Easy French Toast Bake with no overnight chilling and all your favorite French Toast flavors you can serve to your family or a large crowd. Perfect with warm maple syrup.
Easy French Toast Bake may seem like an odd choice for everyone making their New Year’s resolutions this week (and let’s be honest since this is the start of the workweek a lot of people set January 3rd as their official start date!) but this breakfast is the perfect warm, inviting, family friendly meal you’ll love throwing together quickly on the weekend.
Or if you’re looking at this and it is PUMPKIN season, you’ll love my Pumpkin French Toast Bake.
Sure, it has sugar, and butter and eggs. It also saves you from standing at the stovetop cooking each slice individually in the cold. See how I am thinking about you all here? The smell in the kitchen, the warmth from the oven, this is really the perfect January morning breakfast.
Plus… ? I just love staring at how pretty it is. And it tastes even better than it looks! 
If this Easy French Toast Bake needed any more selling, my favorite thing about it is if you have some cream or half and half in your fridge pretty much everything else is a pantry/normal use item. Which means there is a pretty solid chance you don’t have to go to the store this morning before making breakfast. 
Saving you from the cold, yet again 😉
Tools Used in the Making of this Easy French Toast Bake:
9×13 Baking Pan: The perfect baking pan, it has high sides and bakes evenly. Plus when you cut into it you get picture perfect squares.
Maple Syrup: Love serving this with real maple syrup. I keep this brand and Trader Joe’s brand (buy that in store, it is 1/3 the price) on hand at all times if I can.
Nutmeg: The only way I use Nutmeg is with whole nuts. The flavor is completely different than the pre-ground variety and adds another dimension to baked goods. You can also buy these in bulk from your local grocer (I like Sprouts whole Nutmeg) or from Penzey’s online.
Recipe
Easy French Toast Bake
- Yield: 12
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Course: Breakfast
- Cuisine: American
- Author: Sabrina Snyder
Easy French Toast Bake with no overnight chilling and all your favorite French Toast flavors you can serve to your family or a large crowd. Perfect with warm maple syrup.
Ingredients
- 1 loaf French bread I also routinely use a loaf of Texas Toast
- 8 eggs
- 2 cups milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream half and half would work too
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter cold and cut into small squares
Instructions
Note: click on times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer while cooking.
Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray and preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, add the eggs, milk, heavy cream, sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Chop the bread into 3/4 - 1 inch cubes and put it in the bowl with the egg mixture and toss well until all the liquid is absorbed.
In a small bowl or a food processor add the flour, remaining brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt and mix.
Cut in the butter with a fork or pulse in the food processor for 5-10 seconds or until the butter and brown sugar mixture is crumbly.
Pour the bread and egg mixture into the pan, cover evenly with the brown sugar-butter topping and bake for 45-50 minutes or until the top is crispy and the center is no longer wet.
Nutrition Information
Yield: 12 , Amount per serving: 374 calories, Calories: 374g, Carbohydrates: 47g, Protein: 9g, Fat: 16g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Cholesterol: 147mg, Sodium: 288mg, Potassium: 174mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 25g, Vitamin A: 605g, Calcium: 106g, Iron: 2.1g
All images and text © for Dinner, then Dessert.
Will this works with Sourdough?
Yes 🙂
I have made this several times and everybody loved it! And not the least bit complicated. The whole house smells amazing…thanks for this great recipe!
Making this soon!
I had a lot of liquid left over when I poured the mixture into the dish. Should there be a lot of liquid in the dish? Should I pour some of it out? I want french toast, not bread pudding.
The bread should have soaked in most of the liquid.
Winner winner!
I looked at this recipe and really want to do it, but worried about the vanilla quantity. I’ve never seen 1 Tbsp of vanilla in a recipe before. It usually is a Teaspoon. Could I get clarification on this item? Thanks a lot. Really looking forward to try it.
It’s correct but you can adjust to less if you’d like. Enjoy!
I have made this recipe for my family and they love it! I have used Challah bread and it gives it an extra Egg flavor that we love. I also have used caramel instead of syrup.
Does anyone know how long this would keep in the fridge? Not sure if it would freeze well. There’s only 2 of us, and this sounds too yummy to let it go bad.
It’ll only last a few days in the refrigerator, so your best bet is to freeze it in single size portions to grab easily for later. Wrap it with plastic wrap and then cover with foil to ensure moisture isn’t able to get in. When you’re ready to use, let it thaw in the fridge overnight and then reheat in the oven. Hope this helps!
