Hearty Cinnamon Orange French Toast
By: Angela Donovan
Published: Monday, January 30, 2012 - 8:30am

Ingredients




8 slices day-old bread
1 large egg
2/3 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
1/2 teaspoon orange extract
1/2 cup all purpose unbleached flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon raw sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
cooking spray
maple syrup

Preparation

1 1.	Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Set aside. 2 2.	Cut small and large heart shapes with cookie cutters out of the day-old bread. Lay them on the lined cookie sheet. Toast in the oven 4-5 minutes. 3 3.	Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk the egg for 1 minute. Then add the buttermilk, oil, orange extract and whisk for 1 more minute. 4 4.	Add the flour, baking powder, sugar and cinnamon. Mix thoroughly and set aside. 5 5.	Lightly spray skillet and place on the stove on medium heat. Place 1 heart-shaped bread in the batter. Turn on the other side until the bread is well coated. Place on the skillet. Repeat with the other pieces. 6 6.	Cook for 2 minutes on the first side. Flip on the other side and cook for 1 more minute. Repeat with the other pieces. 7 7.	Serve with maple syrup. Enjoy!

About

This is guaranteed to be a breakfast favorite... Hearty Cinnamon Orange French Toast.
Because Valentines Day is just a couple of weeks away, I used heart-shaped cookie cutters to get into the spirit.  It's fun to use other shapes and sizes for different occasions-- stars for 4th of July, leaves for fall, snowflakes for winter.  Use your imagination!
Garnish with sliced strawberries, bananas or kiwi.  You can also apply a light dusting of confectioners sugar.  And to mix it up a little bit, you can also use chocolate syrup instead of maple syrup!