Overnight Baked French Toast

Have you ever seen that episode of King of the Hill where Peg says to Hank, "Remember that time we had breakfast for dinner?" and he says, "Never again." I feel like we've inadvertently fallen into that mindset. The problem with breakfast for dinner is that it rarely lends itself to leftovers. And leftovers are pretty much all we eat for lunch during the week.

With me working from home and a few dinners on the meal plan that made more leftovers than we needed I figured I may be able to get away with breakfast for dinner during the week. When I asked SP what he might want he immediately said French toast. Rather than standing over the stove I decided to go with an Overnight Baked French Toast. You assemble the whole thing the night before and just bake it when you're ready to eat. Perfect.

When I told Baby Girl we were having breakfast for dinner she was so psyched. I don't think she's ever had breakfast for dinner so this blew her little mind. I was pretty proud of my fancy bread arranging in the casserole dish.

I served the French toast with scrambled eggs and bacon on the side. The only issue I had with the French toast was the top of the bread didn't absorb the milk and egg mixture so it was crunchy rather than soft. Next time I think I need a bigger casserole dish so I can lay the slices flat. But the flavor was spot on. I halved the original recipe (printed below) because we didn't need that much food and it was perfect for the three of us.

Overnight Baked French Toast
As seen on Our Best Bites

8 eggs
2 cups half and half (one pint)
1 cup milk
6 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 lb loaf of french bread
softened butter for greasing baking dish (2-3 tablespoons)

Topping
4 tablespoons packed brown sugar
4 tablespoons white sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons cold butter

For Serving
melted butter
maple syrup
powdered sugar
berries
whipped cream

Whisk eggs in a large bowl. Add half and half and milk, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and vanilla. Set aside.

Cut bread into 1 inch chunks or into thin slices. Butter bottom and sides of a 9×13 baking dish. Place the bread in the dish. Whisk egg mixture then pour evenly over bread. Use a rubber spatula to very gently toss bread. Spread out evenly, cover dish, and refrigerate overnight.

Add brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a bowl and stir to combine. Cut cold butter into very small pieces and add to bowl. Break up butter and combine mixture until crumbly. Cover and place in fridge until ready to bake.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle topping evenly over top. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until top is golden brown. Let cool for 5-10 minutes before cutting into squares. Drizzle with melted butter and syrup, top with berries, whipped cream and a sprinkle of powdered sugar if desired.