TL/DR – Cinnamon Raisin French Toast Casserole. This delicious treat is extremely easy to execute. It features lots of cinnamon and raisins and is sweet, but not overly-sweet so that diners can choose to drizzle their desired quantity of warm, pure maple syrup over the finished product.
This is one of those no-brainer brunch potluck dishes or simply an extra thing to serve at breakfast when the house is full of guests for the holidays. OK so maybe no house full of guests this year… and no potlucks… but make this anyway! Do it! It’s cozy, satisfying, bready, eggy, and the perfect comfort food for a Christmas morning spent with only those people in our households. It is not overly sweet and it does not have a streusel topping. Nothing against streusel topping, but for our family I prefer to cut down on sugar and allow folks to add their own syrup.
Start with day-old cinnamon raisin bread. Be sure to check the sugar content. The bread I used is not incredibly sweet. (Also, I’ve made this will day old french bread and it’s just as good.) Cut the loaf into one-inch chunks. If it’s not terribly dry, then leave it out on the counter for a few hours. Grease a 9 x 13 baking dish with about a tablespoon of butter and press the bread cubes into it so they fill all of the space well and don’t poke out too much. Leave only about 1/4 to 1/2 inch of space at the top. Sprinkle on 1/2 c to 1 c of additional raisins and jostle the pan so that they sink in a bit.
Whisk together eggs, milk, pure maple syrup, brown sugar, a generous amount of cinnamon, vanilla and some salt and pour this mixture over the bread cubes. Pour slowly so that it has a chance to cover as much of the top of the cubes as possible. Then gently press the cubes to submerge them and jostle the pan gently. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight.
In the morning, heat the oven to 350 degrees F. and remove the casserole from the refrigerator to sit on the counter as the oven preheats. Bake it, covered with foil, for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for an additional 15 – 30 minutes. The type of bread used will determine the exact baking time. My homemade loaf is big and fluffy and absorbs a lot of liquid, so it takes about 50 or 55 minutes for the middle to cook all the way through. It should not be jiggly at all when finished, it should be clearly set.
Serve warm with additional warm pure maple syrup on the side to drizzle over the top. If there is more time to labor over breakfast carbs, try Zucchini Lemon Pancakes.
Cinnamon Raisin French Toast Casserole
This delightful french toast casserole has cinnamon, raisins and pure maple syrup. It is not overly sweet but it is rich and decadent.
Ingredients
- 1 loaf day-old cinnamon raisin bread or plain french bread, cut into inch cubes
- 1 T butter
- 1/2 to 1 c raisins, depending on the quantity of raisins in the bread
- 1 apple, peeled and diced in 1/4 inch cubes
- 8 eggs
- 2 c milk or half and half
- 1/2 c pure maple syrup
- 1/3 c brown sugar
- 2 t cinnamon
- 2 t vanilla extract
- 1/2 t salt
Directions
- Step 1 Grease a 9 x 13 inch glass baking dish with the butter and press the bread cubes into the dish, leaving only about 1/2 inch of space at the top. Sprinkle the raisins over the top and jostle the dish to get them to settle in a bit.
- Step 2 Whisk the eggs well, then whisk in the milk, syrup, brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and salt.
- Step 3 Slowly and carefully pour the egg mixture over the bread cubes. Press the bread down with a spatula to get each cube completely soaked in the egg mixture. Cover and refrigerate at least two hours, but ideally overnight.
- Step 4 Remove the casserole from the refrigerator and cover with foil. Allow it to sit on the counter while the oven preheats to 350 degrees F.
- Step 5 Bake covered in foil for 30 minutes, then uncover and bake for 15 – 30 minutes more. The middle should not be jiggly and the whole casserole should be set.
- Step 6 Serve warm with warmed pure maple syrup on the side.
