One of the most loved dishes at breakfast or brunch is a French Toast bake. This make-ahead dish is loaded with maple syrup, spices and juicy blueberries.
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This one’s for you sweet breakfast fans out there!
I only occasionally indulge in a really sweet breakfast – when it’s not a toast day I usually reach for something savory like a breakfast sandwich or spicy breakfast burrito.
And when I do want a sweet breakfast, I want it to be a really good one: full of flavor, kind of over-the-top, and with a luscious texture. This Maple Blueberry French Toast bake fits that bill.
Why you’ll love this French Toast Bake
One of the best things about this recipe is that it’s a make-ahead dish. It needs to rest overnight in the fridge to let the flavors meld, and so the eggy batter can transform the bread into a soft, pudding-like texture that is delectable.
Giving it that rest means you prep it the night before and in the morning only need to pop it in the oven. Perfect for breakfast with the family or to treat overnight guests. Make a pan to bring to work or a brunch gathering!
There are several flavors going on in this bake, and they all work so beautifully with each other: maple, blueberry, orange zest and warming spices like cinnamon and nutmeg.
How to make this recipe
Step 1: Toast the bread
Tear the sweet bread into small pieces and spread them on a baking sheet. Bake them for 15 minutes to lightly toast them.
Step 2: Add the orange
Place the toasted bread in a greased baking dish, and use a zester to zest orange peel over the dish.
Step 3: Add the batter
Mix together the eggs, cream, milk, spices, sugar and Vermont maple syrup. Pour the batter over the bread, making sure every piece gets kissed by the eggy liquid.
Step 4: Give it a rest
Wrap the dish and pop it in the fridge to rest overnight.
Step 5: Bake it!
Remove the plastic wrap and add the frozen blueberries to the pan. Bake the dish covered with foil for about 40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake it a short while longer.
Step 6: Add a sweet drizzle
Stir together a little orange juice and maple syrup, then drizzle this over the top of the hot dish. Then serve up this French Toast Bake while it’s warm.
Notes:
- The overnight rest is important for this recipe, as it lets the bread soak up the batter and creates a creamy texture. Be sure to plan for this time when you get ready to make the recipe.
- If you’re using fresh blueberries you can add them before the dish gets refrigerated. However, frozen blueberries should be added right before baking – otherwise they’ll thaw and release juice into the dish turning everything purple!
Treat yourself with this sweet breakfast dish, warm and creamy with blueberry and plenty of maple syrup! Find the recipe for the French Toast Bake below. And here are a few other breakfast treats you’ll love:
>> What do you think of this French toast bake? Scroll down to let me know in the comments, and leave a star rating too!
Make-Ahead Maple Blueberry French Toast Bake
Ingredients
- 16 ounces sweet bread, like challah, brioche, or Portuguese sweet bread
- Butter, to grease the pan
- 1 medium naval orange (you will you the zest and juice)
- 8 large eggs
- 1 cup half-and-half
- ½ cup milk
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 pinch ground or grated nutmeg
- 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon pure Vermont maple syrup, divided
- 1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
Instructions
Toast the bread:
- Preheat the oven to 350° F.
- Tear the sweet bread into small pieces, roughly 1-½ to 2 inches in size. Spread the pieces on a large baking sheet. Bake the bread for 10 minutes; take the pan out, stir the bread pieces around, then pop them back in the oven for 5 more minutes. Remove the bread and let it cool a little.
- Grease a 9-inch x 13-inch baking dish, bottoms and side with the butter. Spread the toasted bread pieces out in the pan.
- Use a zester to to zest the orange peel over the bread in the pan. (This will yield about 1-½ tablespoons of zest.) Save the orange – you will need the juice for after the dish is baked.
- NOTE: If you are using fresh blueberries you can sprinkle them over the bread pieces now. Using frozen berries? Save these, we'll add them after the overnight chill.
Make the egg batter:
- Beat the eggs together in a large bowl. Stir in the half-and-half and the milk. Then whisk in the brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, cardamom and nutmeg, and be sure the spices are well distributed. Finally, stir 1 cup of the Vermont maple syrup into the batter.
Assemble then refrigerate the dish:
- Pour the egg batter slowly over the bread pieces in the pan – slowly so that you can get every piece of bread throughout the dish soaked with the batter. If any pieces get missed use a spoon to push them down into the liquid. When all of the batter is added, cover the dish tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate it overnight. (Or for at least 8 hours.)
Bake the dish:
- Preheat the oven to 325° F.
- Remove the plastic wrap. NOTE: if you're using frozen blueberries, sprinkle them evenly over the bread pieces now. Then cover the pan with foil.
- Bake the dish for 40 minutes. Then, remove the foil and return the pan to the oven. Bake it for 15-20 minutes longer until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove the pan to a cooling rack.
- Get the orange you saved and squeeze 2 tablespoons of the juice into a small dish. Add the 1 remaining tablespoon of maple syrup into this juice. Drizzle the mixture evenly over the hot French toast bake.
- Serve the French Toast Bake while it's hot! Any leftovers can be wrapped and refrigerated for up to 3 days. Reheat portions in the microwave, or wrap the pan in foil and rewarm it in the oven.
Notes
- The overnight rest is important for this recipe, as it lets the bread soak up the batter and creates a creamy texture. Be sure to plan for this time when you get ready to make the recipe.
- If you’re using fresh blueberries you can add them before the dish gets refrigerated. However, frozen blueberries should be added right before baking – otherwise they’ll thaw and release juice into the dish turning everything purple!
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