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    Home » Breakfast » French Toast » Red White and Blue French Toast Bake

    Red White and Blue French Toast Bake

    Published: May 29, 2021 · Jill Baird · 2 Comments

    how to make red, white, and blue overnight french toast bake recipe

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    This Red White and Blue French Toast Bake is the perfect way to start your Memorial Day weekend, Fourth of July or any other patriotic holiday celebration.  It’s an easy overnight breakfast casserole made with French bread soaked in a yummy egg custard and topped with blueberries, strawberries, cream cheese and a cinnamon brown sugar streusel just before baking.

    Jump to:
    • Easy Overnight Baked French Toast Casserole
    • Ingredients for Red White and Blue French Toast Bake
    • How to Make Red White and Blue French Toast Bake
    • Tips and Tricks for Overnight French Toast Bake 
    • Storing and Reheating
    • Red White and Blue French Toast Bake Recipe

    Easy Overnight Baked French Toast Casserole

    Easy overnight breakfast casseroles like this Red White and Blue French Toast Bake are a perfect way to celebrate the occasion without having to wake up at the crack of dawn and spend the entire morning in the kitchen.  You can prep everything the day before so that all you need to do the morning of is preheat your oven and bake.

    We’ve given you the recipe for a simple cinnamon and brown sugar streusel to top your French toast bake, but it’s completely optional and will taste great with or without it.  For a seriously heavenly treat, serve this with freshly whipped cream, berries, Strawberries, and Strawberry Sauce, like our homemade Lemon Syrup, Coconut Syrup, or Mixed Berry Syrup. 

    4th of july breakfast, french toast bake recipe

    Ingredients for Red White and Blue French Toast Bake

    • French Bread - use day-old French bread from any local bakery or grocery store, or you can even make your own French Bread!  
    • Eggs -  any kind of large whole eggs will work.
    • Milk - we prefer whole milk, but you can substitute 2% if you’d like.
    • Maple Syrup - you can use all maple syrup, or else substitute a touch of honey for some of the maple syrup.
    • Vanilla Extract - pure vanilla extract tastes best.
    • Strawberries and Blueberries - we like using fresh because the colors end up bleeding less, but in a pinch frozen will work.
    • Cream Cheese - use either lite or full-fat cream cheese, cut into ½” pieces.
    • Butter - this will taste best with unsalted butter.  You can use either room temperature butter or else cut cold butter into small cubes.
    • Brown Sugar - we use light brown sugar but you can use dark brown sugar if you want a little more molasses flavor.
    • Flour - we use all-purpose flour for this recipe.
    • Cinnamon - any kind of ground cinnamon will work.  You can also omit this if you prefer.

    Be sure to check out more of our Red White and Blue Recipes.

    4th of july french toast bake recipe

    How to Make Red White and Blue French Toast Bake

    The Day Before Serving

    1. Add bread.  Spray a 9" by 13" baking dish with non-stick cooking spray, then place your cut or torn pieces of French bread evenly in the bottom of your baking dish.  The bread should be about even with the top of the baking dish.
    2. Make egg mixture.  In a large mixing bowl, add the eggs and whisk to break them up.  Then, add the milk, maple syrup, and vanilla and whisk again until all the ingredients are well-combined.  Pour your egg mixture over the bread, covering as much of it as possible.  Use a fork to gently stir your bread and egg mixture together.  Sprinkle the strawberries and blueberries evenly on top and gently mix in, then either cut or scoop 1" pieces of cream cheese and place evenly over the top.
    3. Refrigerate overnight.  Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight, or for at least 4 hours, to allow time for the bread to soak up all of the liquid.

    How to Bake Red White and Blue French Toast Bake

    1. Make streusel.  In a medium-size mixing bowl, add the butter, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon.  Stir or mix with a fork until the streusel has ¼" pieces.  You can also use a standing mixer with the paddle attachment on low speed, making sure to stop the mixer once you have ¼" pieces.  (Note: Either use immediately, or transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate overnight, or until you are ready to bake.)
    2. Let come to room temperature.  When you're ready to bake, pull your baking dish from the fridge and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Allow coming to room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
    3. Add streusel and bake.  Sprinkle the streusel evenly over the bread and egg mixture and put it into your preheated oven.  Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the top and edges are light golden brown. 
    4. Serve.  Remove from the oven and let cool slightly, then cut into 12 portions.  Serve with whipped cream, chopped pecans, berries or your favorite syrup.  Enjoy!
    how to make french toast bake recipe

    Tips and Tricks for Overnight French Toast Bake 

    • Using day-old bread is better than using freshly baked bread because it will soak up the egg mixture more readily.  If you only have fresh bread, you can cut or tear it into 1” pieces and set it in a very low 250-degree oven for about 20 minutes to dry it out.
    • For something a little sweeter, try using leftover cinnamon rolls in place of French bread!
    • If you like lemon, try tossing your strawberries in the zest of 1 lemon before sprinkling over the top.

