French Toast Old-Fashioned Donut Loaf

Ingredients

Pan used

I personally prefer a light-colored aluminum pan for these loaves. Here is the one I use. Not sponsored. I don't earn a commission from this link.

Glass holds heat longer, so the edges can overbake before the center is done. If you use glass, loosely tent the loaf with foil early, as soon as the top starts to brown. The foil helps protect the top, but it does not stop the sides or bottom from baking too quickly.

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and fully line a 9x5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and salt for the streusel. Add the cold butter and vanilla bean paste. Work together with your fingertips until a mixture of fine crumbs and large buttery clusters forms. Refrigerate while preparing the batter.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil, yogurt, milk, vanilla bean paste, maple emulsion, butter extract, and apple cider vinegar until completely smooth.
4. Add the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Whisk just until combined and no dry streaks remain.
5. Spread just under half of the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
6. Sprinkle half of the chilled streusel evenly over the batter.
7. Carefully spread the remaining batter over the streusel until completely covered.
8. Sprinkle the remaining streusel evenly over the top, leaving plenty of large buttery clusters.
9. Sprinkle the top lightly and evenly with coarse sanding sugar just before baking.
10. Bake for 55-90 minutes. Check the loaf at 45 minutes and tent loosely with foil if the streusel is browning quickly.
11. 11

    Before you take the loaf out

    Baking time is a guide, not a deadline.

    Check the center: Insert a skewer or toothpick into the cake in the center, avoiding the streusel layer.

    Ready to come out: The center no longer jiggles and the tester comes out clean or with moist crumbs. No wet batter.

    Keep baking: Thick, paste-like batter: bake 3-5 minutes more. Wet batter: bake 7-10 minutes more. Then test the center again.

    The 205-210°F (96-99°C) range is an extra check. Batter on the tester still means keep baking, even at that temperature.

    An underbaked center can collapse as the loaf cools.

12. Cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes, then carefully lift the loaf onto a wire rack.
13. Once the loaf is on the wire rack and feels warm but no longer hot, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, vanilla bean paste, maple emulsion, and salt until smooth and pourable. Spread the glaze evenly over the top, allowing it to naturally drip down the sides.
14. Immediately sprinkle lightly with Maldon flaky sea salt while the glaze is still wet.
15. Allow the glaze to set on the counter for 3-4 hours, or refrigerate the loaf for about 30 minutes for set glaze with a still-warm center. Serve warm or fully chilled.