There is no breakfast my mother loves more than baked french toast. I’m just glad it’s easy to make, considering she requests it every other week! I feel like the best part about baked french toast is that you can make it ahead of time.
That’s why I usually make a batch of it a few days before Sunday (so we can have it for Sunday brunch) and that way, I can make it when I’m not busy and make it without feeling rushed. And believe me, there is nothing that I dislike more than feeling rushed.
You probably don’t like the feeling either. This baked french toast solves all my problems (okay maybe not all of them).
Baked french toast is super delicious! The top is a little crispy and crunchy and the bottom is more like the french toast we all know and love.
And the brown sugar crumb topping gives the whole dish a little burst of flavor. I’m going to show you step-by-step how to create this amazing breakfast, so let’s get cooking.
First, grease a 13 x 9 inch pan with oil of your choice. Grab a loaf of whole wheat crusty bread (I made my own) and rip it to pieces. You can make the pieces as big or small as you’d like. Place the pieces into the greased pan.
Crack the eggs into a small bowl, and add the sugar and vanilla extract.
And whisk away…
Until your mixture looks something like this.
Measure out the milk into a larger bowl (so like a medium size bowl).
Measure out the sour cream. Sour cream is the secret ingredients here. (And doesn’t it look so purty?)
Add the egg mixture and the sour cream to the milk. I like to use a rubber spatula to get the sour cream out of the prep bowl or measuring cup.
Give that a good whisk.
Try to get the mixture as smooth as you can. It’s okay if you see small bits of sour cream in the mixture, though.
Pour the lovely egg mixture into the pan with the whole wheat crusty bread pieces.
Be sure to evenly pour it over the bread pieces.
Mmmmm.
In a small bowl, combine the whole wheat flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
Oh yeah, and the brown sugar. Don’t forget the brown sugar. I made my own, but you can use brown sugar from the store.
And mix it all up.
Cube a stick of butter. I used cold butter, but I’m sure you could use coconut oil if you wanted to!
Add the cubed butter to the flour/brown sugar mixture.
Mash it together with a fork until all the butter is cut in.
Put the crumb topping in a plastic bag (and try not to eat it).
Cover your pan with plastic wrap, foil, or a silpat.
Now place the pan and crumb topping into your refrigerator for 12 – 96 hours (AKA You can leave it in the fridge for up to 4 days).
In the morning, take out the pan and crumb topping. Sprinkle the crumb topping on top of the french toast evenly. Place it in the oven and bake it for 45 minutes to an hour or until it is cooked to your liking.
Pull it out of the oven and you have yourself just about the most amazing, sweet, delectable, eggy breakfast dish…ever.
Serve it up with butter and maple syrup (organic of course) and chow down!
Enjoy!
Here’s the recipe:
- 1 loaf whole wheat crusty bread
- 8 large eggs
- 2 cups whole milk
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup whole wheat flour
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- 1 stick cold butter, cubed
- Grease a 13 x 9-inch baking pan. You can either cube the bread or tear it into chunks. Then spread evenly into your pan.
- Crack the eggs into a small bowl, add the sugar and vanilla extract, and whisk thoroughly. In a medium bowl, measure out the milk, add the sour cream and egg mixture and whisk thoroughly.
- Pour mixture evenly over the bread.
- In a separate bowl, mix whole wheat flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Add butter cubes and cut them into the dry mixture until mixture resembles fine pebbles.
- Place the crumb topping into a plastic bag. Cover the french toast pan with plastic wrap, foil, or a silpat. Place both into the fridge until ready to cook.
- When you're ready to bake the casserole, preheat oven to 350 F. Remove casserole from the fridge and sprinkle crumb mixture over the top evenly. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the french toast is cooked to your liking.
- Serve and top with butter and drizzle with maple syrup.
Did you like this breakfast recipe? Check out more like it here!
Can I cook this immediately or do I have to put it in the fridge first?
Hi Ashley! I’ve never tried baking it immediately because it’s meant to be an overnight kind of dish, but if you try it I’d love to hear how it turns out. Thanks!
What a great recipe Margaret Anne! I am very impressed. Your mom is fortunate to have such a great daughter. Just a tiny cooking tip, if you put the sour cream into a bowl first and slowly add the milk while whisking, you won’t have any lumps. Thanks for the recipe. It is currently in my fridge.