Cinnamon Baked French Toast

Ree Drummond’s top rated French toast recipe is a make-ahead, feeds-a-crowd brunch dream that yields fluffy, golden French toast with an irresistible streusel topping.

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Cinnamon Baked French Toast
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Level: Easy
Total: 13 hr
Prep: 15 min
Inactive: 12 hr
Cook: 45 min
Yield: 12 servings

Article by Layla Khoury-Hanold

Ree Drummond’s baked French toast casserole is a make-ahead, feeds-a-crowd brunch dream that’ll never have you feeling like a short order cook. It’s topped with cinnamon-brown sugar streusel and served with syrup and blueberries. With Ree’s simple baked French toast recipe, you’ll learn what kind of bread to use, the secret to an extra rich egg custard mixture, how to create an aromatic topping and how long to bake French toast according to your preferred texture.

How to Make Baked French Toast Like a Pro

Reach for crusty bread. Use a crusty loaf of sourdough or French bread, preferably a day old, so that it soaks up the egg mixture and the casserole’s center bakes up soft and custardy.

Make a rich and flavorful egg custard. Ree whisks eggs with both whole milk and heavy cream for richness, vanilla for extra flavor and both white and brown sugar for nuanced sweetness and to promote caramelization.

Let the casserole sit overnight in the fridge. After you’ve poured the egg custard mixture over the bread cubes, tightly cover and refrigerate until ready to bake, ideally overnight, so that the bread soaks up as much of the egg custard as possible to avoid soggy French toast.

Make a flavorful, aromatic streusel topping. Ree blends together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, freshly grated nutmeg, salt and cold butter until the mixture resembles pebbles.

Bake the French toast uncovered. Bake the French toast casserole uncovered so that the topping gets crunchy and caramelized.

Choose a cook time to match your texture preference. Bake the French toast casserole at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes for a softer texture, or 1 hour for a firmer texture.

Can You Make Baked French Toast Ahead of Time?

Yes, baked French toast is an ideal make-ahead brunch dish as it benefits from resting overnight in the refrigerator so the bread cubes can soak up the flavorful egg custard mixture. This will ensure that the center will bake up soft and custardy.

How Long to Cook French Toast

Cook French toast for 45 minutes to 1 hour in a 350 degree F oven. Baking the French toast for 45 minutes will yield a softer, bread-pudding like texture, while baking it for 1 hour gives it a crisper, firmer texture.

French Toast Toppings

French toast toppings include fresh fruit, maple syrup, honey, powdered sugar, whipped cream, butter and jam.

What to Serve with Baked French Toast

Serve baked French toast with classic breakfast sides such as fruit salad, eggs, bacon and hashbrowns. For a complete brunch spread, try making Maple Pepper Bacon, Ree’s Breakfast Hash, her fan-favorite Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole and her vibrant Fruit Salad with Orange-Vanilla Syrup.

Recipe courtesy of Ree Drummond

Cinnamon Baked French Toast

  • Level: Easy
  • Total: 13 hr
  • Prep: 15 min
  • Inactive: 12 hr
  • Cook: 45 min
  • Yield: 12 servings

Ingredients

French Toast: 

Topping:

Directions

Special equipment:
9-by-13-inch baking pan
  1. For the French toast: Grease the baking pan with butter. Tear the bread into chunks, or cut into cubes, and evenly distribute in the pan. Crack the eggs in a big bowl. Whisk together the eggs, milk, cream, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla. Pour evenly over the bread. Cover the pan tightly and store in the fridge until needed (overnight preferably). 
  2. For the topping: Mix the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and some nutmeg in a separate bowl. Stir together using a fork. Add the butter and with a pastry cutter, and mix it all together until the mixture resembles fine pebbles. Store in a re-sealable plastic bag in the fridge. 
  3. When you're ready to bake the casserole, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Remove the casserole from the fridge and sprinkle the topping over the top. Bake for 45 minutes for a softer, more bread pudding texture or for 1 hour or more for a firmer, crisper texture. 
  4. Scoop out individual portions. Top with butter and drizzle with warm pancake syrup and sprinkle with blueberries.