Mixed Berry French Toast Bake
A quick and easy holiday breakfast you put together the night before!
Hello, friends!
As I write this post Christmas is officially three weeks away!
Can you even believe it?
The countdown is on for sure!
Thankfully, I finally finished decorating around our home this past weekend, and I also did most of our Christmas shopping. Although I have one or two gifts I’m still searching for.
This weekend I plan on making my baking list up so I can grab what I need at the market and start baking next week.
Speaking of baking, today I’m sharing a SUPER easy, no-fuss breakfast that is perfect for around the holidays! Especially for Christmas morning because you can make it up the night before and just put it in the oven while you open up gifts!
Even better, this recipe doesn’t call for any fancy ingredients and takes little to no time to put together.
what you’ll need:
- Bread-Â I use whatever I have on hand. French, Italian, & Sourdough are some of my favorites, but I have been known to use regular Country White bread if that’s all I have.
- eggs
- milk
- vanilla
- berries- Again I use whatever I have either in the refrigerator or freezer. Blueberries and raspberries, Strawberries and Blackberries, or a combination of all or both. And yes, you can use frozen!!
- spices
- sugar
- pecans
- butter
do you need to make it the night before?
No, but I would recommend that once you’ve put the bake together you let it sit in the refrigerator for at least a couple of hours. The reason is you want that bread to soak up all the yummy custard you create with the milk, eggs, and sugar.
how to make the bake
- Grease a 9×13 pan and fill 3/4 full with bread cubes (It takes about 10-12 cups)
- Sprinkle your fresh or frozen berries over the top of the bread crumbs
- Wisk together the milk, eggs, sugar, and spices in a large bowl.
- Pour the mixture over the bread and berries
- Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or preferably overnight
when you’re ready to bake
- Remove the french toast bake 30 minutes before you’re ready to bake
- Combine ingredients for crumble topping (butter, brown sugar, pecans)
- Sprinkle the topping over the french toast bake
- Bake in a 350-degree oven for 45-60 minutes
This is totally optional-but after the bake has cooled a bit, I like to sprinkle it generously with some powdered sugar. It adds just a wee bit more sweetness and since the bake is still warm the sugar melts into all the cracks and crevices and it’s SOOOO good!
And of course, you CAN’T have french toast without a little maple syrup, right?
I know it sounds like total SUGAR overload but it really doesn’t taste overly sweet. Instead, all you really taste is the rich-creamy egginess of the custard, along with the tartness of the berries and the buttery crumble topping. You also get that crunch factor from the nuts.
The best part is this recipe will feed a large family, but if you’re like our house (just the two of us) no worries. Leftovers are even better the next day and it re-heats very well!
Here’s the full recipe!
Mixed Berry French Toast Bake
A quick and easy breakfast bake you can make up the night before!
Ingredients
- 10-12 slices French Bread (cubed) **Other good options are Italian and Sourdough
- 8 eggs
- 2 cups milk
- 2 cups mixed berries strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 white sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 Tablespoon butter melted
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- powdered sugar (optional)
- maple syrup (optional)
Instructions
-
Grease a 9x13 pan with butter. Set aside. Cut bread slices into 1- inch cubes. Arrange bread cubes evenly in the baking pan. (The pan should be 3/4 full with bread cubes. Sprinkle berries over the bread evenly. Whisk together eggs, milk, sugar, spices, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Pour over the bread and berry mixture. Cover with Saran Wrap and refrigerate overnight. Remove the bake 30 minutes before placing it in the oven. Preheat oven to 350. Combine butter, brown sugar, and pecans in a small bowl. Sprinkle over top of the french toast bake. Place in the oven and bake for 45-60 minutes or until the knife inserted comes out clean. Remove the bake from the oven and allow it to cool slightly. Sprinkle with confectioners sugar and serve with maple syrup.
Recipe Notes
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site
This Mixed Berry French Toast Bake definitely makes my life easier when I need a delicious breakfast and I don’t have a lot of time to put one together.
As busy as we all are around the holidays it’s nice to have a few ‘prepped’ meals that just make our life a bit easier. Am I right?
I hope you enjoy this one as much as our family does!
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Thank you so much for stopping by!
I can’t believe Christmas is so close already!!! This recipe looks delicious. How perfect to have everything ready so all you have to do is put it in the oven. Thanks for reminding me to get my baking list together!
Thank you, Michelle! It’s so hard to believe it’s almost here!
I like easy bake recipes like this one, makes your work so easy right? It looks very filling , and loaded with those berries. I will bookmark this post and try it, Thanks for sharing it Christine!
It absolutely does, Aarthi! Thank you so much!