When I was a kid, having breakfast for dinner was some kind of magical treat. I don’t know why, but there is just something so fun and exciting about eating breakfast foods at dinnertime. Maybe as a kid it was just the right amount of wrong to make us laugh? Now with my own kids it’s the same deal – they love having breakfast for dinner! And this Baked French Toast recipe is everyone’s favorite dish because it tastes delicious and is so easy to make.
Jon’s version of our Baked French Toast recipe uses cubed bread topped with sweetened creme fraiche and strawberries.
French Toast was one of my favorite breakfasts growing up, morning or night. When I try to make it myself the traditional way it seems more difficult that necessary. This Baked French Toast recipe piles everything together in one skillet for a bake-and-serve breakfast feast that comes together quickly. Serve it with our boozy recipe for Gin Fizz and delicious Sugared Bacon Recipe for a salty sweet treat. (See below for that recipe too.)
Baked French Toast Recipe
Serves 4
Ingredients
¾ cup pecans
¼ cup brown sugar
½ stick butter
4 eggs
2/3 cup milk
½ cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
10 slices white bread, cut into 2-inch squares
Maple syrup, for topping
The ingredients for Baked French Toast come together quickly.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a cast-iron skillet, add the pecans, brown sugar, and butter and heat on medium low just until bubbling. When the sugar is dissolved, remove from pan and put into a small bowl.
Into the same skillet add the bread, covering bottom of the pan.
Pecans, brown sugar and butter combine to make the topping for our Baked French Toast.
Crack the eggs into a mixing bowl and beat with a whisk until smooth. Whisk in the milk, heavy whipping cream and vanilla.
Carefully pour the egg and milk mixture over bread in pan, evenly coating the bread. If all the bread is not fully coated, use a spatula to press the bread down to soak up the liquid. Set aside for 20 minutes.
Cubing the bread and then soaking it in eggs and cream.
Right before placing the skillet into oven, top with the pecan mixture making sure to spread evenly across entire surface.
Bake for 25 minutes until golden brown. Serve with maple syrup.
Print Recipe Baking the French Toast like a casserole gives it a bread pudding consistency.
If it sounds too sweet to top with syrup, sprinkle a little powder sugar on the Baked French Toast. Then toss some fresh berries or sliced bananas on top along with a dollop of creme fraiche or whipped cream. YUM!
Patti’s version of our Bake French Toast recipe used sliced bread cut on the diagonal and served with maple syrup.
Serve with Brown Sugar Bacon
This Baked French Toast recipe is sweet and delicious, and maybe something salty is needed on the side. We love bacon in our family, and every once in a while I spice it up with my Brown Sugar Bacon. It could not be easier to make, and it cooks in the oven so no splattery mess!
Start your recipe for Sugared Bacon using the best thick-cut bacon from Niman Ranch.
All you need is one pound of bacon and 3/4 cup of brown sugar. I prefer using premium bacon like Niman Ranch Applewood Smoked Uncured Bacon. It’s just the right ratio of meat to fat and cooks up perfectly as the ideal slice of delicious and salty bacon.
Lay the bacon out flat on a cookie sheet lined with foil. Sprinkle the bacon evenly with the brown sugar, and bake at 350 degrees until cooked to your liking. For limp bacon, cook it for about 6-8 minutes. For crispy bacon cook it for about 1o minutes.
The sugar caramelizes with the bacon fat and the result is pure heaven.
Brown Sugar Bacon is sweet and salty deliciousness.
Add a Nice Gin Fizz for the Grown-ups
If you need a little something more, try Patti’s delicious Recipe for Gin Fizz that was a hit in her family!
A Christmas toast of Gin Fizzes in front of the Christmas tree.