Overnight Baked French Toast

A delicious, warm from the oven Overnight Baked French Toast Casserole is the crowd pleasing breakfast that you need this holiday season!

Slices of crusty french bread are dipped in an egg batter then layered in a baking dish and topped with a cinnamon sugar crumble. This gorgeous breakfast treat is perfect for holiday brunch, Christmas morning or just when you want to impress your family on a Saturday morning.

The cinnamon sugar topping gives the top crusts of the bread a deliciously sweet crunch, while the custard keeps the insides tender and moist. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, or douse it in maple syrup – you make the call!

HOW TO MAKE BAKED FRENCH TOAST

You’ll need to gather a few basic ingredients to start this baked french toast recipe.

• 1 loaf french bread or baguette – you can slice and layer like I did, or you can cut the bread into cubes. Either way works with this recipe.
• Custard base – eggs, milk, cinnamon, sugar and vanilla are whisked together. The bread is soaked in the mixture to keep it moist and form a crust.
• Optional additions – sliced fresh fruit, dollops of sweetened cream cheese or even crumbled bacon can be added to this baked french toast!

The main component of this recipe is the bread. You’ll want to keep the slices or cubes as uniform as possible, and be sure to give them a few seconds to soak in the liquid. You can use any size loaf you like, and it doesn’t have to be days old. Leave it out for a day and that night you’ll be good to go. If you want the slices to fit in the dish like mine did, I bought this loaf. (aff)

Can you make french toast the night before?

The answer to this is a resounding YES! I love to make Overnight Baked French Toast! The bread has a lot of time to absorb all of that custard liquid and the result is incredibly moist and chewy insides. Combined with the crunchy sweet topping, this Baked French Toast is the best breakfast or afternoon treat you’ll ever meet!

You do want to make sure to cover the casserole dish with foil in the fridge to avoid any flavor contamination with other things that might be in your fridge. You can slide the cold casserole, covered, right into the oven. It will take about 40-50 minutes to bake.

More great breakfast ideas here:

• Caramel Apple French Toast Casserole
• Creamy Blueberry Baked French Toast
• Homemade Waffles
• Strawberry French Toast Bake
• Gingerbread French Toast Casserole

Baked French Toast

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Ingredients

French Toast:

• 1 loaf french bread or baguette sliced into 1-inch thick slices
• 8 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Topping:

• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

• Grease a 13x9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, granulated sugar, vanilla and salt.
• Dip the bread slices in the egg mixture to coat (let them soak for a few seconds) and arrange side by side in the baking dish.
• Pour remaining egg mixture evenly over the bread.
• In a small bowl, whisk together brown sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon. Sprinkle evenly over the bread.
• Cover tightly with foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or for at least 4 hour before baking.
• To bake:
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Remove casserole from the refrigerator and slide into the oven.
• Bake covered for 40-45 minutes or until golden. For a more golden and crunchy top, remove the foil halfway through.
• Serve immediately, dusted with powdered sugar or topped with warm maple syrup.