Cinnamon Roll French Bread Bake

I saw this post go through my feed on Facebook, and the picture alone was enough to make me want to try it out. So, I hopped over to Six Sister's Stuff and looked at their recipe. It seemed simple enough, and unlike other French toast bakes, this one did not require you to let everything sit overnight, which, for someone who doesn't always plan her meals THAT much in advance, was perfect!

During the preparation process though, I discovered pretty quickly that I was going to need to tweak things. So the recipe that follows is going to be VERY similar to the base recipe I used from Six Sister's Stuff, but not quite the same, and here's why... every bakery makes their French bread just a little bit different (smaller, larger, longer, fatter...) and so my hometown French bread required LOTS more milk and egg mixture (and just a touch more topping).

I also found that letting the French toast sit for just a few minutes before baking (one of the reasons I was excited about this recipe) was simply not enough time for all the milk and egg mixture to evenly absorb into the bread. (Now I know why most of these kinds of recipes tell you to let things sit overnight or for at least 8 hours... but I think even sitting for 10-30 minutes might have been enough.) To help coat the bread, I even kind of smooshed the bread down into the pan to try to get all of the pieces evenly coated in the milk and egg, which I worried might ruin the bread or make it turn into some kind of heavy lump, but it didn't. Even with all of that, after baking, I had several spots in my French toast bake where the bread was still dry and had no milk or egg on it at all.

However, it was still pretty good when it was done, and I think next time, knowing what I know now and using the recipe I am going to post below, it will be perfect the next time I make it. So, here's my version of the Six Sister's Stuff Cinnamon Roll French Bread Bake.

Marsha's Cinnamon Roll French Bread Bake

Author: Marsha

Prep time:  10 mins plus soaking time (30 minutes to an hour)

Cook time:  15-25 mins

Total time:  35 mins

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1 loaf french bread (depending on the size and shape from your bakery... ours are HUGE!)
• 10 eggs
• 1 1/2 cup whole milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons nutmeg
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 cup cream cheese frosting (melted) {you could use any frosting... we are just big fans of cream cheese}

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Slice the french bread into ½-1/3 inch slices and place them in rows in a greased 9x13 pan. The thinner you slice the bread, the more layers you will have in your bake and the more delicate it becomes. I like mine thin!
3. In a bowl, combine the cracked eggs, whole milk, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg until well combined. (Adjust egg mixture for the amount of bread you have as needed.)
4. Pour the liquid mixture over the slices of bread. Make sure each slices gets coated. You may have to push the bread down into the milk and egg mixture to get every slice dipped. Let rest so the milk and egg mixture can evenly absorb into the bread. Times will vary depending on how well you originally coat each piece of bread.
5. Sprinkle the french toast with brown sugar and cinnamon and place in oven.
6. Bake at 350 for 15-25 minutes, or until all the mixture is absorbed and baked into the bread.
7. Remove from oven and let cool for about 5 minutes before pouring the melted cream cheese frosting over it.
8. Serve warm and enjoy!

I really loved how the cinnamon sugar topping got all crispy and crunchy on the top of the bake, and I liked the texture and appearance when the bread was sliced really thin. The leftovers were also tasty, but the topping is no longer crunchy when you microwave things. To help with the even absorption of the milk and eggs, you maybe could even dip each slice into the mixture, then place the slices in the pan and pour the remaining mixture over top. It would be messier, but might eliminate the need to let things sit.

*If using the longer, skinnier loaf of Kent's French bread, use less egg mixture (8 eggs to 1 cup milk, maybe) and be sure to bake for at least 20 minutes. Test to see if it's reached 160 degrees internally.