Baked French Toast

Baked French Toast

Baked French Toast is full of cinnamon sugar goodness and baked in an easy custard that leaves the sweet brioche bread soft on the inside and crisp on the outside. Breakfast heaven!

French toast is a breakfast classic! Don’t miss this Secret Ingredient French Toast, this Blueberry Cream Cheese Stuffed French Toast, and this Almond Crusted French Toast.

French toast in a white pan baked and syrup is drizzled over.

French toast in a white pan baked and syrup is drizzled over.

Baked French Toast

Baked French Toast is one of my favorite brunch items to make on the weekend for many reasons. First, it’s insanely easy to throw together. Second, it can be make ahead of time. And lastly, EVERYONE loves it.

Our version of baked French toast takes layers of rich brioche bread that’s saturated in a super simple cinnamon sugar custard. Right before baking the bread and custard get dusted with more cinnamon and sugar and baked until the inside is soft and rich, and the outside is irresistibly crispy and brown.

Most people serve their French toast with maple syrup AFTER they serve it up, but I like to pour the maple syrup all over the baked French toast immediately after it gets out of the oven so it soaks into the hot bread and custard before it hits anyone’s plate. It’s HEAVEN.

Thick toast layered together in a white baking pan.

Thick toast layered together in a white baking pan.

Ingredients in French Toast:

  • Brioche bread. This is my favorite kind of bread to use for French Toast. It’s dense and made with eggs and butter so it’s rich, delicious, and perfect for French toast. Because it is sightly soft right out of the package, it’s really important for it to be a day-old and slightly stale so it doesn’t get soggy when the bread soaks.
  • I like to leave the bread out on a sheet pan overnight, but if you don’t have time for that, you can also put the bread pieces on a sheet pan and  bake at 275 degrees for 20-45 minutes until it resembles stale bread.
  • Eggs. Eggs add richness to our Baked French Toast, and you’ll need about four large ones.
  • Milk. You could use any kind of milk you want, from skim milk to heavy creamy, but the higher the fat content, the richer the baked French toast will be. I like to use a sort of middle-of-the-ground choice which is whole milk. It’s not as rich and fattening as heavy cream, but still results in a rich custard.
  • Sugar. Sugar isn’t exactly traditional in classic French toast, but I like to add just a little bit to the custard to sweetened it up. We also sprinkle on a little extra sugar on top right before baking to help crisp up the top of the baked French toast as well.
  • Cinnamon. For me, French toast isn’t complete without a little bit of ground cinnamon. In this recipe, we use it both in the custard and also sprinkle it on top just before baking along with the sugar.
  • Vanilla. The last pertinent ingredient in French toast. Use 100% pure vanilla extract and no the imitation brand.

How to Make Baked French Toast:

  1. Dry out the bread. If you can remember, or have time, leave the bread out overnight on a sheet pan to dry out. If you forget, no big deal, just place the bread on a large sheet pan and place in a 250-degree oven for 25-35 minutes until the texture resembled stale bread.
  2. Make the custard. Whisk the eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and pinch of salt together in a medium bowl.
  3. Layer the bread. Layer the bread in a 9×9 greased baking dish. They should overlap a little bit. Pour the custard on top. Lift up the pieces of bread to make sure each piece gets saturate in the custard. Sprinkle more cinnamon and sugar on top.
  4. Bake. Bake in a 375-degree oven for about 25-30 minutes until the baked French toast is puffed and brown. Immediately pour maple syrup on top. Cut into pieces and serve with extra maple syrup and softened, salted butter.

Egg wash with milk and vanilla in a white bowl next to the layers of toast in a white baking pan.

Egg wash with milk and vanilla in a white bowl next to the layers of toast in a white baking pan.

Can I make these in Advance?

Yes! We recommend making it three hours in advance anyways, but if you need to make it in advance even more than that, go ahead.

On the opposite end, do I have to make these in advance?

While it’s best to make Baked French Toast at least an hour in advance, a workaround would be to individually soak the stale pieces of bread in the custard for a few minutes until the bread is completely saturated, then layer it into the baking dish. Pour any extra custard on top and bake as instructed.

French toast baked in a white baking pan with maple syrup being poured out of a glass bottle over top of the French toast.

French toast baked in a white baking pan with maple syrup being poured out of a glass bottle over top of the French toast.

Substitutions and Tips and Tricks for Recipe Success:

  • Be sure the bread is stale. If the bread is fresh, you risk the baked French toast becoming super soggy.
  • If you can’t find brioche, you can also use challah, Italian bread, ciabatta, or French bread.
  • For extra crunch, sprinkle the baked French toast with chopped walnuts or pecans.
  • Make sure your bread slices are at least 1 1/2 inches thick.
  • Add in one teaspoon of almond extract for a nice flavor in addition to the vanilla.

What to serve with Baked French Toast:

Baked French toast in a white baking pan with powdered sugar over top.

Baked French toast in a white baking pan with powdered sugar over top.

Enjoy these French Toast Recipes Too!

Baked French Toast

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Resting time 3 hours

Total Time 3 hours 30 minutes

Author Nicole Leggio

Servings 4 people

Baked French Toast is full of cinnamon sugar goodness and baked in an easy custard that leaves the sweet brioche bread soft on the inside and crisp on the outside. Breakfast heaven!

  • 8 slices day old thick-sliced brioche bread (ciabatta, challah or italian bread will work as well) I use Trader Joe’s
  • 1 tbsp butter, softened
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 3/4 cup whole milk
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon, plus more for dusting
  • 2 tbsp + 2 tsp sugar
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup

Nutrition Facts

Baked French Toast

Amount Per Serving (1 serving)

Calories 605 Calories from Fat 198

% Daily Value*

Fat 22g34%

Saturated Fat 14g70%

Cholesterol 324mg108%

Sodium 611mg25%

Potassium 300mg9%

Carbohydrates 72g24%

Sugar 37g41%

Protein 18g36%

Vitamin A 1130IU23%

Calcium 232mg23%

Iron 2mg11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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