Make Ahead French Toast

I decided to give this recipe a second chance with some modifications to make it a much firmer recipe. I took my loaf of French bread and split it down the middle lengthwise and then cut it into 1 inch slices. I omitted the half-and-half, used three eggs and halved the remaining ingredients. All ingredients (except for the topping) went into a big bowl and I mixed them up until all the liquid was soaked up. After spraying the casserole dish with a cooking spray, the bread was placed in a single layer and the topping was placed on top. I only cooked the dish for about 30 minutes. It made about 5 servings this way. Using this method the recipe is more like sticky rolls than French toast. Delicious.

My husband is LOVING this dish! He is saying "mmmmm 5, mmmmmmm 5"! Since there are only three of us here today I pulled 6 pieces of Texas Toast out of the freezer. I sprayed the glass pan with Pam, whipped up the egg mixture with 1/2 cup of half and half and 1 cup of milk only. I just put the toast, whole, in the pan. This way, there were two whole pieces for each of us. After placing the dunked pieces in the pan, I sprinkled cinnamon over top. Then I poured the remaining egg mixture over top. This morning, when I pulled the dish out of the fridge it appeared that all of the egg mixture had been absorbed. By the way, I had only put chopped pecans over two pieces of the toast, since hubby is the only one that likes them for breakfast. I didn't have maple syrup so I just used some Aunt Jemima Butter Lite. I baked this for right at 40 minutes and my oven runs hot, so if you have a new oven you might need to go 45 - 50 minutes. As for the finished product, hubby loves it. Naturally, the edges of the toast got done faster than the middle. I think it is crucial to let this sit for the 5 minutes after bake time. I wonder if cutting the amount of butter down a bit would help? It was just a tad soggier in the middle, but overall, this is a wonderful recipe! Next time I will sprinkle powdered sugar over top.

This made our Christmas morning...it was the perfect breakfast to celebrate the holiday. I used day old french bread from a local bakery and I took other reviewers advice and cut down on the milk to a 1/2 cup. I also added a little cinnamon and nutmeg to the egg wash and used pure maple syrup to top it off!

i'm wondering if debbie intended to write that we should cut the french bread in 1 inch SLICES and not cubes. anyway, that's what i did. u definitely need to lightly grease the pan. i thought i could get away with just laying foil in the pan, but it ended up becoming a second skin and took forever to peel off. won't be making that mistake again. i only had 1/2 cup of pecan chips, so that's all i used, but it really was more than enough. i doubt i'll be using 1 cup when i make this again. we're fasting during this month of ramadan and i made this for my hubby and myself for our pre-dawn meal. it was worth getting up early for!

I make this regularly, recipe compliments of Rhona and Leo Lococco of Lococco House B&B in St. Charles, MO - what brings it to life for me is 1 tblsp of concentrated OJ in lieu of the vanilla. MMM...

I was so worried that I would have soggy results, and I almost lost sleep over it, but woke up the next morning, made the sauce, and threw it in the oven... and it came out perfectly... (well one peice of toast stuck to the dish) served it to to a house full of visitors and they all raved... thank you so much!

Lots of reviewers are complaining about this recipe being soggy, but nothing in the recipe says to pour all the remaining liquid over the bread. It just says to dip the bread in liquid. I'm sure it would have been like soup if I had poured all the liquid in the pan. I thought the consistency was great--crispy on the outside, but more like bread pudding on the outside, with a caramel sauce. This is the best french toast recipe I have tried.

My family really enjoyed this recipe on Thanksgiving morning, and I enjoyed not having to spend time cooking breakfast. Those who do not care for nuts did not care for this though. It was not soggy at all which I really liked.

This is delicious! My four kids and hubby loved it. I made it for their first day of school, and it started their day our wonderfully. I did add cinnamon to the egg mixture, as I love it. Then I sprinkled a little on the bread before refrigerating it. Delicious!

This was perfect... My family LOVED it. I can't wait to make this again!!!

I made this for Father's Day brunch. I was skeptical too about reading the reviews that the ingredients would stick to the pan. So, I used a glass pyrex 13x19 pan and sprayed the bottom and sides with Mazola cooking spray and then took softened butter and spread a little of that on the botttom and sides as and extra cautionery step. I only put the topping on the bread, as there wasn't enough to let it drip down the sides so that probably worked better and helped with the non-sticking. I did take someone's advice and lifted up the bread the next morning before baking. Nothing stuck - it worked fine. I followed all the directions and had no issues. It turned out delicious and was loved by all. I will make this again.

