I found a recipe for baked french toast from Averie Cooks while browsing Pinterest and it looked really promising. I altered it a bit because I can never just follow along - but I'm so happy with how it turned out! It's crusty on top and nice and soft in the middle - just what I want from french toast. Baked french toast is my new breakfast food jam.

I love breakfasts that you can prep at night and then just pop in the oven or microwave when you wake up. :D

The best part about this baked french toast is that you can customize the flavorings in so many ways. You could do pumpkin spice, plain cinnamon or even add flavored oils or extracts for a more potent kick. I think that's why I'll keep making this - there are tons of options and it's super easy.

P.S. Looking for a classic french toast recipe? Click here to read my ible for that!

Step 1: Ingredients + Tools

Ingredients:

1 loaf french bread, cut into about 24 3/4 inch slices (better if it's a couple days old and slightly crusty!)
1/2-3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup maple syrup
3 eggs
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
pinch of salt

Above is the mix of spices I used - Tyler told me it smelled like Christmas. Hooray! I omitted the molasses from the original recipe since I just ran out, and upped the maple syrup.

The amount of milk you'll use is dependent on how dry your bread is - fresher bread gets 1/2 cup, older bread gets 3/4 cup.

Tools:

8x8 baking pan
aluminum foil
plastic wrap
large measuring cup
cooking spray

Step 2: Mix and Marinate the Night Before

You can prep this up to 24 hours before you bake it - but so far I've just done it around supper time the night before. :)

Line your pan with aluminum foil and spray with oil. Cut your bread into 3/4 inch think slice and line them up in the pan. If your bread is super dry and old, consider adding 3/4 cup milk instead of 1/2 cup.

Whisk together the milk, eggs, melted butter, spices and syrup. Pour over the bread, making sure you get it into all the little nooks and crannies.

Cover with plastic wrap and let it sit overnight in the fridge.

Step 3: Preheat and Bake!

The next morning, preheat your oven to 350 F and pull the pan out of the fridge to take the chill off as the oven warms up.

Check your bread at this point - if you have a lot of liquid pooled in the bottom of the pan, spoon it back over the bread.

Bake for 20-30 minutes until it's done to your liking - I did 30 minutes. The tops will begin to get crisp and browned, while the bottoms will stay nice and gooey. :)

Serve with extra syrup and powdered sugar and enjoy!