This Easy Weekday Protein French Toast Bake is the perfect quick and easy breakfast when the kids just want cereal everyday! This recipe is not just for a holiday brunch, but for busy weekday mornings! It takes 10 minutes to put together before you go to bed, sits overnight in the fridge, and bakes in 30 minutes in the morning! High in protein with lots of eggs, milk and almond topping, and deliciously kid-approved!
Why We Love It!
- Fast and Easy enough for a Weekday Breakfast! - This is the best protein French toast casserole for kids, but mom and dad love it too! Just mix it up the night before, and let it sit overnight in the fridge. The bread soaks up all that yummy almond flavored egg and is ready to pop in the oven for those busy school mornings!
- High Protein Healthier Breakfast! - My kids get seriously stuck in a cereal rut! Although I do top their Cheerios with a scoop of Homemade Granola, I feel their breakfasts are often lacking in protein and overall heartiness! They are not big fans of eggs on toast, so this high-protein French toast bake is a great alternative. It really is just eggs on toast in a different form! Most French toast bakes are loaded with sugar, making them best to save for special occasions. Not here, this is a healthier version, deliciously flavored with almond extract and cinnamon, with just a bit of brown sugar in the almond topping.
- Delicious and Great for Special Occasions Too! - Almond extract is the secret ingredient that just feels like the holidays to me! This high protein French toast casserole is great for brunch with guests too! Directions to make a 9x13 pan that feeds 6 to 8 people are at the bottom of the recipe card. Pair it with a fancy fruit platter and some bacon or sausage and it's the perfect brunch, or even makes a great weeknight dinner!
- If you Love this Recipe, be sure to check out my Protein Pancakes, Protein Pumpkin Waffles, Protein Buttermilk Pancakes, and Overnight Crockpot Steel Cut Oatmeal!
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Ingredients & Substitutions
- Crusty Bread - A crusty loaf of bread is the best for this recipe because it holds up well to the overnight soaking in the eggs and gets soft and delicious! You can use baguette, ciabatta, a French or Italian loaf (although avoid anything with a flavoring like garlic or rosemary), or a crusty sourdough. Regular sandwich bread will give you different results but would work too. I often grab an extra loaf of crusty bread and save it in my freezer. Just pull it out a few hours ahead of time so it's thawed enough to slice.
- Eggs - Protein French Toast Bake starts with lots of eggs! I use 5 in this recipe which feeds 2 to 4 people. You could throw in an extra if you want to bump the protein even more.
- Milk - I use whole milk, another great protein source, but any type of milk or non-dairy milk will work.
- Cinnamon - That classic French Toast flavor!
- Almond Extract - The secret ingredient!! Almond extract gives you an amazing flavor and is perfect for the holiday season too. If you don't have it, you can substitute vanilla extract.
- Butter - Use 1 Tablespoon of butter to first grease your pan, then use the rest to melt for the almond topping.
- Brown Sugar - Just 2 Tablespoons! Far less than most French toast bake recipes! The bit of sugar gives you a delicious topping, but you could always use less or omit it. You will get plenty of sweetness serving your French toast with real maple syrup. Try making your own Homemade Brown Sugar!
- Sliced Almonds - Another French toast protein boost comes from the almonds baked over the top! You could increase the amount a bit if you want to add protein, and could also substitute chopped walnuts or pecans.
See recipe card below for quantities.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1 - Grease an 8x8 baking dish with butter or cooking spray and line it with bread cut into large cubes.
I like to put the bread cubes in the baking dish first so you can eyeball the correct amount.
Step 2 - Whisk together the egg, milk, salt, cinnamon and almond extract and add the bread to the bowl. Mix well until the bread is fully coated in the egg mixture.
Step 3 - Let the bread sit in the egg while you make the topping.
In a small bowl, melt butter in the microwave and mix in the brown sugar and almonds with a fork.
Step 4 - Give the bread and egg mixture another good stir before pouring it into the baking dish. Press it down evenly with a spatula, and top it with the almond topping.
Step 5 - Cover with plastic wrap, or a reused bread or bun plastic bag works great, and refrigerate overnight.
Step 6 - In the morning, preheat your oven to 375° and bake uncovered for 30 minutes.
Serve with maple syrup and fresh berries!
Chef Tips
- How to Make a Larger 9x13 pan of French Toast Bake - To make a larger batch, just double the recipe, which is about one and a half loaves depending on the style of bread you use. With 10 eggs, a 9x13 pan will feed 6 to 8 people. Bake it a bit longer, about 35 to 40 minutes or until the egg is not runny.
