This super delicious overnight French Toast Bake recipe takes French toast to a whole new level! Pieces of sourdough bread covered in an egg mixture, topped with cinnamon sugar, and baked to perfection! This easy French toast casserole is the ultimate holiday or weekend breakfast!!
Overnightbreakfastcasseroles are my favorite thing to make on weekends, or for holiday gatherings and brunches. This french toast bake is by far my most popular, but people also love myCinnamon Roll French Toast Bake, and for a savory casserole,Breakfast Stratais a winner!
Overnight French Toast Casserole Recipe
I’ve blogged before about my love ofbreakfast foods. I could eat it any time of the day, and it’s fairly common to come over to the Merkley home on an evening and find us eatingBelgian WafflesorButtermilk Pancakes.
Breakfast recipes are just that great! I feel like we don’t get to eat them often enough in the mornings since we’re usually in a rush, but we occasionally get to enjoy them on the weekends and holidays. One holiday wealwayshave breakfast is on Mother’s Day. And usually I’m not the one that has to bake it!!
One of my favorite recipes to enjoy on this day is French Toast, and more specifically, today’s French Toast Bake. This breakfast bake is simple to make and is beyond delicious!!
This french toast casserole is made from pieces of sourdough bread, covered in an egg mixture, and topped with a buttery cinnamon sugar topping. Talk about DELICIOUS, right?!
What is the best bread for french toast?
This baked french toast casserole recipe calls for sourdough bread, which is my personal favorite (and the only kind I’ve ever used). But if you don’t have sourdough on hand, there are a few other options you could try!
The main idea is that you want the bread to be sturdy enough that it will hold up after being combined with the egg mixture. Thinly sliced or squishy bread (think wonder bread) can fall apart while cooking after being soaked in the egg mixture. It’s also a bonus if it’s available in an uncut loaf, because then you can slice and cube it perfectly. Here are some other options:
- Brioche
- Challah
- Pullman Loaf
- French Bread
If you try any other breads, you’ll have to let me know how it turns out!
I think what makes it so good is the sourdough bread… oh, and the butter and the cinnamon and the sugar. It’s definitely one of our favorite dishes to make for holidays and weekend breakfasts!
How to Make French Toast Bake:
This recipe takes a few steps but is quite simple. To begin, cut your bread or loaf into cubes and place into a greased 9×13 pan.
In a bowl, mix together eggs, milk, heavy cream, sugar and vanilla. Pour evenly over the bread. Cover your pan with cling warp and refrigerate overnight.
Make streusel topping by mixing together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. Cut in butter with this mixture until crumbly and place in a Ziploc bag. Refrigerate this mixture overnight as well.
When ready to bake, sprinkle crumbly mixture evenly over bread and bake.
Variations:
For a more savory casserole add:ham and cheese, chorizo, green chile, sausage or crumbled bacon.
For a sweet casserole add: thinly sliced apple, orange zest, sliced apricots, sliced pineapple, blueberries, chopped pecans
TIPS, TRICKS, and FAQ
Why is my french toast bake soggy?This casserole should be soft on the bottom and crisp on the top. If you find your casserole comes out too soggy try some of these tips:
- Soak the bread in a separate bowl:If there’s too much egg in the pan it may be left a little soggy. One way around this is to store your bread mixture overnight in a bowl. In the morning transfer the bread to the baking dish leaving behind the extra liquid.
- Choose the correct bread: choose a dense bread such as Brioche, Challah, Pullman Loaf, or French Bread.
- Use a lipped cookie sheet instead of a 9×13 baking dish. You will have to adjust the bake time and watch carefully.
- Not soaking the bread long enough: You want the egg mixture to seep deep into the bread for a soft custardy center. If the mixture doesn’t have time to soak into the bread it may end up creating a soggy mess.
Can you freeze it?Yes, you can choose to freeze it before or after baking. Wrap dish with plastic wrap then foil. It can keep for up to 2 months in the freezer. When you’re ready to eat thaw overnight in the fridge, remove all the wrapping and bake. If it been prebaked cook at 350 degree F for 20 minutes. If it has not been pre-baked, cook according to recipe directions.
Can french toast casserole be cooked in crock pot?Yes make according to recipe directions. Refrigerate for 6-10 hours in the ceramic crock pot. Place the ceramic pot into the heating base, cover and cook on low for 4 hours or high for 2 hours.
what to serve with french toast bake:
- Homemade Buttermilk Syrup
- Cheesy Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole
- Crescent Roll Sausage Bake
- Copycat Orange Julius
- Cinnamon Buttermilk Syrup
For more french toast recipes, check out:
- Pound Cake French Toast
- Eggnog French Toast
- French Toast Muffins
- Creme Brûlée French Toast
- Cinnamon Roll French Toast Bake
- Pumpkin French Toast Bake
French Toast Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
French Toast
- 1loafsourdough breador brioche, challah or French bread
- 8large eggs
- 2cupsmilk
- ½cupheavy cream
- 1tablespoonvanilla extract
- ¾cupsugar
Topping
- ½cupall-purpose flour
- ½cuppacked light brown sugar
- 1teaspoonground cinnamon
- ¼teaspoonsalt
- ½cupcold unsalted buttercut into pieces
Instructions
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Cut bread into 1-inch cubes and scatter evenly in a greased 9-x-13-inch baking dish.