I used only 3/4 cup brown sugar and 1 cup milk (as others have suggested) I also added a pinch of cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg. I used challah bread instead of French bread. This was delicious and a big hit at my brunch. I was careful to grease the pan well and not overlap the bread and didn't have any problems with the toast sticking. With the reduced milk and sugar, it was neither too soggy nor too sticky. Two thumbs up! I will definitely make this again.

Great! We had company over the day after Thanksgiving and everyone just loved it! I used Heavy Whip Cream instead of Half & Half. and I made some with Pecans and some with out. I used 2 9x13 pans single layer. Next time I will try using Cookie Sheets so I can get more on the tray. I could of used a whole loaf of french bread, I had lots of egg mixture left. I am sending 2 pictures of what it looked like. I true HIT!

After reading all the reviews I made a few changes to the recipe and was very pleased with the results. I used 2 cups of half & half instead of the 1 1/2 cups of milk and 1 cup of half & half. I cubed the bread and mixed the bread in with the egg,vanilla,half & half mixture before placing it in the baking dish. I only used 3/4 cup of brown sugar with the butter, maple syrup. It was not soggy nor to sweet. I will certainly make this recipe again. Thanks for sharing the recipe Debbie and also to those who reviewed it.

This turned out great! Although I did make a few changes, since after reading some of the reviews about it being to soggy and sticking to the pan. I sliced the loaf of day old French bread thick; about 1.5 inch slices. Used skim milk and only half the amount of half and half. Additionally, I added cinnamon and nutmeg to the egg mixture. I dipped each piece of bread in the mix and poured the remaining in the pan. The next morning, all of the liquid had been absorbed by the bread. I flipped each slice over, and sprayed Pam underneath it and spooned the pecan topping mixture over it. I baked it covered for 20 minutes at 350, then removed the foil and baked for another 30 minutes uncovered. I had no issues with sogginess or stickiness. Dusted with powdered sugar after letting it sit for 5 minutes. The flavor was great, very sweet, and the crunchiness of the pecans was awesome. Paired with home style potatoes and mimosas this made a great brunch!! Will definitely make again!

I have been on a "quest" for the best overnight french toast recipe and I have finally found this one! Really easy and very tasty. One of the simplest recipes of this type I have found. I am going to toss all of my other recipes and use this one.

This recipe was a delightful surprise! I've tried so many "make it the night before" french toast recipes, that I just assumed it would be similar. This was SUPER!!!! It reminds me of the old caramel pecan rolls I used to get at my favorite bakery. I didn't have any special bread - just used plain old white and it was perfect! Thank you!

Made it for Easter brunch & it was a hit. I made a few modifications: 1) reduced half & half to 1/2 cup, not 1 cup 2) reduced brown sugar to 3/4 cup. It was still very sweet .... next time I'll reduce it to 2/3 cup. 3) I did not dip the bread slices, instead I poured the egg mixture over the bread. 4) I did spray the pan with PAM before adding the bread and I did flip the bread the before baking. I did not have problems with sticking. I prepared this at 7:00 pm, but wasn't planning to bake until noon the next day. I was concerned it would be too long, but it was fine.

Great recipe! You might think that there's not too much there when you first pour it in the pan, but it really plumps up when you start cooking it.

so disappointed with this recipe. made it for the first time today hoping for a nice Easter breakfast and the middle of the bread slices were soggy (despite 40 min in the over) and had little to no flavor. should have know when I had so much extra egg batter and nut mixture. will not make again.

The pictures shown do not do this recipe justice. The only modification I made was to add 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon to the egg mixture. This recipe is SO YUMMY! Did I mention...THIS RECIPE IS SO YUMMY AND SO EASY!

I think that this is perfect. Easy, do ahead good for company. If it tasted any better the gov. would put it on the substance abuse list. YUM!!!

INCREDIBLE! A new family favorite.

Is it possible to ruin this?? I didn't have Texas toast, so I layered 2 slices of whole wheat bread. I didn't have half & half, so I substitued buttermilk. I forgot to add the milk in the mixture for the first few pieces, so they soaked up a lot of the egg, and the remaining pieces were VERY milky. I used a little non-stick spray because it was almost gone. It was FABULOUS!!! No sticking, not soggy--perfect! This will be a weekend staple in our house!

