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1
Start by adding the butter and the 1 1/4 cup of brown sugar to a bowl. Place it in a microwave for 60 seconds, or in a pot over low heat, continuing to heat until melted. Set aside.
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2
Into a mixing bowl, add the eggs, milk, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon. Beat the eggs until everything is nicely incorporated.
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3
Get a 9x13 baking dish ready by spraying it with cooking spray. Preheat your oven to 350 F.
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4
Take the butter and brown sugar mixture and pour it into the baking dish. Spread it evenly on the bottom of the baking dish.
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5
Take a slice of the bread and submerge it into the egg mixture. Let the mixture soak into the bread, then turn it over to coat the other side. Place the slice of bread into the bottom of the baking dish. Continue with the remaining slices of bread. You should be able to get two slices next to one another, and fit six into the bottom of the dish.
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6
Repeat this with all of the bread, stacking the other six slices of bread on top of the first layer.
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7
Pour any remaining egg mixture into the baking dish. Sprinkle the top of the bread with the additional brown sugar.
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8
Cover with aluminum foil, and place in the oven for 40 minutes. While this cooks, cook your bacon. Once the bacon is cooked, let it drain on some paper towel, then crumble it and set it aside.
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9
After 40 minutes, uncover the baked French bread, raise the heat to 425 F and cook an additional 10 minutes.
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10
When you are ready to serve, take a sturdy spatula and get underneath two of the slices. Get a plate ready, and flip it onto the plate to expose that brown sugar goodness.
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11
Shower with baked French toast with the crumbled bacon and a drizzle of syrup, and dig in.
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12
Again, I am not a sweets person, but after watching and more importantly, listening to the family eat this French toast, I was sold. It was everything you would expect in a French toast, but possibly better. That buttered brown sugar was pretty amazing, and when cut into, the bread was soft and delicious and those hints of vanilla and cinnamon just took it over the top. Well, the bacon took it over the top. Enough said. This baked French toast was enjoyed by all and consumed by my kids for the next couple of days. That is always a great sign of a delicious dish. I hope you enjoy!
