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Dutch Oven French Toast

Dutch oven French toast with cinnamon-vanilla custard soaks thick bread and bakes to a golden, crispy caramelized crust. Cubed bread is cooked covered over campfire coals until set, then served warm with maple syrup.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Calories: 420
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Thick-sliced bread, cubed
  • 1 loaf thick-sliced bread Use day-old bread so it holds up better when soaked.
Eggs
  • 6 large eggs
Milk
  • 2 cup milk
Brown sugar
  • 0.33 cup brown sugar
Cinnamon
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
Vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
Butter, melted
  • 3 tbsp butter
Maple syrup, for serving
  • 0.5 cup maple syrup Serve warm.

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Make the custard and soak
  1. Whisk together the eggs, milk, brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla extract until smooth and fully combined, until the mixture looks uniform and slightly thickened.
  2. Toss the cubed thick-sliced bread in the egg mixture until each piece is coated, then let it soak for a few minutes so the bread absorbs the custard.
Bake in the Dutch oven
  1. Grease the Dutch oven with melted butter, using a thin coating so the bread won’t stick.
  2. Pour the soaked bread mixture into the Dutch oven and drizzle with any remaining butter so extra fat helps browning.
  3. Cover and cook over campfire coals for 30-40 minutes until set and golden on top, rotating the Dutch oven lid occasionally for even browning.
Serve
  1. Serve warm with maple syrup, letting the syrup soak into the golden top for contrast between crisp edges and tender centers.

Notes

Pro tip: day-old thick bread holds up better when soaked, so you get custardy centers without collapsing. Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days and reheat until warm; freezer: yes, freeze slices up to 2 months and reheat from thawed or directly in a covered pan. Dietary swap: use unsweetened plant milk and a plant-butter substitute to make it dairy-free while keeping the same soaking and baking method.