YUM-O! I made this for our Christmas brunch, and it was by far the favorite dish! Guests were talking about it several days later!!! I did make some adjustments: I used the whole loaf of French bread, instead of half - all of the other ingredients remained the same EXCEPT that I added cinnamon to the egg bath and sprinkled a little more on the bread prior to baking. I did use two 9x13 pans for the whole loaf, and then I poured the remaining egg mixture evenly over each pan after I had dunked and laid out my bread. In the morning prior to baking, I flipped the bread, baked for 20 minutes, flipped the bread again, added the pecan/maple syrup topping, and baked for the final 20 minutes. DELICIOUS!

just came out of the oven - yummy! definitely butter the pan. i had fresh french bread and toasted some of it at 200 for 10 mins like a reviewer suggested, and used some of it as it was - i found that the end result was the same. i followed the recipe exactly except i used 12 ozs evap. milk & 4 ozs skim milk b/c i forgot to get 1/2 and 1/2, and took the advice of another reviewer and cut back on liquids by 1/2c. it's not AT ALL soggy - in fact, the other 1/2c of liquid prob would've been fine. i had a lot more bread than space so i made one in a 9x13 and one in an 8x8 - still had egg mixture left over. used 1/2 tsp vanilla and 1/2 tsp grand marnier - can't really tell. i sprinkled cinn sugar on one batch and it tastes like really good cinnamon sugar toast. cook time is dead on. a great recipe that you can mix up the flavors on and have fun with! happy 2006!

I never thought i could make pastries! This dish tasted like something I would get from a cafe. I used egg substitutes and replaced some of the butter and sugar with apple sauce and the dish was perfect!

Fabulous! Everyone at our post-Thanksgiving brunch love it.

Wow!! There's nothing like a piping hot, gooey pecan roll in a pan for breakfast! I used pecan halves so they were easy to remove for my toddler. The syrup carmalized around the pecans. Very yummy. I halved the recipe but made 2/3 of syrup. Very nice, but I will keep it for special occasions as it is very rich. Thanks for the yummy breakfast.

Very good, and easy! You do need to make two pans though for the egg mixture, do not just dump it all onto the bread. I doubled the bread, dipped it in the egg mix, then I spread the remaining over the bread. Turned out really good, moist but not mushy.

First I like to say I made NO changes to the ingredients of this recipe. I did double this recipe and made it for Christmas brunch in my home along with two other breakfast casseroles. One was Chessy Ham and Hash Brown Casserole from Allrecipes (also gave a 5 star rating), Super Sausage Gravy from Allrecipes (also gave a 5 star rating), which we put over my brothers homemade biscuits, and my sister-in-law Vickie's Egg Casserole (that you put together the night before, gosh I love those recipes that you fix ahead of time). I was planning on 15-18 people. When I first made the Make Ahead French Toast it had no topping yet (and of course uncooked) it didn't look good at all. In fact I almost threw it out but I didn't, thank goodness. Once the topping is spooned over the next morning and it is baked to a golden brown it was heaven. Got tons of compliments. I have family members who do not like nuts so I made one side with nuts and the other side without. I ate the nut side and it was fantastic. The bread was fine uncut and I wouldn't neccesarily worry about cutting it up either unless I used a bread with a tough crust. Only dipped bread in liquid long enough to soak it WELL and then I DID NOT pour any remainder of liquid over the casserole. Turn out perfect. Very rich meal though but I only do it once a year. Thanks for sharing the recipe. Debbie. I WILL be making this again.

Great recipe! I actually froze it ahead of time and cooked Thanksgiving morning. I used a loaf of french bread and low fat 1/2 and 1/2. My only complaint was that the bread got a little hard and was difficult to cut. Great flavor though! Will make again, maybe adjusting baking time.

