This baked baguette French toast is fun to make and even more fun to eat. Each section of the baguette is filled with tasty, juicy, blueberries. Read the notes for tips before getting started!
Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9x13 inch baking pan with parchment paper and spray with oil or brush with butter, including the sides.
Cut the baguette into quarters or into thirds—whatever sizes will fit into your baking pan (see notes below). "Hasselback" the baguette by slicing halfway through the baguette to create 1-inch sections, taking care not to slice all the way through. This is best done by placing large reusable metal straws (such as boba bubble tea straws), or 2 butter knives or forks, on each side of the baguette to make sure your knife doesn't slice all the way through. Chopsticks are not thick enough.
In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
Place the baguette pieces into the bowl and press down to get them to soak up as much liquid as possible. Use your hands and gently open the baguette sections to pour a few tablespoons of the liquid in between each section. Allow the bread to soak for about 5 minutes.
Place the soaked baguette on the baking sheet. Carefully insert about 5-10 blueberries between each section, taking care not to break the baguette apart. Don't worry if it breaks, just push the pieces together and pretend it's not broken. :) You might need to gently lift the baguette from the bottom to get it to open up enough to insert the blueberries. The more blueberries you can stuff in there, the tastier your French toast will be!
Pour another few tablespoons of liquid over each piece of baguette. Bake at 350F for 35-40 minutes, or until the baguette is crispy on top, cooked through in the center, and the blueberries are starting to burst and release juice.
Allow to cool for a few minutes, sprinkle with powdered sugar, and serve with maple syrup and fresh berries on the side.
Notes
A 1-2 day old baguette is best, so it's dry enough to want to soak up lots of tasty French toast liquid. Before getting started, plan out how you will lay out the baguette in the pan. In a 9x13-inch pan, you should be able to find room to place 4 quarters of a 2-foot long baguette without crowding it. It is best if there is a little bit of room at the ends of all the baguette pieces to give yourself room to insert the blueberries.How much milk and eggs to use: It is easiest to soak the baguette in a large bowl that has 2 cups of milk and 4 eggs in it. However, I always have a little over ½ cup of liquid left over, so I know that 1.5 cups of milk and 3 eggs is enough for this Hasselback French toast. You might just have to use your hands to maneuver the baguette pieces in the bowl more to get it soaked in the liquid.You can soak the "butts" of the baguette, stuff them with a few blueberries, and bake those on the side! No wasted food. :)The nutrition facts are estimated for 6 servings and will vary on the actual size of the baguette you use, though we usually eat this in 4 servings at home.