In The Wild Heart Kitchen

The Best Baked French Toast is your secret recipe for brunch victory and breakfast success. Its a one dish, feeds a crowd warm casserole dish baked with challah soaked in a creamy, cinnamony custard.

Happy first week of school! In honor of this auspicious and widely celebrated occasion on the parent calendar….I’d like to propose a little something.

We have been friends for a while now and I think it’s time we got a little personal. 

I want to invite you over for breakfast, or at least, kind of….

Do you remember the last time you went to someone’s house for breakfast or hosted a breakfast? I find breakfast to be the most personal, private meal of the day. It’s when you are your truest self; still acclimating to the day and beginning your routine. You may be in that moose pajama set and sloppy bun and your children may or may not have pants on…

Aside from the poor wardrobe choices…or lack there of….breakfast is my favorite meal. It’s filled with delicious little bits, be it toast with butter and a dot of jam, or scrambled eggs. It’s a meal where everyone has their little something of choice.

I find inviting guests for Sunday breakfast is an opportunity to begin a friend’s morning with a warm, delicious meal and a cup of coffee. Doesn’t that sound….ideal?

The Best Baked French Toast makes brunch easy:

Hosting breakfast, especially for a crowd, does sometimes require you to wake up a teeny bit earlier than you would ordinarily like to on a Sunday. The Best Baked French Toast is my secret to breakfast hosting success with complete ease and a little extra sleep.

This recipe makes a mighty batch of food, so it feeds a whole lot of people without much fussing about in the kitchen. The Best Baked French Toast is delicious simplicity at its best; the cream based custard is enriched with eggs from my hens and leftovers from My Most Delicious Challah. I whisk in orange zest for brightness and all those delicious French toast spices like cinnamon and nutmeg into creamy custard decadence. The spices are softened with a little gourmet sweetness from the vanilla and dark brown sugar.

This French Toast makes a beautiful presentation with fresh whipped cream and maple syrup and served  alongside yogurt, fruit salad and homemade granola.   

Perfect for a quick breakfast with the kids:

I love serving up this delicious dish when I need to feed a lot of people and jyust want something warm, comforting and filling. If you don’t have a crowd to feed, this recipe is easy to bake up for any day of the week.

I like to bake up a batch and keep it tucked away in the fridge to quickly heat up in individual servings for a quick weekday breakfast. My kids love it warm or even cold. They decorate their pieces with berries or dip it in maple syrup.

You can easily halve the recipe and bake it in a smaller dish; giving you a less than a crowd feel, but still getting all the comfort that goes with this warm, inviting year round breakfast dish. 

I hope you love this easy and delicious family favorite! Leave a comment below and tell me how you breakfast!

This recipe has appeared in Whisk By Ami Magazine.

Print Recipe

The Best Baked French Toast

The Best Baked French Toast is your secret to brunch and breakfast success; challah baked with cinnamon, spices & vanilla in a creamy custard.

Course: Breakfast, Brunch

Cuisine: American

Keyword: banana bread, breakfast, brunch, challah, cinnamon, french toast

Servings: 8 servings or more

Author: wildheartkitchen

Ingredients

• 1 large challah
• 8 large eggs
• 2.5 cups heavy whipping cream
• Zest of a large orange
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
• ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Cut the challah in ¾ inch slices and arrange them in a 9×13 baking dish with a 2.5 inch lip.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs, heavy whipping cream, orange zest, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, Kosher salt, and dark brown sugar. Whisk well to thoroughly combine and create the custard base.
• Pour the custard over the challah. Gently push the challah down, allowing the challah to fully absorb the custard. Set aside and allow the challah and custard to rest for 10 minutes. After ten minutes, gently push the challah into the custard again to allow the custard to fully saturate the challah.
• Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and cut two slashes into the foil. Bake it for 25 minutes.
• Uncover the dish and bake uncovered for an additional 25 minutes until the custard is fully set. .
• Allow the French toast to cool for 5 minutes and garnish with flaked almonds, berries, and light dusting of powdered sugar (optional). Serve alongside maple syrup or whipped cream.

Notes

This recipe is perfect as a make ahead for weekday breakfasts! Cool the French toast completely, cut into portions and store in an airtight container in the fridge. Warm pieces as needed.