets into the oven and toast the bread until golden and until the cinnamon-sugar top has a slight crunch, 5 to 10 minutes. 4Reduce the oven to 375 degrees F and let the toast cool slightly. 2Arrange the toast in two rows in the baking sheet. Begin with one of the bottom halves of cut toast, layer 7 more slices in a row and finish with one of the top halves of cut toast. Repeat with the second row. (Halving the bread and arranging them at the ends of the rows makes sure every serving is the same thickness.) 3In a medium bowl, which the milk, eggs, salt and vanilla until blended then pout over the toast in the baking dish. Use a spatula or hands to gently press the toast down into the custard then let it sit for 15 minutes and up to overnight so that the custard absorbs into the toast.
