Overnight French toast casserole is the perfect breakfast or brunch dish for house guests, sleepover parties, and more. Simply assemble it at night, and bake in the morning. This sweet-flavored dish tastes more like a decadent dessert than an easy, make ahead breakfast recipe.
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This post is about how to make overnight French toast.
Make ahead recipes and recipes that you can prepare ahead of time, like overnight French toast, are one of the best ways to feed a crowd when you have house guests or are hosting a party or sleepover. They are easy to make, easy to bake, and a real crowd pleaser.
Here is an easy make-ahead breakfast recipe and tips for making for overnight French toast. It only takes a few minutes to assemble the French toast the night before, and then it bakes up in an hour or less the next day. You can also use the custard to dip bread for making French toast on the stove top.
Tips for Making Overnight French Toast
Choosing the Bread
Slightly stale bread is best. Use bread that is a few days old, cut into hearty chunks. Challah and brioche breads, with their flavorful and hearty textures, are popular choices for making French toast.
Whole-grain bread adds a healthy spin to French toast recipes. Gluten-free sliced bread can also be used in this recipe. You may find that breads with a dense texture tend to hold their shape well when soaking bread in custard to making French toast.
Making French Toast
Arrange the bread slices in a greased 9×13-inch baking dish. Pour the egg custard (described below) over the bread. Gently press bread slices down into the custard to more evenly coat each slice. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours, or overnight, before baking.
Baking French Toast
Remove the casserole dish from the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature before baking. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the casserole comes out clean.
You can also cook the French toast in a skillet on the stove top. Simply remove the French toast from the baking dish, allowing some of the custard to drip back into the dish. Place the French toast slice on a greased skillet or griddle and cook 4 to 5 minutes on each side, or until the French toast is cooked through and golden brown. Here are some tips for making French toast on the stove top.
Toppings for French Toast
Strawberries, blueberries, caramelized bananas, fried apples, toasted nuts, whipped cream, butter, peanut butter, jam or jelly, powdered sugar, honey, and maple syrup make great toppings for overnight French toast.
A sprinkle of cinnamon sugar over freshly baked overnight French toast is also a delicious way to serve this breakfast casserole.
Best Side Dishes for French Toast
Here are some ideas for side dishes to serve with overnight French toast.
- Scrambled, boiled, poached, or fried eggs
- Bacon, sausage, or sliced ham (or vegan meat options)
- Fresh fruit salad
- Yogurt topped with fresh fruit or chopped nuts and honey
- Maple syrup, butter, and whipped cream make great toppings for French toast.
Overnight French Toast
Ingredients
- 1 loaf stale bread such as brioche, challah, or French bread, thickly sliced
- 2 cups half-and-half
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- Pinch of ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp grated orange zest optional
Instructions
- Grease the inside of a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Add half-and-half, eggs, vanilla extract, sugar, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and grated orange zest (optional) to a medium-sized mixing bowl. Whisk to combine ingredients to make egg custard.
- Arrange bread slices in the bottom of the pan, overlapping them slightly. Pour the custard mixture over bread. Lightly press the bread into the custard to coat the slices more evenly. Cover baking dish and refrigerate overnight.
- When ready to bake: Remove the baking dish from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature before baking. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake French toast 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the casserole comes out clean.
This post was about how to make overnight French toast.
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Credits
- Photo by vm2002 / Canva
- Photos are for illustrative purposes only.