Orange Cinnamon French Toast

Orange Cinnamon Baked French Toast with Whipped Cream

Yield: 8 slices
Oven Temperature: 350℉

Ingredients:

For the French toast:

• 1 loaf of French bread
• 2 c. milk
• 4 eggs
• 2 tbsp. sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• pinch salt
• 3 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. cloves
• zest from one orange
• juice from one orange

For the whipped cream:

• 8 oz. heavy whipping cream
• 1/3 c. powdered sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350℉ and spray a large glass casserole pan with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Take your French bread loaf and cut it into 8-10 thick slices.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, orange zest, and orange juice. If you don't like a lot of spices you can change the amount. 
4. Take a slice of French bread and dip it in the egg/milk mixture (make sure to dip both sides.) Don't dip the bread for too long or it will get soggy and it won't cook through. Place the slice into your casserole dish. Repeat this step with all of the remaining slices.
5. Cover your casserole dish with aluminum foil and place it in the oven for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, flip the slices over and bake for another 20 minutes or until the toast is cooked through and the sides are lightly brown. 
6. To make the whipped cream, beat together the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla until stiff peaks form. Set in the fridge until you are ready to eat. 
7. When the toast is done, let it cool for five(ish) minutes and then top with the whipped cream and eat. I didn't make a syrup for this recipe, but maple syrup works really well with the orange flavor. I did squeeze an orange slice over the top of my French toast, just to add more orangey flavor.