This is our favorite TRIED and TRUE baked French toast recipe that always hits a home run. It has a delicious crumb topping and we like to bake it with blueberries on top. It’s a favorite around here, and is usually my kids requested birthday breakfast.

Let’s Talk Ingredients…

REAL Whipped Cream

I’m sorry but I just can not recommend Cool Whip to anyone, ever, at all. Real whipped cream is the best!! No comparison.

It also makes the PERFECT topping for this overnight baked french toast. Fresh berries on top are ah-mazing as well!

Find a simple and delicious whipped cream recipe here.

Bread Options

Use ANY bread!

stale bread,

old bread,

fresh bread,

sourdough bread

cinnamon bread,

french bread,

whole wheat bread,

white bread.

just make sure you are using 1-inch slices of bread.

This recipe calls for one-inch slices of bread, which are a little thicker than normal. (Think texas toast or french bread- thick cut.) So if you’re using bread that’s sliced on the thin side, simply use a little more bread!

Why the Overnight Soak?

I find that pouring the eggs and sugar mixture over the bread and letting it soak overnight just enhances the flavor and makes sure that all that french toast goodness gets soaked into every bits.

It’s also totally fine to skip this step. Just let the bread soak at least a few minutes before baking it.

But honestly, being able to do the hard part in advance is pretty nice because it makes the morning less hectic.

Eggs

The eggs in this recipe help hold all the other ingredients together and give the french toast its substance. If you really want to, you could use all egg whites instead of full eggs.

To use only egg whites, use DOUBLE the amount of egg whites vs. amount of whole eggs.

Milk

I love to use whole milk for that creamy, rich result.

Feel free to use any milk substitutions you wish. The flavor profile will be slightly different for each milk, but this recipe is flexible from whole milk to skim to almond!

Sugar

I like to use coconut sugar for the soak mixture and brown sugar for the topping in this recipe. Brown sugar on top will give it that delicious caramelized flavor. Feel free to use granulated sugar or coconut sugar for both/either the soak or crumb topping.

Vanilla and Cinnamon

Vanilla is subtle but it add the perfect depth of flavor. I don’t recommend skipping it!

Likewise with the cinnamon. A little cinnamon sprinkled on top really adds to the flavor profile. If you like cinnamon and want a stronger nutty flavor, try adding some nutmeg!

Flour

You’re going to need some flour for the crumb topping. DON’T SKIP THE CRUMB TOPPING. It makes it! As for the flour, you can really use any flour. All purpose flour, whole wheat flour, kamut flour, etc. pretty much any flour will work for the crumb topping. works great here!

Butter

Kind of a non-negotiable for the delicious crumb topping. I use cold butter and cut it up into cubes, and then combine it with the flour, cinnamon, and sugar. I then drop the mixture around the top of the casserole. When it bakes, the butter will melt right into the casserole and spread the other crumb toppings into the french toast. So scrumptious!

Toppings

Fresh berries and, as mentioned, real whipped cream are excellent toppings! Honestly, you don’t even need syrup here! The french toast is moist and flavorful as is!

Other topping ideas:

nuts
frozen berries
powdered sugar
nut butter

FAQs

Q: Can you use sourdough bread in this recipe?

A: Absolutely! I often use leftover sourdough sandwich bread in this recipe and it is fantastic! Of if you’re not into sourdough, other yummy options are my classic white bread, or take it up a notch with my cinnamon white bread. If you don’t have any of those options, feel free to use french bread, cut into one inch slices.

Q: My french toast always turns out soggy, how can I fix this?

A: Each oven cooks a little differently, so if yours is coming out a little soggy, give it more time in the oven, OR, next time use a little more bread.

Q: I see that you make this with frozen blueberries, can I skip that part?

A: Yes, feel free to skip the frozen blueberries if that’s not your thing!

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