Description
Overnight cinnamon french toast bake brings weekend breakfast comfort right to your table with minimal morning effort. Layered with buttery bread, sweet cinnamon, and creamy egg mixture, this make-ahead dish lets you relax while something delicious bakes to golden perfection.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 1 French baguette
- 5 large eggs
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup whole milk
Supporting Ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Garnish:
- 1 serving maple syrup
- 1 serving fresh berries
Instructions
- Generously coat a 3.5-quart ceramic baking dish with 2 tablespoons room temperature unsalted butter, ensuring complete coverage.
- Slice the French baguette into 18 one-inch-thick pieces, creating uniform slices for even soaking.
- Whisk 5 large eggs, 1 cup heavy cream, 1 cup whole milk, 3 tablespoons sugar, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, ½ teaspoon nutmeg, and 1 tablespoon vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl until thoroughly combined.
- Dunk each bread slice into the egg mixture, saturating both sides completely, then layer them in the buttered dish with slight overlapping.
- Pour any remaining egg mixture evenly across the bread slices to ensure maximum moisture absorption.
- Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, allowing flavors to meld and bread to soak completely.
- Remove the dish from refrigerator and gently flip each bread slice to promote even cooking.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and cover the baking dish securely with aluminum foil.
- Bake covered for 35 minutes, checking that eggs are almost fully set.
- Remove foil and continue baking for 15-20 minutes until eggs set completely and bread turns deep golden brown.
- Remove from oven and transfer French toast slices to serving plates.
- Drizzle with maple syrup and garnish with fresh berries just before serving.
Notes
- Prepare this dish the night before to let the bread soak up all those delicious flavors and create a super tender texture.
- Use day-old bread or slightly stale bread for the best absorption of the egg mixture, which helps create a more custardy consistency.
- Make this recipe gluten-free by swapping regular bread for your favorite gluten-free bread, ensuring everyone can enjoy this breakfast treat.
- If your family prefers less sweet dishes, reduce the sugar in the egg mixture and let people add their own maple syrup at the table for customized sweetness.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 50-55 minutes
- Category: Baked
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 352 kcal
- Sugar: 11 g
- Sodium: 120 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 13 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 29 g
- Fiber: 1.5 g
- Protein: 12 g
- Cholesterol: 220 mg