Cinnamon French Toast Bake with Bacon

Put the bread cubes into a large bowl and set aside.

Fry up the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crispy, 8-10 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. When cool, crumble bacon into small pieces and toss with the bread cubes. Toss to combine. Place the bread cubes with bacon into a greased baking dish (I used a 9×9 baking dish).

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, milk, 1 cup brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla extract. Pour the mixture over the bread. Cover your French toast bake with a sheet of foil and refrigerate it overnight. If you’re not a planner and you want to make this quicker than overnight, refrigerating your French toast bake for 2-3 hours should cut it.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Before baking, dot the top with the butter and sprinkle with the remaining 3 tablespoons of brown sugar. Cover the baking dish loosely with tin foil. Cut two slits in the foil to allow the steam to escape and bake at 350 F for 50 minutes. Then remove the foil and bake for another 30 minutes, until the top is golden brown. Serve warm with maple syrup.