I am SO ridiculously excited about this Baked Cinnamon Apple French Toast. I mean, have you ever seen a French toast so beautiful?
Holiday dinners get all the attention, but I’m all about Holiday brunches. To me, there’s not much that can top a bountiful brunch spread.
It’s a holiday tradition of my mom’s that we do an epic brunch every year. We always have some sort of baked good like French toast or a Dutch baby, then fill the rest of the table with breakfast sausages, fruit, and yogurt. It’s something I look forward to each year I come home.
So this Baked Cinnamon Apple French Toast. Let’s talk about it. Instead of frying up individual pieces of French toast on the griddle, this French toast is baked vertically! The result is a rich, custard-like French toast that will have everyone in your family going back for seconds. It’s also studded with sliced apples and spiced with cinnamon, making it truly holiday-worthy.
And guess what? It’s dairy-free thanks to my friends at Almond Breeze! I’m so excited to announce that this is the first in a series of posts we’ll be doing together this year.
Though I’m not dairy-free, a lot of you are. And sometimes, almond milk is just better than regular milk no matter what your dietary restrictions are. I particularly love their unsweetened almond milk in things like muesli, smoothies, and homemade iced lattes.
Oh and in baked French toast, duh. 😉
Tips for making this baked French toast
This baked cinnamon apple French toast is insanely easy to make, but there are a few things to keep in mind before diving into this recipe.
First, you want to use a really thick-cut, hearty bread like challah or brioche. Both of these breads hold up well in the oven and soak up lots of that custard sauce. As an alternative, you could also use a baguette or something similar, though it won’t soak up the custard as well.
Second, let the bread slices sit in the egg mixture for a solid five minutes. The bread will become ultra saturated, but you have to remember that you’re baking this homemade French toast. If you don’t let the bread slices soak up enough custard, they’ll dry out in the oven!
Third, you want the apple slices to be reeeally thin. You can leave the skin on, which will save you some time! The apple slices will also release some moisture into this baked French toast, which will help prevent the bread from drying out too.
And that’s it! Sprinkle lots of powdered sugar onto the baked French toast and wait for your family to react to their first bite. They’re going to love it!
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a standard-sized loaf pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
Cut bread into one inch thick slices. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, almond milk, maple syrup, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and salt. Soak all of your slices of bread in the egg mixture for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, slice your apples horizontally into thin rings. Use a corer or a metal frosting tip to core the apple core from the slices.
Layer in your soaked bread slices and apples, alternating one slice of bread to 3 slices of apples. If once you’re done you have any egg mixture left over, pour it over the entire loaf. Sprinkle with chopped almonds and cover loosely with tin foil.
Bake for 45-50 minutes, removing the tin foil after 30 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before sprinkling with powdered sugar!
To serve, use a bread knife to cut slices from the loaf. Drizzle with maple syrup!
This post is sponsored by my friends at Almond Breeze. All text and opinions are 100% my own. Thank you for supporting the brands who help make Broma possible!
Leave a comment and rate this recipe!
so beautiful!!!
Mmm! Looks awesome! I love any and all French Toast
Wow, this is beautiful!
Such a beautiful and perfect breakfast or brunch on Christmas morning!
Such a stunning breakfast for the holidays!