Breakfast Made Easy: Cinnamon Bread French Toast with Fresh Berries

This seriously cannot get any easier...

French Toast is a breakfast food that is even easier to make than pancakes in my opinion, and presents just beautifully. It must be the powdered sugar. Has to be. Anyways, most french toast recipes I've seen use harder-to-find breads like challah or complicated batters infused with 60 spices and various other ingredients. I say stupid. Cinnamon swirl bread is something I think is pretty easy to find. I used a loaf recently to whip up the best french toast ever! And the batter was simply egg, cream, salt, sugar, and some orange zest because the bread itself was already flavored. Easy. Add fresh berries for a perfect breakfast!

Cinnamon Bread French Toast with Fresh Berries
1 loaf cinnamon swirl bread (store-bought or homemade)
8 eggs
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 Tbsp granulated sugar
about 1 Tbsp fresh orange zest
nonstick spray or butter for griddle or pan
assorted fresh berries
powdered sugar for garnish

Slice the bread into 1" thick slices. Set aside.

Whisk together the eggs, cream, salt, sugar, and orange zest in a bowl then pour into a large baking dish (a lasagna dish works great). Place the bread slices inside the batter and coat evenly on both sides, turning occasionally, about 10 minutes. You want the bread to soak up that egg mixture.

Preheat a griddle (or pan) to 375 degrees. Spray (or butter) with nonstick spray and grill the slices, about 3-4 minutes per side or until a nice golden crust is achieved on both sides. Dust with powdered sugar, garnish with berries, and serve with your favorite maple syrup!


Make Ahead Tip:
French toast is a great breakfast item to entertain with too. You can make as much as you need a head of time, then keep the toasts warm in a 300 degree oven (covered) for up to 30 minutes. Garnish with sugar and berries just before serving.