Can you make French toast ahead of time and reheat?

Freezer and Make-Ahead Tips Freeze cooked French Toast Casserole for up to three months . Remove it from the freezer the day before you want to serve it and let thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Cover the pan with foil, then reheat at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes or until warmed through.

Should I soak French toast overnight?

Ideally it's best if you can soak the bread in the french toast batter overnight however, if this cannot be done I suggest leaving it soak for a minimum of 30 minutes to 1 hour. As we want that custard like middle, cut very thick slices of bread.

Is it okay to leave French toast out overnight?

A good rule of thumb is …. when in doubt throw it out. French toast has eggs in it, so should only be left on the counter no more than 2 hours .

How often should you flip French toast?

Forks tend to rip the bread so they are not a good choice. Continue until the pan is full with a single layer of toast. Cook until golden brown and all of the batter looks cooked, then flip with a turner and cook the second side until golden brown . If needed, adjust the temperature, so it doesn't burn or stay soggy.

What is one common mistake when preparing French toast?

If the pan isn't hot enough when you put your first slice in, the custard spreads out, forming a "foot" on the bottom of the French toast . When the pan is hot enough, the batter won't have time to seep; the custard will start cooking as soon as it hits the pan. Give the pan a light coating of neutral oil and butter.

Why does my French toast taste bad?

Nail the Egg-to-Milk Ratio Eggs and milk are the essential components of the custard base that gives French toast its tender richness—but get their ratio off and you'll wind up with undercooked slices that have an unpleasantly savory "scrambled eggs" flavor.

Do you soak both sides of French toast?

Soak the French toast: Place four slices of bread into the custard to soak for one minute. Flip the slices and soak another minute.

What's the best bread to use for French toast?

For a solid French toast, aim for sturdy bread with a uniform texture and a soft crust. Hearty sandwich bread, brioche, challah, and shokupan (Japanese milk bread) are all great choices.

Can you soak French toast too long?

There are several possible reasons for soggy French toast. The first is using fresh bread, which soaks up too much of the egg mixture and doesn't cook through, remaining eggy and soggy in the middle. Leaving the bread in the egg mixture for too long is another route to soggy French toast .

How do you keep French bread soft overnight?

How can you store fresh bread and rolls so they stay soft for as long as possible? Resealable plastic bag: A resealable plastic bag seals in moisture and locks out air, keeping your bread soft.

How do you keep toast crispy overnight?

A toast rack is the perfect way to do this, but you can also just prop the slices against each other like a little tent . You may also consider wrapping your deli-meats and any salad items separately and only adding them to your sandwich when you are ready to eat.

What happens if you soak French toast too long?

Leaving the bread in the egg mixture for too long is another route to soggy French toast . You want the bread to soak up the egg mixture, but you don't want it to become sodden before you cook it.

Baked Pull-Apart Pumpkin French Toast (Overnight Recipe) (2024)

It’s a little difficult to focus on writing this post because all I want to do is head to the kitchen and mix up another batch of French toast for the morning.

I already know I have pumpkin puree in the refrigerator, and Danny sheepishly arrived home from work with two loaves of whole wheat miche under his arm “…in case you wanted to make more of that baked French toast.”

It’s official: we’re completely smitten with this pull-apart Pumpkin French Toast. It bakes up crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, serves up in slices just like pan-fried French Toast, and is marvelous with a homemade Molasses-Cinnamon Syrup. You have to try it this weekend.

Baked-Overnight-Pull-Apart-Pumpkin-French-Toast. What on earth?

This weekend breakfast dish comes with a decidedly long handle. Allow me to explain each of the terms and why they matter – and then perhaps we can rename the dish in the comment section!

Baked

I’m a longtime fan of baking my french toast, especially when I have a crowd to feed. I’m a firm believer that the cook should be able to sit down at the table and enjoy a hot breakfast along with everyone else instead of standing over a skillet preparing the pan-fried version.

By baking the French toast (similarly to a bread pudding), it delivers the dish to the table all at once, while maintaining a consistent temperature and texture to the French toast.

Now you get to join the family for breakfast and perhaps have a shot at getting a piece of bacon before the kids eat it all.

Overnight

Mixing the French toast the night before and allowing it to chill overnight in the refrigerator serves two purposes: flavor and convenience. You’re giving the (often stale) bread a chance to really soak in the pumpkin spice milk mixture and letting the flavors meld together (similar to how a marinade works).

Also, how wonderful it is to wake up, pop breakfast in the oven, and then go back to bed or curl up with the newspaper for half an hour or so? The mixing, measuring and making of dishes is done the evening before, allowing for a simple morning.

Hmm, I’m already thinking about this French Toast for our Christmas morning brunch.

Pull-Apart

Admittedly, this one came about through a little pet peeve of mine where baked French toast actually looks more like bread pudding. Cubes of bread are baked together and the dish is cut into wedges and served. Sure it tastes great, and there’s nothing wrong with this method, but I wanted something different.

Pumpkin

It’s the flavor of the month, er, the season. We’ve made cookies and bread, have a pie coming next week, and I couldn’t resist adding it to our breakfast as well. Here’s why the pumpkin really works, though: I’ve chosen to use a fairly hefty whole wheat loaf for this breakfast instead of the traditional French baguette or Italian-style all-white soft loaf, and the pumpkin keeps the bread soft and moist.

The pumpkin flavor comes though brilliantly, complemented by the molasses and blend of spices. I keep imagining just how delicious it would be when made with pumpkin challah. Perhaps for Christmas morning breakfast or New Year’s Day brunch.

Tip: If pumpkin isn’t your thing, see a variation for Apple Cinnamon Baked French Toast below.

4.41 from 5 votes

Ingredients

1 loaf hearty whole wheat bread sliced
3 large eggs
1 cup milk or cream
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup salted butter melted
2 Tablespoons molasses
2 teaspoons pumpkin spice blend
1/4 cup brown sugar

Instructions

The night before...

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, pumpkin puree, 2 Tablespoons melted butter, molasses and 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice blend.
Dip each slice of bread into the mixture to coat well, then place, one layer thick, on a 13x17 baking sheet. Drizzle any remaining pumpkin mixture on top of the bread.
Place plastic wrap over the soaking bread slices and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.

In the morning...

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously butter an 8 x 11 baking dish. Mix together brown sugar with remaining teaspoon of spice blend.
Remove plastic wrap from the soaked bread and brush tops lightly with remaining 2 Tablespoons of melted butter. Sprinkle French toast tops all over with cinnamon sugar mixture.
Starting with the smaller pieces, arrange the slices of bread in the buttered baking dish, propping them up on top of each other until the pan is full. Place on the middle shelf of the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes until the tops are crispy.
Serve at once with Molasses-Cinnamon Syrup or pure maple syrup, and whipped cream.

Notes

Variation: Apple Cinnamon French Toast. Prepare recipe as usual, replacing the pumpkin puree with equal amounts of apple sauce or apple butter.

Nutrition

So that’s my dish. Try it out and then come leave me a suggestion for a brilliant name for the recipe!