Baked French Toast

Ingredients

• 6-8 cups bread, cubed

• 7 large eggs

• 2 cups milk (I used lightly sweetened vanilla almond milk)

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 1/4 c sugar

• Fruit for topping (I've used frozen blueberries [thawed] and bananas + walnuts. Apples, strawberries, and peaches would also work)

• 2 Tbsp butter

• 2 Tbsp sugar

• Spice(s) of choice (e.g., 1/2 tsp of cinnamon, sprinkle of ginger)

Steps

1.  Preheat oven to 375 F and grease a 13 x 9 pan
2.  Add bread cubes to pan. The bottom should be covered and at least 1 inch deep
3.  Whisk eggs, milk, cinnamon, and 1/2 cup sugar. Pour over bread in the pan--all cubes should be touching the liquid if not covered. Let soak while preparing the fruit topping
4.  Prepare the fruit topping: chop/slice/defrost fruit and/or nuts. Place in shallow pan over medium heat with butter, sugar, and spice(s). Saute until soft and slightly caramelized.
5.  Give the bread cubes + egg mixture a quick stir, then top with fruit/nut topping
6.  Bake for 45 minutes to an hour. French toast is done when the top is golden and the center is set (check for liquid using a knife or toothpick).