Make Ahead Oven Baked French Toast + Video

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Oven Baked French Toast is perfectly sweet and has the texture of bread pudding. Assemble everything the night before, then bake French toast in the oven the next morning. Perfect for overnight guests, weekend brunch, and holidays!

titled: French Toast Bake Make Ahead Recipe


 

Oven Baked French Toast

This overnight French toast oven casserole is not only easy to make, but the bread has hours and hours to soak up all of that delicious flavor.

Oven baked French toast is so good, you won’t even need to add maple syrup! This makes a great special occasion breakfast, but it’s just as good for a weekend brunch too.

Don’t need as much? Try this Air Fryer French Toast for a quick and easy breakfast.

Slow Cooker Overnight Breakfast Casserole is a savory alternative that saves you an extra step. Just toss all of the ingredients in the crock the night before and wake up to a delicious breakfast!

Recipe Video

To see us make French toast in the oven from start to finish, watch the video in this post!

slices of french bread nestled into a baking dish

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

  • French Bread – Sourdough, baguettes, or your favorite gluten-free bread should all work just fine with this easy baked French toast recipe.
  • Vanilla Extract – If you love warm vanilla flavor, try vanilla bean paste or baker’s vanilla instead.
  • Half and Half – This is a dairy product found in the US that’s made from equal parts whole milk and heavy cream.

    You can make your own mixture at home or even use all milk or all cream if you’d like.
  • Praline Topping – For a lighter or allergy-friendly option, leave this off the top and serve oven baked French toast with fresh berries or whipped cream instead.
pouring custard mixture over french bread in baking dish

Tips for Making French Toast in the Oven

  • Cube the bread

For extra bread pudding texture, slice the French bread for French toast into large cubes instead.

This way, they’ll be more submerged and will stick together when baked. Scoop into bowls so everyone can get as much or as little as they’d like!

  • Too soggy?

I’ve made adjustments to this French bread oven recipe over the years and found that using less milk creates a better texture.

You may need to play with the amounts and reduce the liquid further depending on your preferences.

  • No need to wait

While refrigerating overnight saves time in the morning, you can easily make this easy baked French toast from start to finish if you’d like!

Just keep in mind that the bread will be crispier since it won’t have all that time to absorb the liquid.

  • Dairy-free option

Instead of butter, use margarine or plant-based baking sticks.

Then, replace the half and half and milk mixture with canned full-fat coconut milk. Shake it well first to combine the liquid with the cream.

Or, combine your choice of soy, cashew, or oat milk with dairy-free heavy cream. Silk makes a small carton that has a very neutral flavor.

assembled french toast casserole in pyrex dish

How to Store Leftovers

Cover oven baked French toast tightly with plastic wrap or transfer to a sealed container. Refrigerate and use within 3 to 4 days for best results.

Heat individual portions in the microwave or pop the entire pan back in the oven until warmed through.

close up: bread slices soaking in custard for french toast casserole

Freezing French Bread French Toast

We regularly freeze leftovers and they hold up beautifully. Divide into smaller containers with lids or freeze the entire pan for the holidays.

Thaw French bread French toast in the refrigerator overnight and bake uncovered at 350°F for about 10 minutes.

french toast casserole with praline topping

French Toast Oven Recipe FAQ

Should the bread be stale or fresh?

Either will work! The overnight soak is a great way to revitalize stale bread and give it new life.

Because a French loaf is quite sturdy, fresh bread won’t get too soggy with the soak. That’s why I steer away from softer varieties like brioche or challah for this recipe.

Do I need to flip the slices during baking?

No need! Because the bread slices are nestled into the pan at an angle — instead of laying flat — they’ll crisp up nicely in the oven.

And because they spent all night soaking up that delicious custard mixture, they’ll be perfectly fluffy too!

What is the best temperature for baking French toast?

I find that 350°F is hot enough to get everything warmed through consistently without risking burning the bread on top.

You could always start at a higher temperature for the first 15 minutes or so for a crispier texture. Just be sure to turn it back down to finish.

french toast bake in baking dish

Enjoy!
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close up: serving slice of french toast from casserole

French Toast Bake

Make Ahead Oven Baked French Toast + Video

Donna Elick
Oven Baked French Toast with praline topping has the texture of bread pudding. Assemble it the night before, then bake it in the morning!
5 stars from 2 reviews
Tried this recipe?Please comment and review!
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Chill Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 50 minutes
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Method Oven
Servings 8

Ingredients
 

  • butter, for preparing baking dish
  • 1 loaf French bread
  • 8 large eggs
  • 1 cup half and half
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, or vanilla bean paste if you want to really jazz it up
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Praline Topping

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, 2 sticks, room temperature
  • 1 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 cup chopped pecans
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Instructions
 

  • Prepare a 9″x13″ baking dish by generously buttering the entire inside of the dish. Set the baking dish aside.
  • Using a serrated bread knife, cut the French bread, on the bias, into slices approximately 1-inch thick. Arrange slices in the prepared baking dish in 2 rows, slightly overlapping the slices. Set dish aside.
    In a large mixing bowl, whisk eggs. Add half & half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Whisk until well combined.
  • Pour the egg mixture over the bread slices, making sure they are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. Spoon some of the mixture in between the slices. I like to make sure all my slices are good and coated. Even dunking them in the mixture sometimes.
    Cover casserole dish with foil and refrigerate overnight.
  • The next day, set oven to 350°F to preheat.
    Meanwhile, prepare the praline topping by adding all ingredients to a medium mixing bowl, then stir to combine.
  • Use a small scoop to portion the praline topping into 8 dollops evenly across the top of the casserole. Using a silicone spatula, spread topping evenly over the bread (like you are icing a cake).
    Bake for 40 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden.
  • Serve warm drizzled with syrup and enjoy!

Video

Donna’s Notes

How to prevent soggy French toast – We have been enjoying this recipe for 10 years. I have made a few changes. There is less milk/cream than in the original recipe, as the bread is sometimes too moist for my taste.
Substitute for half and half – Half and half is a dairy product found in the USA. You can substitute half cream and half milk for half-and-half. You can also use any combination of all cream to all milk as long as you are adding 1-1/2 cups total.
Praline topping – In the original recipe, the praline topping included corn syrup. It really doesn’t need it, so it has been removed from the ingredient list.
Serving suggestions – This French toast casserole is amazing served with fresh berries instead of the praline topping if you are looking to lighten it up.
Freezing the casserole – The leftovers freeze VERY well! We eat about 1/4 of the pan. I freeze the leftovers in 3 containers, so when we want a special breakfast I just thaw it and pop it in the oven at 350 for about 10 minutes. Perfect.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 682cal | Carbohydrates: 61g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 43g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Cholesterol: 260mg | Sodium: 471mg | Sugar: 35g | Fiber: 3g | Calcium: 144mg | Iron: 3mg

All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe’s nutritional value will vary depending on the ingredients used, measuring methods, and portion sizes.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Originally published June 2011, updated and republished December 2020

titled image (and shown): french toast bake make ahead

Originally published June 2011, Updated and republished December 2023

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67 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This recipe was in the America test kitchen cook book and I’ve been making it for Christmas morning for years, such a hit. I even made it for a work breakfast for co-workers. It says after you cut the French bread, lightly toast the bread on both sides on a cookie sheet in the oven to help absorb the liquid. Maybe that would make a difference for those that feel like it’s a little soggy.

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