Get ready to transform your morning routine with our incredible oven French toast. This recipe takes all the deliciousness of classic French toast and bakes it to golden, custardy perfection, making it incredibly easy to feed a crowd without standing over a hot griddle.
The best part? This isn’t just a weekend treat; it’s perfect for busy mornings, holiday brunches, or brinner. And it can be made ahead of time!! Just pop it in the oven when you’re ready, and you have a recipe the whole family will go nuts over.
For more French toast breakfast bakes, try French Toast Casserole with Cream Cheese, Texas Toast French Toast, and Blueberry French Toast Casserole.
Why we think you’ll love it:
- Effortlessly Easy! With only 15 minutes of prep, it’s simple to prepare it the night before and just pop it in the oven in the morning.
- Feeds a crowd. This recipe easily feeds a large family or a hungry brunch gathering without extra fuss or multiple batches.
- Customize it! Easily switch up the bread, spices, or add-ins like fruit and nuts.
Oven French Toast Ingredients
Casserole
- 1 large loaf day old bread- Such as a loaf of French bread, brioche, challah, or crusty sourdough. Other breads could be stale Texas Toast or a gluten-free bread.
- 6 whole eggs
- 1 cup whole milk– or 2% milk
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract– or almond or maple extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon– or another warm spice like allspice, or a pumpkin spice blend
- dash nutmeg
Cinnamon Sugar Topping
- 4 tablespoons butter, plus more for greasing the pan– We used unsalted butter, but salted butter can also be used.
- 2 tablespoons sugar– or light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- Optional toppings. powdered sugar, blueberries, raspberries, sliced strawberries, sliced bananas, sliced bananas, yogurt, peanut butter, pecans, or another favorite
How to Make Oven French Toast
- PREP. Grease a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish with butter and set aside. Slice the bread into 1 inch thick slices (½-inch to 1-inch slices) and then cut in half.
- CUSTARD. Whisk eggs, milk, heavy cream, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl.
- DIP, THEN POUR: Don’t pour the custard mixture over the slices. Instead, be sure to dip each of the bread slices so that you can ensure that it is completely covered and you don’t have any dry spots. Place each slice of bread in a baking dish, overlapping as you go. Pour the remaining egg mixture over the bread.
- CHILL. Cover with foil for at least 1 hour (or overnight).
- BAKE. Preheat oven to 350°F when ready to bake. Keep French toast covered and bake for 30 minutes.
- TOPPING. Prepare cinnamon sugar topping by mixing together sugar and cinnamon. Take off foil and pour melted butter over the top, and then sprinkle on cinnamon/ sugar mixture.
- BAKE. Bake uncovered for an additional 15 minutes until cooked through and golden brown. Let cool slightly and serve warm.
Kristyn’s Recipe Tips
- Dried Bread is Key. Slightly stale bread soaks up the custard without getting soggy, making for the perfect texture.
- Chill for deeper flavor. This is super important so that the toast can fully absorb the custard. If you didn’t make it the night before, then chill it for at least an hour before baking.
- Toppings. Aside from butter and maple syrup, there are many other delicious toppings you can use for this dish, including powdered sugar, Whipped Cream, fresh berries, Strawberry Sauce, Buttermilk Syrup, and Lemon Curd.
Oven French Toast Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 large loaf day old bread, brioche, challah, crusty sourdough or French bread
- 6 whole eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- dash nutmeg
- 4 tablespoons butter, plus more for greasing the pan
Cinnamon Sugar Topping
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with butter and set aside.
- Slice the bread into 1-inch thick slices (½-inch to 1-inch thick) and then cut in half.
- Mix together eggs, milk, cream, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large bowl.
- Dip each piece of bread into the milk mixture and then place in a baking dish, overlapping as you go.
- Pour remaining milk mixture over the bread and cover with foil for at least 1 hour (or overnight).
- Preheat oven to 350°F when ready to bake. Keep French toast covered and bake for 30 minutes.
- Prepare cinnamon sugar topping by mixing together 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. Take off foil and pour melted butter over the top and then sprinkle on cinnamon/ sugar mixture.
- Bake uncovered for an additional 15 minutes. Let cool slightly and serve warm.
Notes
- Dried Bread is Key. Dried bread absorbs the liquid and flavors much better than fresh, moist bread. If you don’t have stale bread or forgot to set the bread out to dry overnight, then you can dry it out in the oven before assembling the French toast bake.
- Chill time.This is super important so that the toast can fully absorb the custard. If you didn’t make it the night before, then chill it for at least an hour before baking.
- Toppings. Aside from butter and maple syrup, there are many other delicious toppings you can use for this dish, including Whipped Cream, fresh berries, Strawberry Sauce, Buttermilk Syrup, and Lemon Curd.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
To make fresh bread “stale” enough for French toast in the oven, you’re essentially looking to dry it out, not toast or brown it.
-Preheat your oven to a low temperature, typically 200°F.
-Slice your bread to the desired thickness and lay the slices in a single layer on a baking sheet or wire rack.
-Bake for 10-15 minutes, flipping halfway through, until the bread feels dry and firm but not browned. The exact time will depend on the bread’s initial freshness and thickness.
Assemble the entire casserole as directed, then cover it tightly with plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Freeze it for up to 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before baking as usual.
Store leftovers in an airtight container(s) in the fridge for 3-4 days.
You can also wrap each piece in a sandwich baggie and freeze them together in a Ziploc for up to 2 months.
If you’re just heating a couple of slices, use the microwave or toaster. For several at a time, heat in an oven set to 375°F for about 5-8 minutes or until hot.
Complete the Meal
Breakfast Sides
Breakfast Smoothies
French Toast Recipes
French Toast Sticks
25 mins
Stuffed French Toast
30 mins
Cinnamon Bread French Toast
15 mins
Pound Cake French Toast
15 mins
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This recipe was originally published November 2021.
Love this!
Family Favorite! Such a fun and yummy twist on standard french toast.
Trying thos for brunch tomorrow
Yum – my family loved your recipe. I’m making it again on Thanksgiving morning. Thanks for a delicious recipe.
So good!!! Need to make this again Christmas morning! Serve it up with some lingonberry jam… Perfect Christmas breakfast!
I usd brioche bread and it was amazing! I am definitely making this again soon.
I really love this recipe. It’s easy like a casserole, but still gives more individual slices. The tip on drying out the bread was helpful and I think really helped get the best result.
I like the convienence of this dish. You can prepare ahead of time. Great breakfast dish!
What a quicker way to make a lot of french toast! It tastes amazing!