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In a medium bowl, mix eggs, milk, heavy cream, vanilla, and sugar together, then pour evenly over the bread.
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Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
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To make the topping, mix flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl. Cut butter into this mixture until crumbly. Place the topping in a small resealable plastic bag and refrigerate overnight as well.
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When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F.
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Unwrap the baking dish and sprinkle the topping evenly over the bread.
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Bake, uncovered, for 45–60 minutes, depending on how soft you like it.
Video
Notes
Variations.
o For a more savory casserole, add ham and cheese, chorizo, green chilies, sausage, or crumbled bacon.
o For a sweet casserole, add thinly sliced apple, orange zest, sliced apricots, sliced pineapple, blueberries, or chopped pecans.
Recipe fromMormon Mavens in the Kitchen.
What is the size (oz) of the sourdough bread loaf that you use?
I usually use a 24 oz loaf, but it can be a little more/less, give or take.
我已经做了这个几个家庭早午餐的时间d everyone always raves about it.
I let the mixture sit in the refrigerator for two days without cooking it. Is it still ok to add the topping and bake??
You should give it a try and see! I haven’t ever left it that long, so I’m not totally sure. You’ll have to let us know.
它是美味的。味道就像一个really good french toast. No syrup needed as it’s very sweet already!
My husband and I loved, loved, loved this recipe. I don’t like dry French Toast, so baking it for 45 minutes produced a soft, eggy result that reminded me of bread pudding. The vanilla in the custard, and the cinnamon crumble on top gave it the perfect layers of flavor and contrasting textures. Fantastic!
I used a large loaf of Italian bread from a local bakery, and because the dry cubes filled the 15″x 10″ Pyrex glass baking pan
I increased the amount of ingredients to make 10 servings instead of the 8 in the original recipe. Perfection!
I doubled this recipe and served it at a bridal shower this past weekend. It was a big hit! I can see this becoming a regular feature on our family gatherings. The overnight casserole is such a time saver in the morning as well.
Hi! What kind of bread did you use? Any changes to the recipe? This is a great idea for a bridal shower!
Absolutely love this dish! So easy to make the night before and everyone I’ve served it to wants the recipe.
I am wondering if it’s possible to do with almond milk? I have a brunch coming up and the host is dairy free.
Delicious!!!!! Everyone loved it and asked for the recipe:)
I’ve made this recipe many times and it is a staple for every holiday brunch I host. Every single time, my guests RAVE about this recipe! It’s always the show-stopper and I have yet to have any leftovers remaining. It is absolutely delicious!!!
Made this using one can of unsweetened coconut milk and added a little bit of water instead of the milk and heavy cream for some with milk allergies. Everything else was just as the recipe called for, including the topping. Baked it about 55 mins. Turned out wonderful and received many compliments.
Your receipes are so delicious. Can’t wait to try some of them.
This is my go to recipe whenever I go to a breakfast brunch. I’ve used various substitutions when I find I don’t have all of the regular ingredients. Salted butter when I’m out of unsalted ( just didn’t add the 1/4 tsp of salt)almond milk( for whole milk) and all half and half when I don’t have heavy. All came out delicious ! Love oh I use challah bread or sour dough
最近我做了两个,一个是父亲节brunch and at the last minute, a second one to take to a neighbor after her father had passed away. I ended up buying one of Aldi’s sliced Specially Selected Sourdough Square Loaf (24-oz.) and a second loaf of unsliced, fresh-baked Italian bread from another grocery store’s bakery. After cubing the bread loaves, I decided to use half of each loaf in both casserole dishes so that each pan had a little sourdough and a little Italian. These were a big hit and so delicious! I served mine with strawberries on the side, whipped cream, maple syrup and powdered sugar and let my guests doctor their’s up however they wanted. I’ve already passed the recipe onto friends and can’t wait to make it again!! It’s a definite winning recipe and a keeper in my book!!
If leave it in refrigerator for 24 hours soaking is that too long?
It should still turn out fine. I wouldn’t soak much longer than that though.
Made this over July 4th for a big family get together. After I took out of the oven, I topped with blueberries, chopped strawberries and dusted with powdered sugar. *Chef’s kiss, there was none left and everyone asked for the recipe.
Yay! That makes me so happy to hear! Thanks for sharing!
Can I use artisan/Texas toast type bread for this recipe? I have so much of it and don’t want to buy more bread lol
Best French toast bake ever! 5* rated by all my guests
A friend Made this for a weekend getaway so I stole the idea- it was so easy to prep (bought a disposable pan) baked at our destination. Everyone loved it and I didn’t have a big mess!
This was absolutely fantastic! So easy to make and so good. There wasn’t any left.