Baked Apple Cider French Toast with Apple Bread

Take a look at how long this recipe is! Content wise, this is going to be a brief post; I'll let the recipe do all the talking this time :). It took me awhile to type it out! Because it's so long, and because I promised to give out a few awards today (I'll just be handing out one this evening, I need to find a way to get back some of the links I lost!), I'm skipping Thingies Thursday this week. Sheesh, I'm even getting behind with posting recipes, I have 2 more of those to post as well. (Scroll down to see the awards. :)

This made-up recipe uses gluten-free apple bread and some of my favorite spices. I had some bread left over from an earlier kitchen adventure and I'm always craving breakfast foods, so I made french toast. Of course, it gives a brief nod to some fall flavors...(I just can't get over how beautiful it is here in Boston during the fall, and this is just the beginning). Anyhow, I love the smell of apples and cinnamon, so I added a good amount of those ingredients. The cider I used is local and sooo sooo delicious. The baked french toast tastes like apple pie! This recipe is definitely a lengthy one, but the results are worth all the mixing and measuring :)!

INGREDIENTS

For the Apple Bread
1 cup bread mix (this mix is from the book Gluten-free Baking Classics; a 2 cup mix consists of 2/3 cup millet flour, 1/3 cup sorghum flour, 1/6 part corn starch, 1/6 parts potato starch, 1/6 part tapioca flour)

For the rest of the bread:
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/3 cup tapioca flour
1 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp apple pie spice
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup lowfat milk
2 eggs
4 TBSP honey
1/4 hot apple juice
1 large fuji apple, cut into cubes
2 1/2 tsp yeast
3 TBSP canola oil

For the french toast:
Bottom layer:
10 slices of bread
1/4 apple cider
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup vanilla rice milk
1/2 cup white rice flour
1 uncooked but scrambled egg

For the apple layer:
1/2 cup apple cider
2/3 cup brown sugar
3/4 tsp cinnamon
3 tsp white rice flour

For the top layer:
1 1/2 TBSP melted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white rice flour
1/4 cup almond meal
1/2 TBSP apple cider

INSTRUCTIONS

For the Bread:
Combine all the flours, xanthan gum, gelatin, salt, and yeast in a large bowl. Mix well.

In another large bowl, combine brown sugar, apple pie spice, honey, milk, apple juice, and canola oil.

In a small bowl, scramble eggs.

Mix the eggs in with the wet ingredients. Mix until smooth. Pour these ingredients into the flour bowl slowly, folding in the wet ingredients until dough is formed.

Put bread dough in a greased 9" loaf pan. Cover with a clean cloth and let the dough rise for an hour in a dark room.

Bake bread in a preheated 400 degree oven. Bake for 15 minutes uncovered. Then cover pan with foil and bake for another 35-40 minutes. Allow bread to cool.

You can make the french toast the next morning, it's best to refrigerate the bread.

For the french toast:
Line a 9 inch nonstick cake pan with bread slices.

Get a medium sized bowl. Scramble the egg in the bowl, then add the cider and milk. Slowly mix in the rice flour. Stir until smooth then add the powdered sugar in the same way. Pour the mixture over the apple bread. Set aside.

For the apple layer:
Slice apples into wedges, about 1/2 inch thick. In a sauce pan, add the apple cider, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Mix on low heat for about 2 minutes. Turn off the heat. Slowly mix in the rice flour. Once the liquid mixture is smooth, add the apple slices and cook over a medium/low flame until the mix is thickened and concentrated, will have a molasses-like texture.

For the top layer:
Melt butter. Combing butter with apple cider in a medium sized bowl. Mix in rice flour, then add the brown sugar. Should have a thick and somewhat grainy texture.

Assembling the french toast before baking:
Pour the apple layer over the saturated bread, make sure the apples are well distributed over the bread, level with a fork. 'Crumble' or set the top layer over the apples, level this top layer as well.

Bake the bread in a preheated 350 degree oven for 12-14 minutes. Allow the french toast to cool slightly, but eat warm :). Store in refrigerated covered in foil. Serve in bowls the next day, heat in microwave for about 30 seconds before serving.

Thanks so much, My Life is Yummy for the Yum-Yum Blog Award! I'd now like to pass this award along to:
SnookyDoodle: She has the cutest desserts. All of them are made with so much love and care, and take a look at her cupcakes! Her blog is pure eye candy :).
Feeding Maybelle: Her food is fresh and tasty, not to mention nicely photographed. Her recipes are so inspiring!
Meet Me in the Kitchen: Everything she makes makes my mouth water! Her blog is a yummy buffet for the senses!
Honeyed Hashette: This is a sweet gal who knows how to make a sweet cupcake. She's the cupcake master!
Healthy Indulgences: Healthy gluten-free recipes that are oh so tasty and sugar-free? Wow! Very Impressive :).

Ok, folks, 2 more awards to give away! Stay tuned :).