Overnight Creme Brûlée French Toast Bake
This easy, dreamy baked creme brûlée french toast, thanks to its overnight prep, is so simple and so delicious. It’s bound to be a new breakfast favorite!
Every year around Christmas time, I usually share a new holiday breakfast recipe perfect for a special breakfast. Emphasis on special. It’s very important that we all understand and know: ain’t nobody eating creme brûlée French toast on a Tuesday morning in my house.
We stick with our usual breakfast suspects during the week and save the special stuff…for special days.
I jumped the gun a bit and shared this baked Chocolate German Pancake a few weeks ago – it would be fabulous for Christmas morning, too.
But the real breakfast winner this holiday season is this overnight baked creme brûlée French toast.
Holy moly. It’s amazing.
And this is coming from someone who isn’t the biggest French toast fan on the planet. It ranks kind of low on my list of breakfast loves, but apparently, if you make it taste like creme brûlée, I’m going to be fighting young children for the leftovers.
Instead of doing full slices of bread, I opted to cut the bread into cubes and make more of a “bake” out of it instead of using full slices of bread. My main motive? Reduce the soggy factor.
I’m vehemently against soggy bread of all sorts (I’m so very sorry bread pudding – you’ll probably never have a place on my blog), but I love caramelized, golden pieces of bread lightly soaked in a sweet milk mixture.
Yes, that I like.
Keeping the crusts on the bread and cutting it into cubes helps this French toast bake reach absolute perfection.
As it bakes, the simple brown sugar syrup sitting under the bread cooks and bubbles and creates an absolutely magical creme brûlée crust for the tender French toast.
No extra syrup necessary, we serve this deliciousness with sweetened whipped cream and fresh raspberries and strawberries. The combo is spectacular.
The super simple overnight prep makes this holiday (or maybe lazy Saturday?) breakfast option a dream, especially since you take it out of the refrigerator and pop it in the oven as it preheats.
I will warn you, a 9X13-pan of this succulent French toast was pushing the limits on serving sizes for our family. Granted, I have five hungry boys (and two hungry girls!) to feed, but I’ve started doubling this for our family.
There are some leftovers doing it this way, but those easily get gobbled up later (ahem: lunch).
Creme brûlée is hands down one of my favorite desserts of all time, and this French toast version just makes me (and my whole family) so happy. This upcoming Christmas morning, I’m planning on serving it with these tasty Christmas Baked Eggs.
If you are looking for a special, fun breakfast for any of the upcoming holidays, let this be the one! You won’t be disappointed.
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Overnight Creme Brûlée French Toast Bake
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons (85 g) butter
- ¾ cup (159 g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup, can sub corn syrup or pancake syrup
- 6 to 8 1-inch thick slices French bread, cut into 3/4-inch cubes (see picture in the post – also, see note)
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup half-and-half
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Sweetened whipped cream + fresh strawberries/raspberries, for serving
Instructions
- Add butter, brown sugar, and maple syrup to a microwave-safe bowl, and microwave for 1-2 minutes, until the sugar is dissolved. Stir to combine. (This step can be done in a pan on the stove.)
- Lightly grease a 9X13-inch pan with cooking spray.
- Spread the brown sugar mixture in the bottom of the pan and arrange the bread cubes in a single layer over the top.
- In a bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, vanilla, and salt.
- Pour the mixture evenly over the bread.
- Cover the pan and refrigerate overnight (8-10 hours).
- Remove the pan from the refrigerator, uncover, and place in the cold oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Once the oven reaches temperature, bake for 30-35 minutes, until the bread is golden and the caramelly syrup is bubbling (alternately, if you want the golden syrupy goodness on top, the french toast can be baked for 20 minutes, then using a large, flat spatula, flip the bread pieces and bake for another 10-15 minutes).
- Serve immediately with sweetened whipped cream and fresh raspberries or strawberries.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted from this recipe at Allrecipes
I am making this recipe now and am so excited! I’ve taken pictures and will post how it turns out!
Have a delicious day, steph
We made this for Christmas breakfast today and oh man! So yummy!! Thank you for sharing these amazing delicious traditions with us.
Perfection exactly as written! Everyone loved this for Christmas Day breakfast!,
My family loves this recipe. We have it every Christmas morning. I make 2 dishes of it now, as our family is growing. There are never any leftovers.
hi! this looks amazing. do you think it would work with brioche? or it would be too soggy. i’m with you on team no soggy bread
Yes, I think brioche would work just fine!
What kind of pan do you recommend for going straight from fridge to oven?
I usually use a ceramic or metal pan for this recipe.
Absolutely Amazing!!!
I made this with Gluten free bread and it was fantastic!!!!
This is one of those awesome recipes where GF bread SHINES!