I have to say this was a winner for everyone that tried it today! I read the reviews and decided this was the recipe I was going to try. It was simple to make and everyone loved it!
Breakfast for dinner is a favorite for my picky kids, and they LOVED this! It’s officially a weekly thing now and it gives me extra time to relax since I don’t have to keep an eye on the griddle. Thank you so much for this!
Great breakfast (or in our case Dinner lol) made all the kids happy!
Hi Sabrina,
This recipe seems great, but after reading 2 pages of review and the instructions, it did not indicate when or what part in the instruction each cinnamon measurement should be used, both #2 and #4 say use cinnamon, but which of the measurement should be used where?, thanks
The ingredient list also includes two measurements for cinnamon. 2 teaspoons get included in step 2 and the 1 teaspoon in step 4. I left the ingredients in the recipe card in order so it would be easy to follow. Sorry if it confused you. I hope you enjoy it.
This was SOOOO good! Got a ton of compliments on this at brunch. Highly recommended. Will definitely make this again. Thanks!
This makes me so happy, Tonia! Thanks for coming back to let me know.
I just made this and one issue I ran into, I put the bread pieces into the egg mixture and most of the bread pieces quickly turned to mush. I think next time I try it, I will pour the mixture over the bread pieces in the pan and gently coat instead of into the bowl with the egg mixture.
Also make sure that the bread is not fresh. You can dry it out in the oven first if it’s too moist. You really want a day old type bread. Enjoy!
This is fantastic! I made it for Christmas- it was easy and delicious, and everyone loved it. Not too sweet with an excellent spice flavor. My new go-to for the holidays.
We made this for a special family breakfast and everyone was oohing and aahing. It’s absolutely delicious! And you don’t really need much, if any, syrup. This is going in the family recipe book. Yum!!!!
Fantastic! Thanks for letting me know, Tatiana.
I have made this twice for different get-togethers and it is an absolute hit! Everyone loves it! It is so tasty you don’t even need syrup.
I love to make something a little different on Christmas morning for my family. This year I tried your French toast bake. It was so easy to put together, I made it and put it into the oven while my husband and son were playing with their Christmas presents. This Franch Toast bake was not only easy to make and it tasted faboulus!! This is going to be used often in our family. Thank you very much.
Mia
Thanks for letting me know how much you all enjoyed it, Mia. Happy holidays!
Make sure you beat your eggs before you add the rest of the liquid. It is very, very difficult to break them up and get them mixed in evenly if you do not. This recipe maker is assuming everyone is regular cook and knows these things. They don’t.
Thank you !! I’m having that trouble right this minute ??
Would like to try this tomorrow for Christmas,can I make it without the heavy cream?
You can substitute the heavy cream with half and half too.
I made this last year for Christmas breakfast, the family loved it, looking forward to making it this year as well!
I love baked french toast (and bread pudding) and have used a variety of recipes. Both are an awesome way to use up leftover bread. However, I SO wish bread was more commonly measured by ounces for all these recipes since “one loaf” can vary based on density, size, etc. So…that leads me to ask, do you know how many ounces of bread you usually use for this recipe? Either way, I’m trying this one for Christmas morning. Thanks!
One loaf of french bread is about 16 ounces. I hope this helps!
This was is an excellent recipe. I got positive reviews when I made it and asked for the recipe. It’s easy and full of flavor.
If I want to make this the night before and let soak in the fridge, do I have to change anything about the recipe?
I like to prep it by making the topping mixture and the egg mixture and keeping them stored separately in the refrigerator until the next morning. Then all I have to do is combine it all with the bread and pop it in the oven. Hope this helps!
I am making this for a brunch tomorrow. How do I need to go about reheating it since I won’t have time between church and brunch?
Place it in a 350 degree oven, uncovered and cook for about 30 minutes until reheated. I hope you enjoy it!
I came upon this in a search this morning. Halved it for just two of us. Love that it’s not overly sweet! Great recipe! Thanks! ??
You’re welcome!
Many comments before me have already said it all. Easy recipe, simple ingredients, and so good! I can’t believe it took me so long to finally make baked french toast. Making french toast only two slices at a time on the stovetop is tedious, and it ends up getting dry and crunchy keeping warm in the toaster oven even though it’s covered (ugh!). I don’t think I will ever go back to doing that now. Thank you, Sabrina!
Agreed – as good as stove top French toast is, baking it makes it so much easier!
I didn’t let the bread soak up all the egg mixture before putting into the oven because I was in a rush. The next time I make it, could I let in soak overnight in the fridge?
What type of flour, self rising or all purpose ?