- What Kind of Bread is Best for Overnight French Toast? - Because the bread is soaked in the egg overnight, a crusty bread is best because it holds its shape and doesn't turn to mush. Baguette, ciabatta, challah, brioche, French or Italian loaves (unflavored, don't use anything with garlic or herbs!), or a rustic sourdough would all be great. The Take-n-Bake loaves from the grocery store work well for this recipe too. If all you have is sandwich bread, it will work, but I would skip the overnight soak and just make the recipe in the morning and bake right away.
- Adding Berries - You can add blueberries right to the mixture and bake them in, or serve them on top.
- Adding Even More Protein - You can add even more protein with a scoop of protein powder mixed in. You can also get away with just adding an extra egg. Or top your casserole with a dollop of whole milk yogurt or whipped cream. We love filling a jar half full of cream with a pinch of powdered sugar and taking turns shaking until we have whipped cream!
Recipe FAQs
No. If you want to make this French toast casserole the morning you are going to eat it, you can. The longer the bread sits in the egg mixture, the more it is able to soak up the liquid, so even an hour in the fridge is beneficial. If you don't have an hour, it will be ok to make it and bake it immediately, just make sure to really mix the bread into the egg mixture well.
Yes! A gluten-free French toast casserole is as easy as substituting your favorite gluten-free bread!
Yes! Make it an Almond Milk French Toast Bake! Substitute the milk in the recipe for any dairy-free milk of your choice. Use coconut out in place of the butter.
More Weekday Breakfast Recipes!
If you made this recipe, I'd love to hear how you liked it! Be sure to leave a star rating by clicking the stars in the recipe card, or leave a comment below!
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Easy Weekday Protein French Toast Bake
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Print Pin RateIngredients
- 4 to 5 cups crusty bread, cut into large cubes (about ⅔'s of a baguette, ciabatta, or any crusty French or Italian unflavored loaf)
- 5 eggs
- ½ cup milk
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
For the Topping
- 1 Tablespoon melted butter
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
- ¼ cup sliced almonds
Instructions
- Butter or spray a square 8x8 baking dish. You can measure 1 Tablespoon of butter, rub the inside of the pan including the bottom and sides, then use the rest for the topping. Cut the bread into cubes and add it to the baking dish so you can eyeball the right amount.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, cinnamon and almond extract. Add the bread to the bowl and mix and stir until it is completely coated in the egg mixture. Let the bread sit in the egg while you prepare the topping.
- Make the topping in a small bowl, melt the butter in the microwave, then stir in the brown sugar and almonds.
- Give the bread and egg mixture another good stir, and then add it back into the baking dish. Sprinkle with the almond topping. Cover (plastic wrap or a reused bread or bun bag works great!) and refrigerate overnight.
- In the morning, preheat oven to 375° and bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Serve with berries and maple syrup.
Notes
- How to make a larger 9x13 pan of French Toast Bake - To make a larger batch, just double the recipe, which is about one and a half loafs depending on the style of bread you use. I filled up a 4 cup glass measuring cup heaping full of bread twice, so about 8-10 cups of cubed bread. With 10 eggs, a 9x13 pan will feed 6 to 8 people. Bake a bit longer, about 35 to 40 minutes or until egg is not runny.
- To check that your French toast bake is done, after 30 minutes, take it out of the oven and give it a little shake. Pull off one of the bread chunks and look for runny egg in the middle. If the eggs are still runny, let it bake a few minutes more, but don't over bake!
- To make this French toast casserole the morning you are going to eat it, you can skip refrigerating it overnight. However, the longer the bread sits in the egg mixture, the more it is able to soak up the liquid, so even an hour in the fridge or just mixing it very well is beneficial.
Gina says
We do breakfast for dinner at least once a week so I gave this recipe a try last night and we loved it! I doubled it for our family of 5 and had enough for the kids to eat the leftovers for breakfast. I am used to making a different French toast bake with much more butter and sugar, so I was happy when my kids didn’t seem to notice the difference with this one. The almond flavoring and crunch take this to the next level.
Meryl Downing says
So glad they liked it Gina!
Melissa says
A fav for holiday mornings! Everyone loves this!
Elizabeth Swoish says
This was a great recipe! Such a treat for brunch with my gal pals! Thank you!