Butter a baking dish and preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cut the baguette or French bread into chunks.

Place bread chunks into a large saucepan.

Add milk to the saucepan with the bread and let stand for 5 minutes.

Add vanilla, ground cinnamon, butter, and sugar to the saucepan.

Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and set aside.

Place half of the bread mixture into a blender jar.

With the blender running, slowly ladle the remaining bread mixture into the blender.

Process the mixture until smooth.

Return the blended mixture to the saucepan.

Take one cup of the hot bread mixture and slowly ladle it into the beaten eggs, whisking constantly to temper them.

Add the tempered egg mixture to the saucepan and stir well to incorporate.

If desired, add raisins, coconut, or other ingredients at this point.

Pour the pudding mixture into the prepared baking dish.

Bake for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Let the baked pudding cool to room temperature before cutting and serving.