Strawberry jam and cream cheese added to custard soaked bread and assembled the night before make the best strawberry baked French toast you’ve ever tried. Brown sugar sprinkled on top give it a crispy sweetness that will transform your breakfast. Great for Christmas morning or for when you have overnight guests.
French toast has always been a favorite for me, but my family is a little picky so I haven’t made it for years, but now I’ve discovered strawberry baked French toast. For breakfast on Christmas morning one year, I decided to try a baked recipe using blueberry jam hoping to appeal to my picky french toast eaters. I was fully prepared for at least half to go for Cheerios instead.
Much to my surprise, ALL, and I repeat, ALL of my picky french toast eaters loved this recipe. Truly a Christmas miracle. Since that first effort, I’ve added frozen blueberries along with the jam, which is delicious, but our favorite version is made with just strawberry jam.
I just love overnight breakfast casseroles, the kind that you put together the night before and then just pop in the oven when you get up. They are especially nice for Holiday mornings when you have better things to do then make breakfast. While it’s hard to beat a brie and sausage overnight casserole, I wanted something slightly sweet.
What kind of bread should you use for overnight French Toast
You can use almost any type of bread for strawberry baked french toast, but a loaf of French bread is my favorite. I like it because it has texture so it won’t get too mushy. Whatever bread you choose, let it sit all day on counter in the air so that it dries out, or if you forgot, cut it into pieces and put it in the oven on 250º for a few minutes to dry it out a little. When the bread is dry it will absorb more of the yummy custard.
How do you make a baked strawberry French toast casserole
Step 1: Place the cut up bread into the casserole dish and top with cream cheese cubes and warmed jam.
Step 2: Whisk together, eggs, half-and-half, vanilla and cinnamon and pour over the bread cubes.
Step 3: Sprinkle with brown sugar, cover and refrigerate overnight.
Step 4: Remove from the refrigerator and preheat the oven. Bake covered for 20 minutes and uncovered for 15 minutes to get the top nice and crunchy.
Step 5: Enjoy a relaxing breakfast!
While the bread soaked in custard is fabulous especially with a little cream cheese mixed in, our favorite part is the the crunchy sweet texture of the top from the brown sugar. It’s just the perfect amount of sweetness so you don’t need to add anything extra. It didn’t even need butter, perfect just out of the oven.
It’s also nice that you can assemble it in about 3 minutes the night before and it only takes about 30 minutes to bake. It’s great for overnight guests when you don’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen.
MORE French toast recipes
- Eggnog overnight French toast, if you’re egg nog fan
- Crunchy French toast sticks made crispy with panko and Cap’n Crunch cereal
- Creme brûlée French toast for when you are feeling decadent
- Or try French toast with graham cracker crumbs
If you make Strawberry baked French toast, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram! I would love to see your creation.
Strawberry Baked French Toast
Ingredients
- 1 cup Strawberry jam
- 12 ounces french bread cut into 11/2 inch pieces
- 8 ounces ⅓ less fat cream cheese cut into 1 inch pieces
- 4 eggs
- 2 cups half-and-half
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup brown sugar
Instructions
- Warm jam in microwave for about 1 minute until it is melted.
- Place half of bread cubes in the bottom of a lightly greased 13×9 inch baking dish. Top with cream cheese cubes and drizzle with melted jam. Top with remaining bread cubes.
- Whisk together eggs, half-and-half, cinnamon and vanilla. Pour over bread mixture. Sprinkle with brown sugar and cover tightly.
- Chill for 8-24 hours.
- Preheat oven to 325º. Bake covered for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake 10-15 minutes or until bread is golden brown and mixture is set.
Barbara’s Tips + Notes
Nutrition
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Will try this version, soon. I have a blueberry French toast using croissants which is good. Check the it out.
http://www.epicurious.com/run/recipe/view?id=105348