All-purpose 🙂
Will it keep for a couple days worth of breakfasts?
It depends on how many eaters you have, it will definitely be tasty for a few days but in our house it doesn’t last more than one haha 🙂
Definitely a hit in our home!
Awesome to hear! Glad you all liked it!
I made this for work pot luck last year and will be making it again this year! So many compliments! Yummy to our tummies. Thank you for this well done recipe.
So glad it was a hit! I’ve hear that it’s a great potluck dish! I might have to make a section for those kind of recipes with this featured at the top.
Absolutely delicious! Very easy to make!
Thanks! So glad you enjoyed, it is SO easy!
I rarely post reviews but I just had to on this one.
I used a conglomeration of dinner rolls some homemade, some from my freezer stash. I’ve made similar recipes searching for the perfect one and this is it.
When I slice it for serving I always sear the cut side in clarified butter. My picky kids gobbled it up.
This made my special weekend breakfast….extra special
Aw I’m so glad to hear that! I love that it made it extra special. Thank you so much for coming back and sharing!
Would brioche work for this recipe or would it end up soggy?
Certainly! As long as the bread is not too soft. I wouldn’t use a super fresh loaf, a day or two old would be perfect.
I never remember to come back and comment but I had to on this one…I made this with scrambled eggs and sausage for a “breakfast for supper” meal and all 3 of my kids loved the French toast! By the time I came to the table their servings were already gone. Thank you for a great, easy recipe
That sounds like my house when I serve it – haha gone super fast! Thanks for coming back and leaving a review!
WOW! So easy so good! Feeds a good sized hungry group! This will be my go to for other family gatherings.
Awesome! Love to hear that!
I made this when it was my turn to bring in breakfast for my group at work. Everyone loved it! I got a bunch of requests for the recipe! Super easy to make, and it actually baked evenly instead of browning up too much on the outside with a soggy center. As a bonus, I made it with a bunch of buns that I had left over from a cookout. I just cut them up and threw them in the pan until I had a good covering on the bottom. I added another bun when I mixed the bun pieces with the egg mixture because I had extra liquid, and it ended up being the perfect amount. Gotta love when a recipe lets you do all of that! I’m making it again this morning for my family. Thank you so much for posting this!
Aw that’s so awesome to hear! I’m glad it was such a hit and you got to use up your extra bread! Thanks for trying it out and sharing!
How big was the loaf of french bread?
It was just a regular size loaf from the bakery. You don’t want to overfill your baking dish so if you have leftover bread, I suggest a quick buttered piece while you wait for it to bake 🙂
Can you make this a day ahead and put in the fridge overnight? Or should a person add more eggs and milk?
How I do it is to prep the topping mixture and the egg mixture and keep refrigerated. In the morning, combine it all with the bread and pop it in the oven. I’ve seen some comment that they made it ahead of time with the eggs and milk and add the topping before going in the oven.
Would an Italian loaf be an acceptable substitute? My store does not have any french loaves in the bakery.
Thank you!
Of course. You just want to use a hearty, crusty loaf and not a bag of bread. 🙂 You might even try a challah.
Delicious, best EVER French Toast. Rich, full of flavor recipe. You would expect to taste at a formal brunch or 5 star restaurant. Better than by the slice French Toast.
Big hit! Will make this a lot in the future. Thank you for sharing.
Love hearing this kind of feedback – thank you so much!
We were having a church breakfast and I wanted to make a French Toast Bake so I googled it and decided to try this one since it had 5 stars. I tell you this one does deserve 5 stars. I have never got so many complements on a French Toast Bake. Lot of them wanted the recipe. Love it really yummy.
Oh that is so wonderful to hear. I’m so happy it was a hit – thank you for letting me know. 😀
How many slices of texas toast do you estimate if I choose that vs french bread? remove crust or no?
I use a regular size loaf, and I keep the crusts on.
Great Idea!!! I love not slaving over the stove over each piece! So smart!
Thanks for thinking of the moms who have too much going on!!
You’re welcome! It makes me happy to help out moms like me that are juggling a lot!
Excellent. I followed the directions and it came out crunchy on top and moist in the middle. Not soggy. Very flavorful. So much easier than cooking French toast. But the same taste. Will be making again…. and again..,,, and again. Thank you for posting.
Hi, ir I choose to skip the topping, what’s the recommended way to bake it?
It should take around the same time. You want it baked long enough that the center is no longer wet. Enjoy!
What temperature do bbn you bake this at?M
350 degrees 🙂
Bake at 350?
Yes. Enjoy!