My Mom is a fan of The Pioneer Woman so when we did a belated Mother’s Day brunch I decided one of her recipes would be fun to try. I loved that most of the prep for this dish is done ahead – it makes serving a nice breakfast much easier.

Everyone really liked this. The challah bread for made great French toast and the topping made it feel extra special.

Cinnamon Baked French Toast
(adapted from The Pioneer Woman)

1 loaf Challah Bread
8 Eggs
2 1/2 c. Milk
2 T. Vanilla extract
1/2 c. All-purpose flour
1/2 c. Firmly packed brown sugar
1 t. Cinnamon
1/4 t. Salt
1 Stick cold butter, cut into pieces

Grease 9 x 13-inch baking pan with butter. Cut bread into cubes and evenly distribute in the pan.

Mix together eggs, milk and vanilla. Pour evenly over bread. Cover tightly and store in the fridge several hours or overnight.

In a separate bowl, mix flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Add butter pieces and but into the dry mixture until mixture resembles fine pebbles. Store in a Ziploc in the fridge.

When you’re ready to bake the casserole, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove casserole from oven and sprinkle crumb mixture over the top. Bake for 45 minutes for a softer, more bread pudding texture. Bake 1 hour or more for a firmer, less liquid texture.