Easy Weekday Protein French Toast Bake

Make ahead overnight French toast bake with almond topping.

5 from 4 votes

Easy Weekday Protein French Toast Bake

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!

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Total Time40

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 794kcal

Author: Meryl Downing

Ingredients

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.

Nutrition