Baked Cinnamon French Toast is the ultimate morning indulgence, with a perfect combination of divine flavors and enticing textures. And, it’s incredibly convenient to prepare in advance, making it a stress-free option for breakfast or brunch. To create this irresistible treat, simply soak slices of store-bought cinnamon raisin bread in a luscious custard-like blend of eggs, sugar, milk, cream, and vanilla. Then, pop it in the oven for a water bath bake. It’s a recipe that combines ease, sophistication, and the power to impress anyone who tries it!
I first made this Baked Cinnamon French Toast years ago for my mom on Mother’s Day, and it has since become a regular feature at our special breakfasts and brunches. This delightful dish resembles a breakfast bread pudding, but with a twist that captures the comforting and familiar essence of classic French toast. Its custard-like texture adds to the overall experience, making it a cherished favorite in our household.
What Makes this Cinnamon French Toast Bake so Good?
I believe the two real secrets to this easy baked French toast’s appeal are the cinnamon and the raisins baked right into the bread. Cinnamon is a strong, pungent, slightly woody spice that gives this dish a warm blast of flavor, in an earthy sort of way. And, the raisins provide subtle hints of fruit and bits of chewiness.
Why Make French Toast in the Oven?
Here are some benefits of baking French Toast in a custard-like mixture instead of cooking it with the traditional stove top method:
- Enhanced flavor. The sweet creamy mixture (egg, sugar, milk, cream and vanilla) infuses the cinnamon raisin bread with a rich and flavorful base.
- Better texture. The custard helps to retain moisture in the bread slices, preventing them from drying out during baking, resulting in a softer and more tender texture compared to traditional French toast.
- Even distribution of flavor. By soaking the bread in the custard mixture and then baking, the sauce is distributed evenly throughout the dish. Each slice absorbs the custard, ensuring consistent flavor and texture.
- Customizable. This approach allows you to customize this dish to make it your own. Add additional spices like nutmeg or cardamom, or incorporate extracts like almond or orange. Additionally, you can layer in dried fruits or nuts for even more variety.
- Easy to prepare. This method for French toast requires less hands-on time compared to individually dipping and cooking each slice on the stovetop.
Baked Cinnamon French Toast Recipe Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make these enticing dish (details, including quantities, are in the recipe card below):
- Sliced good quality cinnamon raisin bread
- Salted or unsalted butter
- Large eggs
- Granulated sugar
- Whole milk
- Heavy cup whipping cream
- Vanilla extract
- Mixed fresh berries (blueberries, blackberries, raspberries), for topping
- Powdered (confectioners’) sugar, for topping
How to Make Cinnamon French Toast in the Oven
Here are the easy steps involved in making this amazing baked French toast:
- Prep bread.
Brush both sides of bread slices with melted butter. Line a 13-by-9-by-2 inch glass baking dish with the buttered slices. Set aside. - Prep custard mixture; add to bread; refrigerate.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs and egg yolks. Add sugar, milk, cream and vanilla and whisk until well mixed. Slowly pour through a mesh strainer over the top of the bread slices, covering them evenly and completely. If any bread slices float to the top of the egg mixture, gently push them down with your finger. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight. - Bring to room temperature.
About 1 hour before baking, take baking dish out of the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before proceeding. - Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Bake in water bath.
Place baking dish in a larger baking dish with high sides (a roasting pan works well) and with a 1/2 to 1-inch gap between the sides of the two pans. Place on the middle rack of your oven. Carefully pour hot water into the outer dish, until water reaches around halfway up the sides of the baking dish. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the top is lightly browned and the custard is cooked (it should spring back when you push lightly on the top). - Cool, add toppings, serve.
Cool slightly, sprinkle with fresh berry mixture and sift powdered sugar over the top. Cut into 12 pieces and serve.
Tip: Why Bake the French ToasT in a water bath?
A water bath, also called a bain marie, is a pan filled with hot water in which a smaller baking dish is placed during cooking. The hot water provides gentle and uniform heat that ensures the dish cooks evenly. In fact, it’s a particularly important method when cooking egg-based dishes like this French toast because it reduces the risk of overcooking and the custard separating into curdled egg and liquid.
Cinnamon French Toast Bake Toppings Ideas
This recipe calls for topping the french toast with fresh berries and a dusting of powdered sugar. Here are some additional topping ideas to inspire you if you want to make it your own:
- Sliced bananas or peaches
- Maple or chocolate syrup
- Caramel sauce
- Whipped cream
- Chopped nuts – almond, peacan or walnut
What to Do with Leftover Oven Baked French Toast
Place leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate. They will last up to 4 days. Reheat, covered, in a preheated 350 degree oven just until warmed through, around 10 minutes.
What to Serve with Baked Cinnamon French Toast
Here are my favorite dishes to serve with this baked French toast:
Cinnamon French Toast Bake
Baked Cinnamon French Toast is full of divine flavors, varying textures and bright colors – and is super easy to prepare ahead of time. Purchased cinnamon raisin bread slices are steeped in a sweet-creamy mixture of egg, sugar, milk, cream and vanilla, then baked in a water bath. Easy, luscious, elegant and impressive!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Refrigeration Time: 120 mins
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 40 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 8 slices good quality cinnamon raisin bread
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 4 large eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3 cups whole milk
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups water, for baking
- 3 cups mixed fresh berries (blueberries, blackberries, raspberries)
- Powdered (confectioners’) sugar, for garnish
Instructions
- Brush both sides of the bread slices with the melted butter. Line a 13-by-9-by-2 inch glass baking dish with the buttered bread slices. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and egg yolks. Add the sugar, milk, cream and vanilla and whisk until well mixed. Slowly pour through a mesh strainer over the top of the bread slices, covering them evenly and completely. If the bread slices float to the top of the egg mixture, gently push them down with your finger. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.
- About 1 hour before baking, take the baking dish out of the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before proceeding.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Place baking dish in a larger baking dish with high sides (a roasting pan works well) and with a 1/2 to 1-inch gap between the sides of the two pans. Place on the middle rack of your oven. Carefully pour hot water into the outer dish, until water reaches around halfway up the sides of the baking dish. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the top is lightly browned and the custard is cooked (it should spring back when you push lightly on the top).
- Cool slightly, sprinkle with fresh berry mixture and sift powdered sugar over the top. Cut into 12 pieces and serve.
Notes
Note: Baking time should be increased 5 to 10 minutes if you do not use a glass dish.
Make ahead: Casserole can be assembled but not baked up to 24 hours in advance. Bring to room temperature before baking.
- Category: brunch, breakfast
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Make ahead
Keywords: quick and easy, make ahead, easy entertaining
If this recipe looks familiar to you, perhaps it’s because it’s in my cookbook A Well-Seasoned Kitchen® under its earlier name “Cinnamon Raisin Bread Custard with Fresh Berries.”
