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If you're looking for a delicious brunch item that you can prepare mostly in advance, check out this French Toast Bake – it is so good!
French Toast Bake Recipe
I'm sure you've heard a time or two that breakfast for dinner is a fantastic way to make those pennies stretch a little further when trying to cut down your grocery budget. The problem is, sometimes even plain old breakfast for dinner can take too long on a busy weeknight (at least at our house!), so by making this french toast in the morning for dinner, you'll have a frugal dinner prepared first thing in the morning!
You can also prepare this ahead of time for the next morning's breakfast, which is such a great way to save time on a busy morning. We served it for dinner though with eggs and fresh fruit, and it was a hit at our house. (And talk about a penny-pinched meal . . . I'm thinking we all ate for less than $5. Success!). This is also a great idea for Mother's Day brunch.
Ingredients needed:
- butter
- brown sugar
- texas toast (bread alternatives: croissants, cut-up cinnamon rolls)
- milk
- eggs
- vanilla
- powdered sugar
- white sugar
- cinnamon
- maple syrup
Here's how to make french toast baked casserole:
Start by melting the butter in the microwave, and then add in your brown sugar. Stir until mixed.
Spread your butter-sugar mixture completely over the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan. Beat eggs, milk and vanilla and then set aside.
Layer bread over sugar mixture and pour half of the egg mixture over the bread. Add your second layer of Texas toast (you can trim the crust to look prettier if you'd like!).
Spoon the remaining egg mixture on top of the second layer of Texas Toast. Mix together white sugar and cinnamon and then sprinkle on top of the dish.
Cover and chill in the refrigerator overnight, or cover at least 6 hours if you're making it in the morning for dinner later that day.
Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove aluminum foil and bake for an additional 25 minutes, or until bread is cooked through.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with maple syrup. Yum!
French Toast Bake
Ingredients
- 1 stick butter melted
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 loaf texas toast
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 4 whole eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- powdered sugar for sprinkling
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1 Tbsp cinnamon
- maple syrup
Instructions
- Melt butter in microwave, then add brown sugar. Stir until mixed.
- Spread butter-sugar mixture completely over the bottom of a 9x13 pan.Beat eggs, milk & vanilla. Set aside.
- Layer bread over sugar mixture.Pour half the egg mixture over the bread.Add second layer of Texas Toast (I trimmed the crust off this layer to make it look prettier!)
- Spoon remaining egg mixture on top of the second layer of Texas Toast.Mix together white sugar and cinnamon, sprinkle over the top of the dish. (I guessed the amount that I used . . . just sprinkle until you feel that you have enough cinnamon sugar covering the toast!)
- Cover & chill in refrigerator overnight, or cover at least six hours if you're making it in the morning for dinner.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove aluminum foil and bake an additional 25 minutes, or until bread is cooked through (will be moist though).
- Sprinkle with powdered sugar.Serve with maple syrup . . . yummm!
Looking for more yummy meals? This recipe is from our 5 ingredient menu plans, including this meal + 59 other AMAZING recipes (and 12 desserts too)! You'll also get lifetime membership in our private Facebook group, full of other families encouraging one another to make dinner each night together too.
Here are some other fun breakfast or brunch ideas you mike like:
I can’t wait to try this! Do you use salted or unsalted butter?
Delicious! I also cut sugar, to a little less than half and added a few more eggs. My husband loved it, my new way for making French Toast! Thank you!
That sounds just yummy, Laura! Thank you so much for sharing with us.
Hello. I was wondering can I prepare this and then freeze it?
Yes, you can freeze it! Mix the ingredients, then cover it, and stick it in your freezer. Take it out when you are ready to bake it! Let us know what you think!
This is SO good! I’ve made it several times now and it is always a hit! I like it best with torn up pieces of bread instead of whole pieces. I just use regular bread, not Texas toast. I also make a gluten free, dairy free version, which is also excellent. Thanks for this yummy recipe!
I was thinking torn up bread might work better, myself. do you still pour the egg mixture on, in two layers? or put all the bread in and then pour the eggs over it all at once? 4 eggs (plus milk) doesn’t sound like enough for 12 slices of bread. but it must be, if everyone loves this recipe. :). thank you!
I did layers, but I think it would be fine to just put it all in at once too.
What is the best milk substitute to make this dairy free?
Silk makes a dairy free milk that would great! 🙂
I’ve used almond and oatmilk, both were good.
This would be so nice to have already prepared in the morning! I had gestational diabetes twice, so I try to be frugal with sugar….have you or anyone tried cutting the sugar content by half? Is it still yummy?
I always cut sugar in half in every recipe I make! I would definitely do it here as well!
Good to know! Thanks for sharing with us!
Wonder if you can cook this on the grill, say for camping.
Hmm, you might be able to Jd? I don’t think we’ve tried it on the grill, but would love to hear how it goes if you give it a go! 🙂
I love this recipe it’s so great family gobbled it up.
Can I use regular bread instead of texas toast?
I have used brioche and sourdough and it turned out good both times.
Hi. I didn’t see eggs in your ingredients list but it’s in the directions. How many eggs do we use? Thanks!
It’s 4 Rachel – I’ll update the post right now!
Probably stupid question, but The link won’t show the “Texas Toast” you recommend and I really want to make this right for my family of 7 so want to make sure do it correctly. When say Texas toast is it the white bread Texas toast like by me. Bairds which I would think it is but doing a search came up the frozen garlic cheese Texas toast???
Not a stupid question at all Melinda! 🙂 You’ll want to use a “Texas Toast” style plain loaf of bread similar to this (https://bit.ly/38pc88n) or this (https://bit.ly/39gebdS) ~ hope that helps, and hope you love the recipe!
I have been doing this frugal thing since the ’90s but I am still learning new things. Thank for this recipe I am going to make it part of my menu for next week. My husband will love it.
I used to be able to feed the two of us for $150 a month but now it is more like $200 a month and I am trying to bring that back down. I know it can be done because I read of others doing it.
I just don’t seem to have the couponing/shopping skills they have even though I have been couponing for decades!
But thanks for the new ideas.
It definitely takes a lot of effort Sandy – and groceries have undoubtedly gone up. I think you’re doing great if you’re only spending $200 a month! 🙂
Wow! January 2012 can you imagine trying to feed anyone on $150 a month now in 2022. We would go hungry!
Hi Laurie, what temperature oven do you use?
Hi Jenn! I just updated it – it bakes at 350. Sorry about that! 🙂