Baked French toast is a scrumptious breakfast casserole that’ll make a regular morning feel like a holiday and a holiday morning feel like a breeze. Sweet, filling, and easy to make, this French toast caramel roll fusion infuses the house with amazing smells as it bakes and will wow everyone at the table. A fluffy, pillowy pile of baked French toast, topped with syrup and fresh fruit really is like having dessert for breakfast. And it’s perfect alongside a baked Easter ham at Sunday brunch, maybe with some roasted strawberry and basil lemonade or a French 75, Ina Garten’s favorite brunch cocktail.
The drawback to baked French toast is that it can get soggy. It’s basically bread pudding after all, made up of thick chunks of bread in a heavy cream custard sauce. This breakfast casserole is supposed to come out fluffy and spongey, easily cut with a fork, and pleasant to chew. Done right, baked French toast is moist, but dry enough that it can still stand up to a generous helping of maple syrup garnish. There are a few ways a batch of baked French toast can go wrong, though, and some easy steps to take to make sure your next batch is not soggy.
Use the right bread for beautifully-textured baked French toast
You need sturdy bread that can still maintain texture while floating in a sea of milk, eggs, heavy cream, vanilla, and sugar. Sourdough and French bread are both great options for a baked French toast casserole, and you can also use brioche, challah, or pullman loaf as well. Add more texture to your bread by toasting it or setting it on the counter to dry out for 24 hours before using. Cut the bread into one-inch cubes, small enough to be attractive in the dish and easy to eat, and large enough to be resilient in the custard sauce.
Why you should be precise about soaking bread for baked French toast
Bread cubes should marinate in the heavy cream and egg mixture for at least four hours in the refrigerator, overnight if possible. Then, they’re topped with brown sugar, cinnamon and salt, before the whole dish goes into the oven. As the bread marinates in the wet ingredients, it soaks up flavors and liquid. If the bread doesn’t get enough time to soak, there will be excess liquid in the baking pan, and it’ll get soggy as it bakes. Another problem is having too much liquid for the bread you’re using. Combine your bread cubes and the wet ingredients in a separate bowl and transfer it to a baking sheet after, draining the excess liquid if you encounter this problem.
The size of your pan will change your baked French toast’s texture
When you’re searching for the perfect baking sheet for a baked French toast casserole, look for a dish with a lot of surface area. Some even go for jelly roll pans or cookie sheets instead of a regular baking sheet with sides, meaning the pan won’t be able to hold as much liquid. Regardless, you want to be able to spread the bread chunks out, giving them a chance to brown up a bit. Bake your casserole uncovered to get a crisp, almost streusel-like crust on the top, a great layer of complimentary texture.