This is a family favorite. I’ve made plenty of variations on it. I’ve done half milk and half cream when I forgot to buy half and half. We’ve tried it with leftover hot dog buns and even a few slices of wheat bread mixed in with some sliced white bread when I didn’t plan ahead with French bread. I’ve also made it the morning of instead of the night before and that turned out nearly as delicious. Obviously the best results come from following the recipe, but for those of you, like me, who can’t always get their act together, this recipe is pretty forgiving.
Hi, I was wondering if I can freeze this and then bake a few days later?
I haven’t tried that, so I’m not sure – but it’s definitely worth experimenting. If you freeze it, I think I’d defrost in the refrigerator overnight before baking.
I made this for a family brunch and it was a huge hit with our foodie family! Used 4 eggs and heavy cream as that’s what we had on hand, otherwise followed recipe . Will use it again over and over I’m sure!
Out of all the overnight toasts I’ve tried, this ones our favorite! We’ve done it for multiple guests and it’s always been a hit.
Unbelievably good!!! Thanks for another keeper!!! You made Christmas even better again!
Hi there! Creme brûlée is my absolute fave dessert so I will try the recipe as written 🙂 I’m wondering though if you have an eggnog French toast recipe or if I could substitute the half and half with eggnog in this recipe to make an eggnog creme brûlée? Thanks!
I don’t have an eggnog French toast recipe (sorry!) but I think you could probably try subbing the half and half with eggnog to see how it goes for this recipe.
We have made this several times, and it is always a huge hit, but this time was the first time we ate it with strawberries and whipped cream, and – WOW – that just put its deliciousness over the top! It was so, so good. The one thing I do differently from the recipe is I cut the French bread a little thicker than 3/4 inches, it’s more like 1 1/4 inches thick, and I use the bigger measurements for the liquid that you share in the notes. Comes out perfect. Two 9×13 pans of this fed my 9-person family with no leftovers today. (Perfect Conference-morning breakfast because I don’t have to get up early and make it!) Oh, also – I forgot to add the maple syrup to the creme brulee part of one of the pans, and couldn’t even tell which one it was. Both were absolutely delicious.
I made this to have for breakfast this morning for our special breakfast before a semiannual religious conference. It was DELICIOUS! The only thing I did differently was I that I didn’t put the bread in a single layer. I filled a square casserole dish with it and also reserved a little sauce to drizzle over the top.
It was perfect! It had a bread pudding consistency in the center and the caramel sauce was so scrumptious that my family asked me to make this a traditional pre-conference breakfast going forward. We just served it with sausage links and fried eggs to balance the sweetness.
I made this for a birthday brunch and wow, it is so good. I got quite a few compliments on it. I’ll be making this again for sure.
Mel-this recipe is amazing. I’ve made it too many times to count and I’ve found a great system. I buy the two pack of country loaf bread from the Costco bakery. I either freeze one loaf to use later or because it’s not hard to make two of I make one for a friend and drop it off the day before so they have breakfast ready to go. This loaf is a little more bread than this recipe calls for so I 1.5 times the other ingredients and it turns out perfect! Such an easy, delicious way to brighten someone’s day! Thank you
Thanks for adding those notes, Liz!
Oh. My. Gosh. I have made this recipe five times now and each time it gets rave reviews!!! I literally *cannot* stop eating it. It is my all time favorite breakfast! Thank you, Mel! PS- if anybody knows of any CBFTA (Creme Brûlée French Toast Anonymous) meetings let me know. Asking for a friend… 😉
Haha…you’re hilarious!
Um. I can’t believe I waited this long to make this. Well, I can, because I have wanted to make this at least 5 times but always the morning of. Sigh. So, I finally prepped the night before (I used sliced brioche bread because well, I forgot to get the other bread) and it was A-MAZ-ING! My kids barely said a word because they were happily stuffing their faces. My oldest (who loves to make creme brulee said, “mom, I don’t know if I will ever see French toast the same way again!” It was a winner. Maybe a new Easter morning tradition at the Marcroft house since I don’t have to stay up as late wrapping! Thanks again Mel for saving the day and making my house smell yummy and feeding my seven hungry kids!
Can crushed pecans be added to the sugar layer?
I’m sure they could!
Delish, Mel. Merry Christmas!
Is it possible to make this ahead and freeze it?
I haven’t tried freezing so I’m not totally sure but it’s worth a try!
There isn’t anything more I can say other than INCREDIBLE!
Has anyone ever made these in individual servings? You know like maybe in a ramekin, muffin cups or decorative paper baking cups?
I’m serving this in my restaurant in Roundup Montana this morning. People are freaking out! I gave you credit. I wanted all of the glory for myself, but that made me feel too guilty. It’s my new Sunday morning special for the foreseeable future. Thanks Mel! I can always count on your recipes!