    Storing and Reheating

    • Refrigerator: store leftovers covered with plastic wrap or aluminum foil in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
    • Freezer: freeze the unbaked Red White and Blue French Toast Bake by wrapping well with both plastic wrap and aluminum foil and storing frozen for up to 1 month.  Pull the casserole from the freezer the day before you plan to serve and let it defrost in the fridge overnight.  The next morning, pull out to room temperature and bake as directed.
    • Reheating: reheat in a 320-degree oven, covered with aluminum foil, for about 15 minutes or until warmed through.
    how to make red, white, and blue overnight french toast bake recipe
    Print

    Red White and Blue French Toast Bake Recipe

    This Red White and Blue French Toast Bake is the perfect way to start your Memorial Day weekend, Fourth of July or any other patriotic holiday celebration.  It’s an easy overnight breakfast casserole made with French bread soaked in a yummy egg custard and topped with blueberries, strawberries, cream cheese and a cinnamon brown sugar streusel just before baking.
    Course Breakfast
    Cuisine American
    Prep Time 20 minutes
    Cook Time 50 minutes
    Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
    Servings 12 people
    Calories 310kcal
    Author The Carefree Kitchen

    Ingredients

    • 1 loaf French Bread cut into 1" pieces
    • 12 large Eggs
    • 2 cups Milk
    • ⅓ cup Maple Syrup
    • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
    • 1 cup Strawberries diced into ½" pieces
    • 1 cup Blueberries
    • 16 oz Cream Cheese cut into ½" pieces

    Streusel Topping

    • 6 T Butter room temperature, cut into cubes
    • ⅓ cup Light Brown Sugar
    • ⅓ cup All-Purpose Flour
    • ½ teaspoon Cinnamon

    Instructions

    Make-Ahead Instructions (Day Before Serving)

    • Spray a 9" by 13" baking dish with non-stick cooking spray, then place your cut or torn pieces of French bread evenly in the bottom of your baking dish. The bread should be about even with the top of the baking dish. 
    • In a large mixing bowl, add the eggs and whisk to break them up.  Then, add the milk, maple syrup and vanilla and whisk again until all the ingredients are well-combined.
    • Pour your egg mixture evenly over the bread, covering as much of it as possible. Use a fork to gently stir your bread and egg mixture together. Sprinkle the strawberries and blueberries evenly on top and gently mix in, then either cut or scoop ½" pieces of cream cheese and place evenly over the top.
    • Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight, or for at least 4 hours, to allow time for the bread to soak up all of the liquid.

    Streusel Topping

    • In a medium-size mixing bowl, add the butter, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon.  Stir or mix with a fork until the streusel has ¼" pieces.  You can also use a standing mixer with the paddle attachment on low speed, making sure to stop the mixer once you have ¼" pieces.
    • Either use immediately, or transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge until you are ready to bake.

    How to Bake

    • When you're ready to bake, pull your baking dish from the fridge and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Allow to come to room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
    • Sprinkle the streusel evenly over the bread and egg mixture and put into your preheated oven. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the top and edges are light golden brown.  
    • Remove from the oven and let cool slightly, then cut into 12 portions. Serve with whipped cream, berries or your favorite syrup.  Enjoy!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 310kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 205mg | Sodium: 313mg | Potassium: 228mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 515IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 110mg | Iron: 2mg

    More Overnight French Toast Bake Recipes

    • Blueberry French Toast Bake
    • Apple Cinnamon French Toast Bake
    • Mixed Berry French Toast Bake
    • Classic French Toast Bake
    • Coconut French Toast Bake
    • Strawberry French Toast Bake
    • Coconut French toast Bake
    • More Breakfast Casseroles
    • More Breakfast Ideas

    If you’ve tried this recipe, please rate it and leave a comment on this post. I love hearing feedback from you helps me and other readers too! If you love Pinterest,  feel free to leave a comment and photo there too.  Also, if you like to share, use the hashtag #thecarefreekitchen on Instagram and tag me @thecarefreekitchen so I can find you and give your post some love. You can also find me on Facebook at The Carefree Kitchen. Thank you!!

    overnight Red White and Blue French Toast Bake recipe.

    This Red White and Blue French Toast Bake is the perfect way to celebrate the occasion without having to wake up at the crack of dawn and spend the entire morning in the kitchen.  It's a classic breakfast casserole topped with blueberries, strawberries and cream cheese for a beautiful and patriotic presentation.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Renee Goerger

      June 17, 2021 at 1:46 pm

      Such a wonderful and easy French toast bake. It's perfect for feeding a crowd. It's always gobbled up quickly when I serve this.

      Reply
    2. Mel

      June 17, 2021 at 11:13 am

      This looks so pretty and SO SO yummy! Especially with all the fresh berries in season right now. We have a family birthday right before independence day so we will use this for the breakfast. Thanks for another awesome recipe!

      Reply

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