Baked Apple & Cinnamon Maple Raisin French Toast

As you can imagine, being breadmakers we often have a lot of bread around our homes. Usually, these are loaves we have made in our testing and practice time - otherwise, we've learned if we want bread we have to place our orders online too! 

It's our goal to find creative ways to re-invent bread that is stale or past it's time for a good slice of toast, to get the maximum life out of a loaf and have as minimal waste as possible.

We love doing sourdough breakfast bakes! You can do a sweet or savory version the savory version commonly referred to as a strata. It is the perfect fast and easy breakfast to feed a big group of people. Plus if you have kids in the house, you can easily sneak in some veggies too! (Of course along with the bacon) 

Today we want to share with you a sweet version of a french toast bake: Baked Apple & Cinnamon Maple Raisin French Toast. A french toast bake can be modified in so many ways. For example, you could mix in blueberries instead of using apples on top. We've also made the blueberry version of a french toast bake and it was delicious. 

Baked Apple & Cinnamon Maple Raisin French Toast

Prep Time: 20 mins | Cook Time: 50 mins | Serves 4 

INGREDIENTS:

• 5-6 slices of Voyageurs Sourdough bread cut into cubes (~5-6 cups of cubed bread) 
• 5 eggs
• 1 cup milk (you can also use coconut milk to lighten)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla 
• Pinch of salt 

• 3 apples (cored, peeled, and sliced into slices*)
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar (optional)
• 1 Tbsp butter

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F degrees & grease a 9 in x 9 in baking pan (adjust number or size of pan if altering batch size).
2. Put bread cubes to the baking dish - enough to generously cover the bottom and a second layer.
3. In a mixing bowl whisk the eggs, milk, cinnamon, vanilla & salt. Once mixed pour the mixture over the bread. 
4. With your hands or mixing spoon, move the bread around the dish so the egg mixture gets soaked into the top layer as well. Repeat every few minutes while preparing the apples (step 5).
5. To prepare the apples, add the butter to a skillet over medium heat. Once butter has melted, add the apples. When they start to get tender (4-5 minutes), remove from heat, and sprinkle with brown sugar (optional). Continue cooking another couple minutes until soft but not mushy (this will depend on the type of apple). Remove from heat. 
6. Check the bread to make sure all pieces are getting well soaked. If any cubes are dry on top, flip them over with your hands to ensure all pieces are wet. 
7. Top the bread with the apples, then place in the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour (depending on oven). You can check after 45 minutes to see if it's done. The egg mixture should no longer be wet. 
8. Remove from oven and serve immediately! 

You can serve with a dollop of plain yogurt, slices of bacon, and a fruit salad. And truth be told, we love a little local maple syrup on top too! 

Enjoy! :)