This recipe is FANTASTIC! Not sure WHAT other reviewers are talking about that it's just "so soggy?" Try BAKING IT LONGER. Mine were in the oven for 1 HOUR 15 MINUTES. Came out crispy and delicious. Also, if still soggy try spreading them out on a cookie sheet and turning halfway through. I didn't make mine the night before (I forgot...go figure!), but instead just dipped my 1 inch French Bread "sticks" in the mixture flipping a few pieces around in it at a time for about 10 seconds(perfect amount of dipping mixture for 1 whole loaf of French Bread...I followed ingredient amounts exactly), and since I was doing French Toast Sticks, I placed them on a cookie sheet, added sugar/butter mixture minus the pecans, and immediately baked them. I ended up baking mine for 1 HOUR 15 MINUTES on a COOKIE SHEET lined with parchment paper/lightly sprayed with non-stick spray = NO sticking, and crisp French Toast - VERY TRAVEL FRIENDLY. Add a sprinkle of cinnamon on the tops of the toast before placing in the oven. Also, be sure to use SALTED BUTTER....it will not be too sweet! DELICIOUS!! Thank you Debbie!!

BEST EVER!!!!! We make it every Easter and our Guests love it. we stuck to the oringinal recipe and it turned out tasting so delicous, i wouldn't change a thing.

LOVED this one! It got rave reviews at our house. I lightened it a little by omitting the cream and then using 2 cups whole milk instead of the 1 1/2c 2%milk. I also added some cinnamon to the egg mixture, and poured the leftover mixture over the entire pan of bread after "dipping." Greased the pan with butter, as others suggested. Used 1/3c butter and 3/4c sugar for the topping, and still found it plenty sweet. Thanks!!

We bought a big loaf instead of a baguette so I ended up cutting the french bread into 1-inch pieces. We dipped them in the milk/egg mixture, refrigerated it overnight...the next morning, added 2/3 cup of remaining milk/egg mixture and baked at 300 for 75 minutes (while we were at church). When we got home, I melted 3/4 of a stick of unsalted butter, 1 cup of brown sugar, 1t cinnamon, 2T corn syrup and topped the baked bread mixture with it and chopped pecans. Baked it at 350 for another 20 minutes and it was DELICIOUS!!! My sister and I have vowed that this dish will be at every family gathering! Thanks so much for the recipe!

This is actually my favorite breakfast. I make it pretty close to the instructions with only the following modifications... First I use a stick of butter and rub it all over the dish to make a nice slippery coat. I obviously don't use the whole stick, only about 1 or 2 tablespoons get used. Second I've done this with both French loaf as well as "Texas" style bread (thick) cut into slices..both work great. And finally, not only do I dip the bread I also pour the rest of the mixture all over before letting it sit. By next morning it is ALL soaked up! I usually serve it with frozen berries (thawed) mixed with orange juice and fine sugar in a food processor (I think somebody in here mentions it). It doesn't need it, but it's a nice cool fruity touch to a hot dish.

This was an outstanding recipe. I turned the french toast over half way and they weren't soggy or anything. My daughter who prefers pancakes ate 3 slices on her own!!

Divine! Delicious for a special treat and easy enough for everyday. I added 2 T cinnamon (love cinnamon!!!!)

I usually don't like doing things different from what the original recipe says, but I did here. I was feeding quite a few people so I used the whole loaf of French Bread. I buttered my glass dish and dipped the slices not briefly, but for a few seconds on each side so the liquid soaked into the slices. When I layered the slices, I overlapped them slightly so all (except the 2 end pieces)would fit. I then poured the rest of the liquid over. In the morning, I poured the little bit of liquid out of the pan before baking. I used only ¾ cup of brown sugar which was plenty sweet for us. I also used walnuts because that's what I had on hand. I moved the slices apart a little so the topping could run down in between the slices a little. It came out super good. EVERYONE LOVED IT! IT WAS THE BEST BREAKFAST EVER THEY SAID...YOUNG AND OLD! The top was crunchier then at the bottom but that was perfectly alright. And the overlapping prevented the sticking that other reviews have mentioned. No sticking here at all! Try it...it's delicious!

This is very good!! One person said: "Tastes like Pecan Sweet rolls" My co-workers really liked it. Yes I will cut the sugar to 1/2 cup (can use the Splenda/brown sugar) and probably reduce the milk by 1/2 cup. I added 7 eggs total because the egg mixture seemed so milky.

My husband, 3 year old and I thought this was great. I modified the recipe a bit. Here's what I did. I made a loaf of pillsbury refrigerated french loaf, let it cool and sliced it into slightly more than 1" slices. I sprayed a glass 9x13 pan with Pam. I added cinnamon to the batter. I gave each slice a long dip in the batter on each side and placed it in the pan. I poured more batter over each slice and put a little in the bottom of the pan--enough to coat the entire bottom of the pan. In the morning, all the batter had been soaked up. I flipped each piece and poured the topping over it. I left the pecans out of the topping and cut the sugar in half. I baked it for 37 min and broiled it on high for the last 3 min or so (you have to watch it to make sure it doesn't burn.) I still had enough batter to make at least one more pan full--maybe I'll do that next time. It was delicious--it wasn't soggy and didn't stick to the pan. Thanks for the recipe.

