This luscious baked French Toast is a perfect weekend breakfast. Farm fresh sweet cherries are topped with toasted cubed artisan bread soaked in eggs and half and half, and then baked to create an almost bread pudding like French Toast.
You can use any good, dense, chewy bread in this recipe. I used Volker’s Cranberry Orange bread. A fabulous bread with a great chewy texture and loaded with tart, sweet flavors. You can buy Volkers amazing bread at Farmer’s Markets in the Salt Lake area.
This summer I participated in the Utah’s Own Recipe Roundup. My Baked Cherry French Toast recipe was the winner of round two. So on Friday I got to compete with the other seven weekly winners at the Utah State Fair.
This was my first time competing in the Utah’s Own contest and it was a fun opportunity. I loved learning more about and helping raise awareness of the great Utah’s Own products. The winner of this year’s Recipe Roundup was Carmell Childs with an elegant Truffle Crepe Cake.
We were given two tickets so we could bring someone along to help. I asked fellow food blogger and my sweet friend, Becky, Vintage Mixer, to come help me set up and be my “stylist” for the competition. She has an amazing sense of style and I don’t know what I would have done without her help and support. Thanks Becky!
Also, a big thank you to Utah’s Own for hosting such a fun event. I’ve already started thinking of fun recipes for next year’s competition.
Ingredients
- 1 loaf Volkers Bakery Orange Cranberry Bread, cubed*
- 6 Oakdell eggs
- 1 1/2 cups Meadow Gold half and half
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Dutch Mill imitation vanilla
- Redmond Real Salt fine salt
- 1/2 cup Xagave agave nectar*
- 1 tablespoon Cornaby’s Thick Gel Food Starch (corn starch)**
- Zest of 1 orange
- 4 cups McMullin Orchards cherries, pitted and halved*
- 1/4 cup Meadow Gold butter, melted
- Kodiak Mountain Berry Syrup, for serving
Directions
- Spread bread evenly in a jelly roll pan and toast for 20 minutes at 350°. Cool to room temperature.
- In a medium bowl beat together eggs, half-and-half, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Pour egg mixture over cooled toasted bread. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Combine agave, cornstarch, orange zest and a pinch of salt. Fold in cherries. Pour into a greased 13x9 baking pan.
- Place the chilled bread mixture on top of the fruit mixture.
- Drizzle the melted butter over the bread.
- Bake at 400° for 30 minutes or until golden brown and sauce has thickened. Cover with foil if the top is getting too brown.
Notes
*You can substitute 1 1/2 pounds of your favorite dense, chewy bread, 2/3 cup sugar instead of the agave and any sweet fruit that is in season.
**If using frozen cherries add an additional 1 tablespoon corn starch
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I love to bake, especially cookies, cakes, and pies. I’ll post my adventures in the kitchen, my favorite new recipes, as well as our family favorites.
What a great event and way to promote your local products! Your french toast sounds wonderful and I’m sure the Cherries taste great in the custard of the toast. I would love to try the Kodiak Berry syrup. This is making me very hungry for breakfast! This would be good with some almonds over top, too.
Wow! Congratulations! What a fantastic and fun opportunity for you and all involved. Wonderful photos, delicious recipe.
What a wondrful recipe Barbara. I am going to try this one for sure. Love the cherries.
Oooo….CONGRATULATIONS on the winning, Barbara! Hope to see you in the grand final. I’m truly excited for you. Wishing you all the best, dear. And this awesome baked cherry french toast as amazing. Thanks for sharing & have fun!
Break a leg!
Blessings, Kristy
Your recipe looks like a winner to me!! And how fun to have Becky along to help you out!
It really is a luscious baked French Toast! So pretty too. What a fun event. And your creation is a winner to me!
That bread looks so scrumptious and your French toasts too! A great fall/winter treat.
Cheers,
Rosa
Wow…I can see why this made the finals! Just gorgeous!
Looks like a winning recipe to me!
How fun and yum and congrats for being involved. The French toast looks de-lish. Why do I see a little chocolate grated on top? (I love chocolate and cherries AND I always need chocolate on just about everything.)
Barbara this looks and sounds amazing! A total winner girlfriend! Good Luck in the upcoming round.
It was an honor to be a stylist of such an amazing cook! Plus I got to eat some of the leftovers!!
congrats! you came up with a fabulous recipe!
Beautiful Blog Barbara as always!!
Thank you for sharing your Utah’s Own recipe with our team. I can’t wait to see what you come up with next year!
I can only imagine how good this was, especially starting off with a special bread. Congrats on the contest and hope more to come!
Congratulations on your winning recipe. It sounds like a very fun event.
Mimi
Mum I’m so proud of you!! WEll done and well down on showcasing Utah’s produce too
xxx
This looks fabulous! Great post!
—Barbara,
Now that’s what I call Frech Toast. WOW )))))) !!
Awww geez….yum!
What fabulous french toast! Adore the fresh cherries and berry syrup; what an extraordinary use of local ingredients. I envy your placing in the state finals. I recently entered a contest focused on local ingredients and did not place! LOL
Indeed a great breakfast choice!
I wish I could get a loaf of that bread in Oregon! It looks so delicious on its own!
I’ve never considered baking French toast. It must be so delicious cooking it after it’s been soaking over night. That bread looks fabulous too.
Congrats my friend! How amazing and fun was that! Wow, I wish I could have been at that contest. talk about some good food. Your french toast looks amazing- no doubt it should have been the winner. When in doubt in my house I make french toast. It is just so delicious and easy!
Wow, congrats, Barbara, for making it to the finals. That must have been a great experience. Your french toast looks like a wonderful Sunday breakfast. Excellent photo, BTW.
Congrats! Your baked French toast looks so appetising. Must be lovely with those cherries.
YIPPEEE…so glad you won GF.Yay Yay Yay … what an amazing recipe and what fun that Becky was there with you! Loved looking at all the pics. Good luck for next year! Yay you!!
oh this is just gorgeous! i might even get up early for a breakfast like this!
Barbara, what a fun event…and your cherry French toast look fabulous…perfect for a weekend brunch!
Hope you are having a fantastic week and thank you for this recipe
Congratulations!
I love Volker’s Cranberry bread, happy to have an excuse to go buy some…
Here we have French toasts on breakfast, are routines but…. wait this bread reloaded full of berries isn’t common!
OMG I wish I’ve one for breakfast tomorrow morning
Cheers,
Gera
Congrats! That must have been a fun experience. Cherry French Toast with one of my faves – cranberries. Yum!
Looks like a winner to me! So lucky of you to be part of the competition =)
How cool that you were in this competition! Looks like a great recipe
oh wow congrats Barbara your a star and love the picture of you proud of you hugs
That sounds like it was such a fun event, Barbara! Your french toast looks amazing!
Great recipe.
Now this is the ultimate french toast & the competition sounds like fun too.
Sounds like a great event! That bread sounds amazing on its own, so I can only imagine how good it was in french toast!! Love the addition of cherries!
This looks so delicious and pretty too!
Just beautiful. Your pictures salivate the taste buds!!
What fun! You’re sure to win- that cherry french toast looks amazing!
I’m so proud of you, Barbara. I can see why this won round 2 and, maybe I’m biased, but seems like a grand prize winner!