Haha…thanks, Nina!
Can brioche bread or challah be used instead of french bread?
Yes.
I was looking for an easy breakfast for holidays, as I make the bulk of the food. This is perfect! It fits into my meal prep the day before beautifully. Everyone loves it. It’s in regular rotation and perfect way to use up any leftover French bread I make. Using your recipe, of course!
Tried this for when my daughter’s family when they visited. Every person at the table agreed it was the best breakfast they had ever had! Easy to make and it disappeared just as easily.
I made this for my early morning seminary class this morning and they devoured it. I feed them breakfast every Friday morning and they said this one definitely needs to be in the rotation of their favorites.
I wish there would have been 1 slice left over, but they were all begging for seconds and thirds. LOL!
What an awesome seminary teacher you are!
This is one of our family’s special breakfast go-to recipes. Our son just got home from studying abroad in China. This was his number one requested breakfast dish on his list of “American foods I can’t wait to eat again.” It is amazingly simple but delicious. Our three teens are up late for the sole purpose of getting a batch of this in the fridge for tomorrow after church. Our world traveling son has to have it before he heads back to Chicago for college. It’s that important!
Love to hear that your teenagers love this (especially that world traveler!). Thanks, Wendy!
This was PURE PERFECTION!!!! So so so yummy! My only wish was that I would’ve doubled it. Thanks for the amazing recipe!
Thank you so much for this recipe! I made it yesterday for my first time making a special Christmas breakfast, and I think it’s the one I’ll always do! I used brioche since I just happened to see it while looking for bread, and oh my, it was soooo good! Thank you!
I make this every year! My kids and husband loves it. I always do a couple of quiches to go along with it. I use Brioche and put orange extract and orange zest in it and it’s amazing!!
Can I make this two days in advance without baking?
I haven’t made it that far in advance so I’m not sure – sorry!
I just made this and served it at book group and it was hit! It was devoured. Not soggy, great flavor, and perfect with cream and berries. I forgot to make it the night before but it was still delicious! Thanks for another great recipe, Mel!
Would sour dough be good? I was eyeing the one at Costco this week. Everyone around me was grabbing it like it was a precious commodity
I think if you like the flavor of sourdough, it would be great!
We had this for GC weekend and it was AMAZING! Kind of left me in a sugar coma. In fact, I just ate the leftovers for dessert… SO SO SO good. Will definitely be making it again.
So you have it in there while oven reaches temp and then start the timer for 30 min?
Yes!
When you double the recipe, do you put it all into one pan or make 2 pans of it? We made this for Father’s Day and it was a definite win!! Thanks for sharing!!
I make two pans. Glad you loved it!
So good! Even with cheap white bread it turned out amazingly with that crust on the bottom. And it’s so easy to make I applaud your resilience to not eat it on a Tuesday morning. I am clearly not as strong as you haha
I just got some French Bread from Walmart Grocery pick up, and I didn’t realize the bread came pre-sliced. They are very thin slices! Will that work or will it make it too soggy?
I definitely think it helps to have thicker-sliced bread, but it’s probably worth a try.
Love this! Had it this morning with sweetend mascarpone and strawberries. It works well with gluten free bread.
Yum! A new favorite!
Merry Christmas, Mel! I just made this for my family’s Christmas brunch, and it was a big hit with everyone! We used brioche and doubled the recipe for our family of 6. I will definitely make this again in the future. I really liked how it wasn’t overly eggy and soggy. Everything I’ve tried from your website is always delicious.
Oh yum, brioche would be amazing! Merry Christmas!
Hi!
I’d like to make this for tomorrow, but I don’t have half-and-half… Can I use milk instead?
Thanks!
It’ll be a bit less rich (and the bread might have a different texture) but you can definitely experiment.
did you use 2 pans or layer? for the double recipe?
Hello, sorry for the delayed response. I used 2 9×13 pans.
Wow! Wow! Wow! So easy and delicious. And I can’t believe I’m saying this but it was even better heated up as leftovers (if you’re lucky enough to have any).
I decided to not flip it halfway through baking, I liked having the crisp toasted bread side. I topped it with fresh whipped cream and raspberries. Perfect! Our new Christmas breakfast! Thank you!!
The best French toast ever! This is our Christmas morning breakfast tradition. It’s quick, simple, failsafe, and delicious.
I agree with all those sentiments!! 🙂
This was awesome! I used torn up croissants and everyone loved it. Thanks for posting this great recipe for special mornings.
I am so with you on the Soggy bread thing! Its a texture i just can’t do.
Being an avid baker and recipe adventurer, my family always wants me to make bread pudding. Ummm, NO! Gag.
Can’t wait to try the recipe!
I made this last year for Christmas breakfast and it was a hit and so easy! Definitely making it again this year!