I work at a Senior's recreation center, and I have used this recipe for many functions, serving up to 150 people. Everyone loves it, and asks for the recipe. I have even frozen and reheated leftovers and they were just as good. Thanks! Bev Also, upon reading others comments, I will leave the bread soaking overnight then flip it over 1/2 hour before baking, to allow the egg mixture to coat the bread more evenly. Covering loosely with foil for the first half of baking will keep the top from over-browning.

Superb! Better than skillet french toast. Just delicious.

I made this for Father's day brunch and it was a hit! Great flavor. I too left the pecans in halves so they could be removed for the toddlers. Also, only used 1 cup of milk for a firmer texture. Will make it again! Thanks for the recipe

This recipe was great and very easy to make!!! It was a bit sweet, so next time i would do 1/2 the amount of sugar. I used a french loaf of bread and cut about 12 slices (2 inches thick). The bread wasn't too soggy or dry. Leftovers were even good the next day:)

This was DELICIOUS! I put it together 2 hours before Christmas brunch and it came out perfect. I think it would have been too soggy if I left it overnight. I also ran out of 1/2 & 1/2 so I used a mixure of cream and 2% milk. I also poured some of the mixture over the bread and did cut my bread a little thicker then the recipe says and added cinnamon to the batter. My inlaws and husband were very impressed. I served this with a ham, onion and cheese frittata I make. This recipe is definitely a keeper!

I have made this a number of times. The first time I followed the recipe and it tasted great. Since I make a few variations every time. LOL. Sometimes I'll throw some blueberries on top before baking or add a bit of grated nutmeg to the egg mixture or a bit of cinnamon sprinkled in with the brown sugar and butter. A very versatile recipe and a keeper in this household. Tomorrow I am going to slice an apple to put on top. YUMMIE!!!!!!!!!

Delicious. I didn't have half and half and just used a C of milk. Perfect. I'll try it with the half and half next time. I tried another similar recipe and this is the one I'll be keeping. Makes a lot of topping. (Or crack as my husband called it! Yum!)

It was a good breakfast dish for the morning.I mixed 1 cup brown sugar,6 eggs,1 1/2 cup milk,2 tsp vanilla,1/4 tsp cinammon.I first of all dried 6 bread slices in a 350F preheated oven for 10 mins each side.Then dipped the slices and placed in a 10 x 14 in baking dish which was sprayed with cooking spray.Poured remaining mixture on top of slices.refrigerted overnight and baked for an hour in the morning.It was delicious and no wet centres that others complained about.Yum.

I made this for my boyfriend and his mom and brother one Sunday for brunch. Half of us liked and the other half found it to mushy. I personally thought it had good flavor but it did get a bit soggy.

This is a great recipe.. we enjoy it for Christmas Breakfast and Easter Breakfast, and I make it a lot when we have brunches at work. People always ask me for the recipe. One thing I do differently, though, is I use the entire loaf of French Bread. I use the 1-inch slices to cover the bottom, but then I break the remaining bread into 1-inch cubes, dip them, and cover the top with them. This makes it thicker and it looks more appetizing.

After I dipped my bread, I poured all of the egg mixture into the pan and let it soak for about 4 hours, the dumped the excess. I like mine with extra cinnamon, so I sprinkled some over the top before letting it set over night. Turned out great! One time I even left it in my frig for 4 days before I cooked it (life happens) and it was still wonderful.

Definitely a "keeper". Not having decided to prepare the recipe until the morning, I found that the recipe worked well without the overnight time in the refrigerator. I just put the bread slices in a resealable zipper bag with the egg mixture and gently tossed and flipped a couple of times while making the sugar mixture. I used ciabatta bread sliced about 3/4 to 1 inch thick, followed the recipe with DivineHealth7's modifications, and garnished with fresh blueberries and a dusting of powdered sugar. As an added bonus, putting the thin layer of butter in the bottom of the pan, as recommended by DivineHealth7 (I just used the remainder of the stick after making the sugar topping) created bits of caramel where the brown sugar mixture dripped over the bread, adding a bit of texture and extra richness.

