French Toast with Cinnamon Apples and Cinnamon Syrup

Note: I used homemade cinnamon challah (highly recommend this!) for this recipe, but it works just as well with French bread. You could add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of cinnamon to the egg mixture if you are using French bread and would like cinnamon French toast. The recipe is best if the bread is slightly stale, 2-3 days old, not fresh baked. For the apples, I used gala apples which are quite sweet. If you are using a more tart apple, you might want to add 1-2 tablespoons of brown sugar to them, but I typically don’t add any sugar. The recipe makes quite a bit of cinnamon syrup, but it keeps in the fridge for several weeks.

For the cinnamon syrup, whisk together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon in a small saucepan. Whisk in the vanilla and water until smooth. Bring the mixture to a low boil over medium heat, and then simmer for 5–10 minutes until it is slightly thickened. Keep warm until ready to serve.

For the cinnamon apples, in a large non stick skillet, melt the butter and then stir in the chopped apples, cinnamon and nutmeg. Saute over medium heat, stirring often, until the apples are tender, about 5 minutes. Keep warm until ready to serve.

For the French toast, preheat a non stick griddle or skillet to medium heat (for the Circulon electric griddle that I used, I cooked it at heat level #4). In a shallow dish, combine the eggs, milk, brown sugar and vanilla. For best results, use an immersion blender to combine it well, otherwise whisk everything together until smooth. Dip each slice of bread into the egg mixture, turning it to coat both sides, and lay it on the griddle. Let it cook for 2–3 minutes until browned, then flip to cook the other side. If you are making a large amount, the cooked French toast can be kept warm in the oven (about 200ºF) until everything is cooked.

Serve warm French toast with cinnamon apples and cinnamon syrup. Enjoy!