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Caramelized Cinnamon Sugar French Toast

Source of Recipe

From "Smitten Kitchen Keepers" by Deb Perelman


Recipe Introduction

"In my first cookbook, I vowed, after discovering baked French toast, that I would never, ever fry it again. Why stand over a hot stove, dipping and flipping and trying to keep the first slices warm while the last ones cook, when you could just put the pan into the oven and walk away? From there we made a cinnamon-toast French-toast casserole, which remains a favorite for entertaining. At home on a Sunday morning, though? I've been holding out on you for too long. Once I started making French toast with baguettes, I never looked back. It's in part practicality—baguettes are inexpensive and go stale as soon as you blink, perfect for resuscitating the next morning—but I also love the contrast: the slight saltiness of a baguette against a sugary coating, the crispness of the crust against the plush center. When these custard-soaked, cinnamon-sugar-dipped baguette slices bake on a buttered sheet pan at high heat, they caramelize all over and, slightly hollow in the center, remind me of the churros we've eaten in Spain, and if there is any better reason to get out of bed on a weekend morning, well, I don't believe you."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 2 large eggs
â—¦ 1 cup milk, whole or low-fat
â—¦ 1 (12-ounce) baguette, cut on an angle into 1-inch slices
â—¦ 3 tablespoons butter, salted or unsalted
â—¦ ½ cup granulated sugar
â—¦ 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon


Recipe

Heat the oven to 425° F. In a large bowl, beat the eggs and milk until evenly combined. Add the bread, and toss a few times so all the pieces are coated. Set aside for 10 minutes.

While the egg-bread mixture rests, line a rimmed half-sheet (13-by-18-inch) pan tightly with foil, which will ensure that no caramelized sugar gets left behind. Add the butter to the pan, and place it in the oven until the butter melts, about 3 minutes. Remove it from the oven, and roll the butter around to coat the foil evenly.

Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a medium bowl, and remove 1 tablespoon of the mixture, setting it aside. Use a fork to lift the bread from the egg mixture, letting the excess drip off. Quickly roll the bread in the larger bowl of cinnamon sugar, so it's lightly coated on all sides. Place the bread on the buttered baking sheet, and repeat with the remaining slices, spacing them out.

Bake for 9 to 10 minutes, or until the slices turn a deep golden brown underneath. Flip them, and bake for 3 to 5 minutes on the second side, aiming for the same color. Remove the pan from the oven, and sprinkle the slices with the reserved cinnamon sugar. Transfer the French toast to a serving plate within the first couple minutes it's out of the oven, or the melted sugar will fuse them to the foil. (If this happens, just rewarm in the oven until the sugar releases.)

Serve exactly as is—seriously, these need nothing on top—but my family doesn't agree, so we often add chocolate spread and berries.

Serves 4