Copycat Kneaders Cinnamon Swirl French Toast

5 from 5 votes

Copycat Kneaders Cinnamon Swirl French Toast

Hey Kneaders fans, check out my copycat recipe for their chunky French toast with caramel syrup! With a homemade loaf of cinnamon swirl bread and my DIY caramel syrup, you'll be able to enjoy your favorite recipe at a fraction of the cost!

Prep Time2

Cook Time45

Total Time2 45

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cinnamon swirl bread recipe, kneaders chunky cinnamon french toast, kneaders copycat recipes, kneaders french toast recipe

Servings: Loaves

Calories: 3686kcal

Author: Mindee

Cost: 15

Ingredients

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

2 ¼ Cups Warm Water
1 ½ Tbs. Active Dry Yeast
¼ Cup Sugar
6 Tbs. Butter room temp.
2 teaspoon Salt
5-6 Cups Flour
4 Tbs. Butter room temp.
1 Cup Sugar
1 Tbs. Ground Cinnamon
2 Cups Powdered Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla
2-3 Tbs. Milk

Caramel Syrup

¾ Cup Butter
1 ½ Cups Brown Sugar
2 Tbs. Water
¼ teaspoon Salt
1 Cup Evaporated Milk
2 teaspoon Vanilla
Makes about 3 cups of Syrup

For the French Toast

Eggs
Milk
Vanilla
Rule of thumb is ¼ cup milk 1 Egg and just a little vanilla per two slices of bread.

Instructions

In the bowl of a stand mixer, dissolve the yeast and ¼ cup sugar in the warm water.
Let stand for 5 minutes to get foamy.
Mix in the 6 Tbs. butter, salt, and 5 cups of flour with a dough hook.
Once well combined, add the last cup of flour, ¼ cup at a time, until the dough forms a ball, pulls away from the sides of the bowl, and is only slightly sticky to the touch. YOU MAY NOT NEED THE ENTIRE LAST CUP OF FLOUR.
Knead for 3 minutes at medium speed.
Cover the bowl with a dishcloth and allow the dough to rise until doubled. This will take up to 45 minutes.
In a small bowl, whisk the cup of sugar and tablespoon of ground cinnamon together. Set aside.
Dump the dough out on a lightly floured surface and divide in half.
Roll the first half out into a long rectangle about 4 inches wide and ½ inch thick.
Spread 2 Tbs. of butter over the rolled-out dough. Sprinkle with ½ of the cinnamon sugar.
Roll up into a tight, fat log.
Pinch all the seams, and the ends shut well.
Place seam side down in a loaf pan that has been sprayed lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Cover with a dish towel, set aside, and repeat with the other half of the dough.
Allow the loaves to rise until doubled, about another 45 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Bake the cinnamon swirl loaves for 45-50 minutes. After about 20 minutes of baking, tent the loaves with tin foil to avoid over-browning.
Once the bread is done, run a stick of butter over the tops and let cool in the pans for at least a half hour.
Place a wire rack over a sheet of wax paper. Turn the loaves out on the wire racks to finish cooling.
Whisk the powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk together until turns to a glaze.
Drizzle ½ the glaze over the still-warm bread loaves.
Drizzle the other half of the glaze over once the loaves are completely cool.
For the caramel syrup, bring the butter, brown sugar, water, and salt to a boil over medium heat.
Boil for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the evaporated milk and vanilla. Keep warm or reheat to use for syrup.
For the French toast, preheat your griddle and slice the cinnamon bread into thick slices.
In a pie plate, whisk together roughly 3 eggs, ¾ cup milk, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Replenish as you go.
Drip both sides of the bread in the egg mixture and cook on the griddle until golden brown on each side.
Serve with warm caramel syrup.

Notes

I like to put the glaze on my cinnamon swirl loaves. However, it does make my griddle a little messy because some of the glaze will heat up and drip onto the hot griddle. If you don't want to deal with that, then you don't have to glaze your loaves. Totally up to you.
You can make and freeze the bread ahead of time and thaw it out overnight so it's ready to cook in the morning.

Nutrition