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!!
Overnight breakfast casseroles 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 my Cinnamon Roll French Toast Bake, and for a savory casserole, Breakfast Strata is a winner!
Overnight French Toast Casserole Recipe
I’ve blogged before about my love of breakfast 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 eating Belgian Waffles or Buttermilk 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 we always have 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
- 1 loaf sourdough bread
- 8 eggs
- 2 c milk
- 1/2 c heavy whipping cream
- 3/4 c sugar
- 1 TB vanilla extract
Topping
- 1/2 c all-purpose flour
- 1/2 c brown sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 c butter cold, cut into pieces
Instructions
- Cut loaf into cubes and place evenly in a greased 9x13 pan.
- In a bowl, mix together eggs, milk, heavy cream, sugar and vanilla. Pour evenly over bread.
- Cover your pan with Saran Wrap and refrigerate overnight.
- Mix 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 and refrigerate overnight as well.
- Take pan and Ziploc out when ready to bake. Sprinkle crumbly mixture evenly over the bread.
- Bake at 350 for 45 minutes to 1 hour depending on how soft you like it.
Video
Recipe from Mormon Mavens in the Kitchen.
In case someone wants a 2022 comment ❤️ Just made this, used one French baguette from Publix (the long ones) and halved the egg mixture to avoid sogginess, and put it in a round 10-12 in cake pan to avoid sogginess and help keep it even. I put it in for 30 mins and monitoring it, added another 10 mins just to crisp it! I didn’t want to make too much in case my kids put their nose up to it 😜 but it is delicious!
Thanks for sharing what you did! Glad you enjoyed the recipe!
I used some leftover whole wheat bread and sprinkled in some pecans. It gave it a very wholesome flavor and was SO very delicious! We will definitely be using this recipe more often. I can relate to the morning rush! We also enjoy breakfast foods at dinner.
So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for sharing what you did.
I was skeptical never made anything like this before and all I can say is OMG it was so good. I used French bread and it turned out good. Now I did cut down on one egg only cause mine were extra large eggs. I just printed this and it will be my go too from now on.
Yay!! So happy to hear that! Thanks for giving it a try. Glad to hear it was a hit.
I made this for Easter brunch last Sunday and it was a big hit! We have gluten allergies in the family so I substituted with GF ingredients and it worked out just fine. Everyone wanted the recipe! This one is a keeper!
I’m so happy to hear it! And that it worked well with GF options too. Thanks for sharing!
made this today, eating right now.. DELICIOUS!! I followed the recipe (did forget the vanilla though)
I’m so glad that you enjoyed the French toast bake!! Thanks for giving it a try!!
An absolute winner!
Thank you!!
Made this today on a campers weekend. I used Hawaii bread, in place of milk used sweet cream coffee creamer and cut back a little on sugar. Every one was very happy, enjoyed it for breakfast. Then lunch and snacks. Will do again
Yum! Thanks for sharing what you did!! Glad to hear it turned out well!
I am pinning all these recipes! They look delicious and easy to make! I have a “Breakfast Club” where friends meet and we have a treat with our coffee,! These fill the bill! I have made the French toast casserole and have added blueberries or peaches too. Thank you so much!
How fun is that?! I love that idea. So glad you can use some of these recipes for that group!
I double the topping but this is a family favorite!
Oh so happy to hear that! That topping is yummy… don’t blame you for doubling it. 😉
I made this for Mother’s Day and it was a hit! I used 1 loaf of Brioche bread from Fresh Market and halved the liquids, so 4 eggs, 1 cup of whole milk and no heavy cream. I used all of the other ingredients as listed. Let soak overnight. In the morning, baked with the foil on for 30 minutes and foil off for 20 minutes. It was perfect and not soggy at all! My husband, whom doesn’t not like french toast, told me it was delicious!
Yay!! I’m so glad that the recipe was a hit! Thanks for sharing what you did. Glad your hubby enjoyed it too!
Made this for Mother’s Day Brunch
It was fantastic
I used cinnamon bread
There were no leftovers
My family loved it
Yay! I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for giving the recipe a try.
Each time I make this for friends and family I get asked for the recipe and it always turns out perfect! I’ve had success prepping overnight as well as an hour or so before baking, just mixing around the bread in the egg mixture a second time before putting in oven to make sure it is all nice and saturated. Thank you for sharing this! We don’t even need syrup with it. Perfect as is!
I made this using a multigrain bread. (Franz San Juan Nine Grain) since it’s what I always have in hand. I don’t generally have dairy milk in my fridge so I swapped the milk/cream for a can of coconut milk and added almond milk until I reached the total amount of liquid called for. (I got the idea for coconut milk instead of cream from another recipe) Even with the exchanges I made the recipe worked well and turned out tasty!
I’m so glad it turned out well! Thanks for sharing what you did.
This is the best of this type recipe I’ve tried. I used my homemade wholegrain sourdough bread and added a lot of blueberries. Followed the recipe exactly.
Yummy! Sounds delicious. Thanks for sharing what you did!
Can you leave this in the fridge lo get them overnight ? Could it be made Friday and baked on a Sunday morning for example ?
I haven’t let mine sit that long before so I don’t know. I would probably prep each part… cut up the bread, mix the egg mixture, make the streusel topping and then do a quick assembly the night before. If you end up letting it sit for a few days before baking, you’ll have to let us know how it turns out. You can also make it and freeze before baking too. Freezing instructions are in the post.
just want to check, if im freezing this do i have to let the bread sit with the egg mixture in the fridge for a bit first then put in the freezer or just assemble everything and pop it right in the freezer? im making this tonight to bring up to my families cabin tomorrow and we will eat it sunday most likely! so would like to have it frozen and just be able to pop it in the oven in the morning
Hi i have a question- I forgot to leave the mixture topping overnight (tired mom brain) – will a few hours before I cook it be okay?
It should still be fine!