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This is the easiest baked French toast recipe you will EVER bake/make. No overnight waiting (unless you want to), no fuss, and perfect for a brunch crowd. How is my French toast different than the rest? Let’s call it fancy French bread toast. I use a sliced baguette of French bread to give the dish a little more elegance.
French bread has a nice dense and soft inside with a slightly firmer outside that lends a beautiful texture to the entire dish. Sprinkled with brown sugar and dusted with powdered sugar, it literally tastes like fried dough topped with maple syrup. This has easily become one of our favorite weekend recipes!
Overnight French Toast or Instant
This recipe can be made ‘overnight’ or baked within an hour or so. I like to leave a little time for the bread to soak up the egg/milk mixture and soften a bit before throwing it in the oven. If you prefer your french toast on the firmer side, I would recommend against soaking overnight. While this recipe yields soft bread, it’s not mushy or soggy.
This recipe is actually perfect for revitalizing some potentially stale or hardening bread. If this is the case, let soak longer or even overnight.
How to Bake French Toast
Slice french bread into 1-inch thick slices and arrange in a skillet facing up. Top with a mixture of whisked egg, milk, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt, and pour over the bread. Let soak for at least 30 minutes and then bake for about 40 minutes.
I know what you’re thinking. Won’t I end up with scrambled eggs on the bottom of my skillet if the bread doesn’t soak everything up? First off, would that really be a bad thing? No. Truth is, you won’t. You can take the extra step and flip each slice of bread during the soaking stage to help ensure each side is saturated. I’ll be honest with you though, it’s not really necessary.
I like to serve my french toast with powdered sugar, blueberries, and of course real maple syrup. Mimosas and bloodys are required.
12 Versus 10 Inch Skillet
This recipe easily fits in both a 12 or 10-inch cast-iron skillet—you just may need to slice the bread a little thicker for a smaller pan. Use 1-inch slices for larger pans and just under 1.5-inch slices for a 10-inch skillet or equivalent. It’s OK if the pan is stuffed. This recipe can obviously be made in a standard baking dish or pie plate.
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Fancy Baked French Toast Recipe
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 40
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Cuisine: English
Description
The easiest French toast recipe you will EVER bake. No overnight waiting and perfect for a crowd. Made with French bread and dusted with brown/powdered sugar, it literally tastes like fried dough topped with maple syrup.
Ingredients
- 1 pound (16 oz) French bread baguette, cut into 1 inch thick slices
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 1 cup milk (whole or 2%)
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1–2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon, powdered sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- blueberries for topping (optional)
- pinch of salt
- Maple syrup (don’t forget this)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Slice bread and arrange face up in a greased skillet or baking dish. Pack as tightly as possible with no overlap. You can nearly fit in a 10 inch cast iron skillet if you cut slightly thicker pieces (just under 1.5 inches thick).
- Combine whisked egg, milk, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and salt in a bowl. Whisk to combine and pour evenly over the bread in the skillet. Sprinkle each piece with a little brown sugar.
- Let rest for at least 30-60 minutes so the bread can soak everything up. It’s OK if there is egg/milk mixture in the bottom of the skillet. It will continue to soak into the bread as it bakes.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes. The tops of the bread slices should be just crispy. Top with powdered sugar, blueberries, and drizzle all over with maple syrup. Serve immediately.
Notes
This can be made and soaked overnight if you prefer. Fully prepare and place the skillet in the refrigerator and cover with aluminum foil. Let sit for 15-20 minutes on the counter before baking to come up to room temp. Bake for 45 minutes or until top is golden and slightly crispy.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2-3 pieces
- Calories: 360
- Sugar: 27.4g
- Sodium: 390mg
- Fat: 3.1g
- Saturated Fat: 1.2g
- Carbohydrates: 38.5g
- Fiber: 2.1g
- Protein: 11.9g
- Cholesterol: 85mg
Keywords: french toast bake, overnight french toast
It’s funny how you can cook such a dish for breakfast for many years and don’t know what it is called 🙂 This is my family’s favorite recipe, we like eating these toasts with a cup of fragrant coffee, sometimes we flavor them with jam or any other topping that is in the refrigerator. Yummy!