Foodie Friday

You may remember my post on our anniversary about how I made a delicious French toast breakfast.  Well, today's Foodie Friday is going to be this recipe! 

Today's Cinnamon Baked French Toast recipe comes from The Pioneer Woman (LOVE HER!)

Ingredients:

French Toast
1 loaf Crusty Sourdough Or French Bread
8 whole Eggs
2 cups Whole Milk
1/2 cup Whipping (heavy) Cream
3/4 cups Sugar
2 Tablespoons Vanilla Extract

Topping
1/2 cup All-purpose Flour
1/2 cup Firmly Packed Brown Sugar
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1 stick Cold Butter, Cut Into Pieces
Fresh Fruit (optional)

* Grease 9 x 13-inch baking pan with butter. Tear bread into chunks (or cut into cubes) and evenly distribute in the pan. **I cut ours into cubes because, well, I am very Type A!**

* Mix together eggs, milk, cream, sugar, and vanilla. Pour evenly over bread. Cover tightly and store in the fridge several hours or overnight. **I refrigerated ours overnight.**

* In a separate bowl, mix flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add nutmeg if desired. Add butter pieces and mix into the dry mixture until mixture resembles fine pebbles. Store in a Ziploc in the fridge. **Mine did not look anything like the Pioneer Woman's did, but then again, I did not use (nor own) a pastry cutter like she recommended, but I think it tasted just as good.**

* When you're ready to bake the casserole, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove casserole from refrigerator and sprinkle crumb mixture over the top. If you're using fruit, sprinkle on before the crumb mixture. **I did not use fruit in ours this time.**

* Bake for 45 minutes for a softer, more bread pudding texture. Bake 1 hour or more for a firmer, less liquid texture. **I baked ours for 45 minutes.**

* Scoop out individual portions. Top with butter and drizzle with maple syrup.

Final Verdict: OMG, this French toast was delicious!  It actually tasted more like a coffee cake than French toast.  The recipe called for butter & maple syrup after it was done cooking, but let me tell you, it needs NOTHING!  It is scrumptious all by itself!  I will have to say, though, this French toast is super rich!  Marc & I could hardly finish our piece.  Not because we were full, but because of how rich it was.  We actually had to share it with our neighbors because there was no way we could finish the entire pan.  So for next time, I will either half the recipe if it is just the 4 of us.  Or if I am making it for a large group, I will add eggs, meat, & fruit with the meal because the French toast cannot be the main course.  It would be a great side item.  Either way, I will DEFINITELY be making this recipe again...and I urge you to do the same!