French Toast Bake – Immaculate Bites

French Toast Bake: The Perfect Breakfast for Big Families

I love French toast, but I’ve always avoided making it for big family get-togethers. It’s just so time-consuming for a crowd. Fortunately, this baked French toast recipe is the perfect solution. You get all the delicious warm cinnamon flavors, the irresistible sweetness, and a crunchy crumbly top in a fraction of the time. I now make this on the regular when expecting a crowd for breakfast or brunch.

Recipe Ingredients

1. Bread – You’ll need a whole 14-ounce loaf of bread for this recipe. White bread tastes best, in my opinion, but you can substitute any bread you like.
2. Eggs – Like stovetop French toast, you’ll need plenty of eggs for this recipe.
3. Dairy – Coconut milk, milk, and coquito (or heavy cream) soak into the white bread to make it perfectly moist after baking.
4. Sugar and Spice – White and brown sugar, along with some cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla extract, will make your kitchen smell amazing, and your toast taste even better.
5. Topping Ingredients – For the crumbly topping, you’ll need flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and butter. Mmm!
6. Syrup – The crowning glory here is the boozy syrup. You’ll need more butter and vanilla extract, maple syrup, bourbon or rum, and a pinch of salt to make an out-of-this-world drizzle for your baked French toast.

How to Make French Toast Bake

Assemble and Bake

• Cut the Bread – Cut your bread into cubes. Place the cubes evenly into the prepared baking dish. Set aside. (Photos 1-3)
• The Wet Ingredients – Whisk together the eggs, coconut milk, coquito, milk, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla extract, nutmeg, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl until everything is thoroughly combined. (Photos 4-5)
• Assemble – Pour the mixture over the bread evenly, pressing down on the bread if needed so that every inch is soaked with the egg mixture. (Photo 6)
• Rest – Let it sit for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight.
• Make the Topping – Next, combine the topping ingredients. Mix the flour, brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and butter until it becomes crumbly, then sprinkle it evenly over the bread mixture. (Photos 7-9)
• Bake for 45-50 minutes or until the top becomes golden brown. It should be just crispy on the outside and soft inside. (Photo 10)

Make the Syrup

• Melt Butter – While the French toast bake is baking, melt the butter for the syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat.
• Add Sweetness – Once melted, add the maple syrup and stir for 3-4 minutes, or until the syrup is warmed.
• Add Flavor – Remove it from the heat and stir in the vanilla, salt, and bourbon. Set aside and serve with bake. (Photos 11-12)
• Serve – Remove the French Toast Bake from the oven and allow it to cool slightly. Drizzle the entire casserole with the syrup or allow guests to drizzle it over their individual portions.

Recipe Variations

1. Make pumpkin-baked French toast perfect for a fall or winter breakfast. Add about ½ cup of pumpkin puree to your milk mixture before pouring it over the toast to soak. It goes wonderfully with the cinnamon and nutmeg.
2. Make your baked French toast cheesecake inspired for an extra decadent treat. Whip about 6 ounces of cream cheese at room temperature with a dash of maple syrup. Once it’s nice and creamy, scoop a tablespoon between slices of bread here and there around the casserole dish before you bake it.
3. Go crazy with the toppings. Fresh fruit, homemade whipped cream, dried fruits, and chopped nuts all taste great sprinkled over this baked French toast recipe. Have fun with it, and use any topping you like. 😁

Tips and Tricks

1. Skip cutting up the bread if you need time. Go ahead and dip the bread slices in the egg mixture and then lay it in the dish, one overlapping the other. Then pour the egg and milk mixture over the top and let it soak.
2. Want French toast for two? Cut the recipe in half and make it in a loaf pan instead of a big casserole dish.
3. If at any time the French toast bake starts looking like it’s browning too much on top, cover it with aluminum foil for the remainder of the bake time.

Make-Ahead Instructions

This recipe tastes best when made ahead of time, so go ahead and assemble it a day or two in advance and bake it whenever you’re ready to serve it. You can even freeze the baked French toast casserole for up to three months. Just thaw it in the fridge the night before serving it for breakfast and reheat it in the oven or microwave. If you use the oven, set it to 350℉/177℃ and bake for about 20 minutes or until it’s heated through.

Serving and Storage Instructions

Serve baked French toast fresh out of the oven while it is still nice and toasty (pun intended). 😂 Drizzle it with syrup and enjoy!

If you have leftovers, refrigerate them in an airtight container, and they’ll keep for 3-5 days. Individual portions reheat well in the microwave, but you could use the oven to reheat the entire dish if you prefer. Keep the temperature relatively low at 300-350℉/150-177℃ and bake just until heated through.

FAQs

What to Serve With a French Toast Bake

All the usual breakfast and brunch players go great with French toast bake. Try serving it alongside egg muffins or a sausage egg casserole. Sometimes I like to balance out the rich flavors with a tropical fruit salad on the side too.

Don’t forget to serve your guests plenty of coffee, or a chai tea latte, maybe? Honestly, any hot drink goes beautifully with this bake. ☕️

More Effortless Breakfast Recipes to Try

Conclusion

This is the perfect satisfying breakfast dish to feed a crowd with a sweet tooth! What’s your favorite variation on French toast? Let me know in the comments because I’m always looking for new recipes. 🤩

Watch How to Make It

This blog post was originally published in December 2017 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video.