I always enjoy eating French Toast for breakfast almost every day! And this Overnight French Toast Bake is my new favorite recipe. I prepare and refrigerate it overnight to just bake and enjoy the next morning.
A thick slices of bread soaked in a mixture of eggs, milk and vanilla and topped with a layer of cinnamon sugar, then baked to perfection. YUM!
Easy Overnight French Toast Bake
This French toast casserole is the perfect combination of soft and crunchy! Since the French toast turned out super soft on the inside and crusty on the outside, with just the right amount of sweetness to help you jumpstart your day.
With this recipe, you can take your left-over bread from the holidays or the night before and elevate it into a yummy breakfast dish that beats cereals and milk.
The trick is to dry out the bread a little so it absorbs the liquids better. So, I start by toasting the bread in the oven for 10 minutes or so while preparing the custard.
I used a stale lofe of bread, and I cut it into slightly thick slices.
The custard in this recipe is made with a combination of milk, evaporated milk and eggs; I sweetened the custard with sugar and added a little bit of maple syrup because it gives the French toast a bit of moisture.
Finally, I seasoned this dish with vanilla, lemon zest and ground cinnamon, so it is super flavourful.
What’s in the Recipe?
Note: This is an overview of the ingredients. See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Bread: You can use any bread that you like. I suggest you opt for a day-old bread since it absorbs the caster better than the new bread. You can also use whole wheat, gluten-free or sourdough bread.
Tip: I like to use thick slices of bread so they do not break while soaking and cooking.
Evaporated milk: Makes the base of the custard.
Milk: This is essential for the custard of the French toast. You can use low-fat milk or non-dairy milk such as oat or almond milk, but full cream milk makes creamier custards.
Eggs: A custard will not be complete without eggs. Eggs allow for your custard to thicken.
Granulated sugar. It adds to the sweetness of the bread. If you’re trying to cut off sugar, then you can opt for other healthier sweeteners like stevia or brown sugar.
Ground cinnamon: Adds flavor and extra oomph to your French toast.
Maple syrup: Is another sweetening ingredient to your dish. It also adds moisture to your dish.
Vanilla extract: It adds a fragrant scent that is hard to resist.
Lemon zest: Brings out all the flavors in your dish.
Fresh raspberry: For topping. See the recipe variations section for more topping ideas.
How to Make Overnight French Toast Bake - Step by Step
One: Preheat the oven to 180c / 360f and grease a 9×13-inch casserole pan with butter.
Two: Arrange the bread slices in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Toast in the oven for 9-10 minutes or until lightly brown.
Three: In a mixing bowl, whisk together sugar and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.
Four: In another mixing bowl, whisk together evaporated milk, milk, eggs, maple syrup, vanilla, lemon zest, salt, and the remaining ¼ teaspoon cinnamon.
Five: Arrange the bread slices into the casserole.
Tip: Make sure to dip the bread in the custard first. This makes sure that all your bread is covered with custard. After dipping your bread in the custard, you can pour the extra custard mixture on top before refrigeration.
Six: Now, pour the custard mixture evenly over the top of the bread and then sprinkle on the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
Seven: Cover the pan with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight. This will allow ample time for your bread to soak in all the flavors in your mixture.
Eight: When ready to bake: Preheat the oven to 180c / 350f. Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes or until golden.
Nine: Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes and serve.
Top Tips!
- If you do not have time in the night to refrigerate, then make sure to set your mixture aside for 30 minutes at least before baking.
- It is important to choose the right kind of bread for this recipe. Most loaves of bread will do with this recipe, but I highly recommend Sourdough, Baguette, Challah, and Brioche.
- Another note about bread, make sure that the bread is a bit dry. I recommend using stale bread since it absorbs more of the liquid mixture than new bread.
Recipe Variations
- Nuts are is a great and healthy toppings that you can use for your French Toast. Pumpkin seeds, Flax Seeds, Chia Seeds, and Sunflower seeds.
- You can also whip some cream cheese and maple syrup together and put this mixture in between bread slices. This will give your French Toast a Cheesecake twist.
Serving Suggestions
This dish is the perfect sumptuous, fluffy, and soft bread that can be paired with Chocolate Milk Tea or White Chocolate Latte in the morning.
Storage
You can store your French Toast in the fridge for 2-3 days or in the freezer for 1-2 months. Let it thaw in your fridge before you serve it. To reheat follow the instructions in the FAQs below.
Recipe FAQs
The perfect Overnight French Toast must be soft at the center and crispy on the outside. There are a few reasons why your French toast can be soggy. The first is using too much dairy. If you use too much dairy, this might cause the egg to not cook so you’ll have soggy and wet bread. You also need to make sure that your bread will be able to soak up the milk in your mixture. Stale bread is best for this recipe.
You can easily reheat your French Toast in the oven. Just heat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and lay out your bread in the pan. Stick your French Toast in the oven for 3 to 4 minutes and then you’re ready to go!
More French Toast Recipes
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If you make this Easy Overnight French Toast, let me know how it turned out.
Overnight French Toast Bake
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon , divided
- 18 slices white bread
- 340 g evaporated milk , one can
- 1 cup whole milk
- 6 large eggs
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 lemon zest
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For Serving
- maple syrup
- powdered sugar
- raspberry
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180c / 350f and grease a 9×13-inch casserole pan with butter.
- Arrange the bread slices in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Toast in the oven for 9-10 minutes or until lightly brown.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together sugar and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.
- In another mixing bowl, whisk together evaporated milk, milk, eggs, maple syrup, vanilla, lemon zest, salt, and the remaining ¼ teaspoon cinnamon.
- Arrange the bread slices into the casserole pan.
- Now, pour the custard mixture evenly over the top of the bread and then sprinkle on the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
- Cover the pan with plastic wrap and put in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- When ready to bake: Preheat the oven to 180c / 350f. Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes or until golden.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool. top with raspberry and serve warm.
Notes
- I suggest you opt for a day-old bread since it absorbs the caster better than the new bread. You can also use whole wheat, gluten-free or sourdough bread.
- The trick is to dry out the bread a little so it absorbs the liquids better. So, I start by toasting the bread in the oven for 10 minutes or so while preparing the custard.
Maria says
Easy to follow instructions! Thanks.
Barbra says
This is better than cooking one slice of bread at a time. It is much easier!