Apple French Toast Bake

It starts with day-old wheat bread cut into cubes and left out to dry. Use my recipe for 7-ingredient wheat bread for a from-scratch experience. Otherwise, any crusty bread will do.

Now, we soak just as long as it takes to saute the apples. That’s plenty of time to let the bread cubes get all marinated in eggy goodness.

The apples are so simple! Just saute with a little butter, cinnamon, and brown sugar until tender. That’s it. I could’ve eaten this whole pan, no lie.

Oh man, look how delicious and eggy and crusty and apple-stuffed this French toast is! Does it get any better for a healthy fall breakfast?

This French toast bake is literally the fall breakfast of my dreams. It feeds a crowd! And it’s:

EasyWholesome

Loaded with cinnamon + apples

Tender on the inside

Crusty on the outside

& Perfect topped with more apples and maple syrup

I think I died and went to heaven devouring my slice.

I think you get the point. MAKE THIS FRENCH TOAST! It has my food blogger guaranteed stamp of approval on it. If you don’t like it, you’re crazy. It’s as simple as that. Happy fall, everybody!

Ingredients

6-8 cups day-old whole grain bread (cubed*)
Seven large eggs
2 cups milk (I used lightly sweetened vanilla almond milk)
3/4 tsp cinnamon (divided)
Four medium apples (cored, peeled, and sliced into wedges*)
2 Tbsp butter (I used Earth Balance)
1/2 cup brown sugar (divided)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 C) and grease a 9×13 baking pan (adjust the number or size of the pan if altering batch size).
Add bread cubes to the baking pan – enough to generously cover the bottom and up about 1.5 inches. You don’t want to see any bare spots on the pan, but you also don’t want there to be bread overflowing out of the dish.
In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, and 2/3 of the cinnamon (1/2 tsp as the original recipe is written). Pour over the bread and use your hands or the back of a wooden spoon to push the bread down to soak up the liquid. If you end up having too much bread after pouring on the liquid, pick a few out. Alternatively, if you have too much liquid, add more bread cubes. (see photo)
To a large skillet over medium-low heat, add the apples and butter. Sprinkle with remaining 1/3 of the cinnamon (1/4 tsp as the original recipe is written), stir, and cover to steam for a bit. When they start to get tender – about 4-5 minutes – remove cover and sprinkle with 2-3 Tbsp brown sugar (this will depend on preference and whether you used sweet or tart apples // amounts as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size). Continue cooking with the cover off until tender and slightly caramelized. You don’t want them to get mushy, so be careful not to keep the cover on for too long. Remove from heat to cool slightly.
Check the bread to make sure all pieces are getting well soaked. If any cubes are dry on top, flip them over with your hands to ensure all pieces are wet. Sprinkle top with remaining brown sugar – about 1/4 cup (as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size).
Next, spoon 3/4 of the apples over the top of the bread and push them down into the cracks with your fingers. If a few slices are sitting on top, that’s OK (see photo).
Bake on a center rack for 45 minutes to 1 hour. You’ll know when it’s done because the bread and apples will be golden brown, and the egg mixture will no longer be wet. Stick a fork down in the center to check – if it’s still jiggly or wet, bake for another 5-10 minutes.
Remove from oven and serve immediately. Top each slice with any remaining sauteed apples and maple syrup. Store leftovers in a covered container in the fridge for up to a couple of days and reheat in the microwave, though this dish is best when fresh.