Baked French Toast is one of my favorite recipes on my blog. I make it nearly every weekend in the summer when I can buy fabulous bread and gorgeous fruits at the Farmer’s Market. It’s so easy to change up with whatever fruit is in season. But as much as I loved all the others, this Strawberry Rhubarb Baked French Toast is my new favorite. I love the sweet tart combination of strawberries and rhubarb with just a hint of orange.
I also made one other change in the recipe. I toasted the bread for 20 minutes before soaking it in the egg mixture overnight. I decided if toasting the bread before making stuffing gives it a better texture, then toasting the French toast bread would probably do the same thing. I thought it made a huge difference. Even the bread on the bottom near the fruit juices was firmer.
With this Baked French Toast recipe it is best to use a dense, chewy bread. I bought a loaf of Cinnamon Burst Bread from Great Harvest Bread Company. It’s a big round 1 ½ pound loaf studded with cinnamon chips and it makes fabulous French toast. Of course, if you aren’t lucky enough to have a Great Harvest store near you, feel free to substitute any dense, chewy bread that you love.
If you haven’t cooked with rhubarb before, it’s very easy to use. You just wash it, cut it into bites size chucks and add plenty of sugar to it because it’s very tart. It pairs really nicely with strawberries because of the contrasting sweet and tart flavors.
Give this one a try while there’s still rhubarb at the market.
Strawberry Rhubarb Baked French Toast
Ingredients
- 1 loaf Cinnamon Burst Bread cubed *
- 6 eggs
- 1 ½ cups half and half
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
- ½ cup agave can substitute ⅔ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 2 cups rhubarb chopped into 1 inch pieces
- 2 cups strawberries hulled and halved
- ¼ cups butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º. Spread bread evenly into a jelly roll pan and toast for 20 minutes.
- In a medium bowl mix eggs, half-and-half and vanilla. Pour egg mixture evenly over cooled toasted bread. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Combine agave, cornstarch, and orange zest, fold in rhubarb and strawberries. Pour into a greased 13"x9" baking pan.
- Place the chilled bread mixture on top of the fruit mixture. Drizzle the butter over the bread.
- Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Cover with foil if the top is getting too brown.
Notes
More great Strawberry Rhubarb recipes you might like:
Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp, Two Peas and Their Pod
Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler, Hooiser Homemade
Strawberry Rhubarb Bars, The Swans
Strawberry Rhubarb Compote, Gina’s Skinny Recipes
Strawberry Rhubarb Preserves, Tracey’s Culinary Adventures
Barbara
Don’t you love that “refrigerate overnight” part? This looks wonderful, Barbara!
Christine
Looks wonderful. Love the fruit. Yummy!
Thanks,
Christine
christinespantry.blogspot.com
Becky at VintageMixer
Barbara, this recipe looks absolutely amazing! I wish josh liked baked french toast. I think I would eat it weekly if he did! It was great seeing you today. I always look forward to sitting by you at our little blogger get togethers!!
Lauren from Lauren's Latest
I love Great Harvest Bread! Too bad I don’t have one near by…rats. Baked French Toast is one of my new favorite things…and so easy! Love it.
Cookin' Canuck
Oh my, that looks wonderful, Barbara. I like that it’s packed with fruit – takes away some of the guilt of eating a plateful of French toast.
Kim
As a lover of all breakfast foods, I love that you shared this recipe and declared it one of your favorites. I can see that it would easily adapt to almost any mix of fruits. A gorgeous breakfast for sure!
Blond Duck
Why have I not made this?
I would love to try scuba!
Angie's Recipes
That’s a gourmet French toast! Love the combination!
blackbookkitchendiaries
this looks absolutely delicious!! thank you for sharing this with us. i cant wait to try this out for my familly:)
Deeba
This is one I’d love to bake very soon; I love the very idea of a toasted bread pudding. WOW!! And an overnight rest…even better!!
jessica
Oh- did you see my olive oil giveaway? Just wondering- it is amazing!
jessica
i don;t think french toast could get any better than this. Unbelievable and beautiful and oh i wish i had a piece right now! Like RIGHT NOW
Claire @ Claire K Creations
Rhubarb is just coming into the shops here now but I’m yet to bake a winter dish with it. This looks fabulous. I’m rather jealous of your cinnamon-stuffed bread. Yum!
kim sisto robinson
Barbara,
I am printing this immediately. I love love love this.
xxx
Rice Kernel
This is such a lovely dish – perfect for entertaining. Or dessert, especially with your beautiful bread. Will have to look for something similar where we are. Thanks, Barbara!
teresa
oh i have to show this to my husband, he’ll lose his mind. these look incredible!
BreAna
This looks amazing! I will have to try it out this week while I am visiting my parents. They have a lot of rhubarb! 🙂
Jamie
Baked French Toast. Wow this is some decadent breakfast! I’d serve this for dessert! Love the fruit layer! Really beautiful, Barbara, and I can see now that I do need to visit you!
natalie (the sweets life)
Yum! I’ve seen rhubarb in so many recipes lately, but not french toast. I must get my hands on some!!
Sue
Oh my, You’ve sold me on this one Barbara! I know my husband would love this for his Father’s day breakfast! Me too~ YUM!