I found this made WAY more liquid than was needed; same for the topping. I cut both basically in half (3 eggs, half of the other liquid measures) and it was perfect. In the morning, I flip the bread slices over before adding the topping and baking. Everyone loved it.

This didnt turn out very well for me. The sauce turned into a hard, candy mess. Way too sweet for breakfast. I like the french toast part- but the sauce has got to go. I may try what another reviewer suggested- pour maple syrup on it towards the end.

I've got to tell you that my family just loved loved loved this recipe. I did make one switch though, I used Challah bread (my favorite for french toast anytime) instead of french bread, and it was wonderful. I tried it for the first time on Christmas morning (I guess this tells you how my my family liked it as I am writing this Christmas afternoon) for my picky Father-in-Law and even he loved it!! It will be a holiday staple in my house now!! Thanks Debbie for the recipe..

We had this for breakfast this morning and it was very good. I didn't make the sauce of the butter/syrup, etc. because hubby is picky about how his french toast tastes. We will definitely make this again.

I made this for brunch over the holidays and everyone loved it. Versatile too. For instance, I used 8 eggs, a little less milk (about 1-1/4 c.) and thickly sliced italian bread. I used about 1/4 cup less of the syrup too which was plenty. I baked it about 10 min. longer which worked out well cause everyone seemed to love the crusty end pieces the best. Thanks Debbie - great recipe!!

This is really delicious! I used Sarah Lee Texas Toast and followed tips from DivineHealth on spices. I used fat free milk and half & half, and used all the eggs in the original recipe. I sprayed the baking pan with Crisco Butter spray, and lifted the slices in the morning to spray the pan again before baking. It was delicious and decadent! My family loved it and it will become a regular for Christmas brunch.

After reading the review which said, "nowhere in the recipe does it say to pour the remaining liquid into the pan", I thought, 'Well, right, how could it get soggy if you are just dipping the bread in it?' So, I made this for our Christmas brunch. I did decrease the milk to 1/2 cup because Debbie (who submitted the recipe) said to do that if you wanted your dish more firm. It turned out fantastic! So tasty and everybody raved about it. Even my husband, who is very particular about his French toast, told me, 'thank you for making this, it is just what I wanted.' I even cooked it in the oven on convection with 3 other dishes and it still was not mushy when eaten.definitely a keeper!

This was good & easy. Ommited the pecans as we don't care for them. Make sure you use THICK slices of bread. Do not layer the bread & try not to overlap it. Thanks.

This was totally different from the french toast I normally make. It was really sweet in that you did not need syrup. I will probably make it again.

My family loved this. Having it ready to just pop in the oven when you get up in the morning was wonderful. I will definitely be making this again!

I made this following the recipe except I used only 3/4 cup of brown sugar and didn't pack it down and I used less pecans. I put parchment paper on the bottom of the pan and sprayed with Pam spray to keep it from sticking. I pour all the liquid over the bread and in the morning poured off any that wasn't absorbed. My husband made the mistake of taking it out too early and gave some to my daughter who hated it. Well I checked it and it wasn't done yet! So back in the oven for 15 more minutes. It really puffed up and I could tell it was done then. I didn't have a problem with it sticking at all. I liked this recipe and the pecan chips really made it special. It does taste more like bread pudding than french toast, but I did really like it. I froze a small portion of it too see if it freezes well.

YUM! I was trying to find recipes for a brunch and wanted something I could make ahead. I was skeptical about french toast casseroles, as I thought they would turn out to soggy. So, I made a test run of this recipe today by halving the recipe and baking it in an 8x8 pan. I also made it with challah (egg bread), instead of french bread. It was a winner! It was delicious, not soggy, and my family loved it. I'll definitely make it for the brunch.

When my MIL tells me "this is gourmet" over and over again during our Christmas day breakfast, it must be unbelievable. Four of us adults and two teenagers devoured this. If I had made two batches, they would have eaten them. Followed recipe exactly except cut back on the milk a bit. This is outstanding.

This is a good recipe, but they were still a little soggy. I took them out of the oven and cooked in a skillet until they were done to my liking.

I made this recipe for Mother's Day brunch and got rave reviews from everyone!! I used 1 cup milk and 3/4 cup of half and half and I still had some leftover, but the french toast came out great- not soggy at all. I used cinnamon swirl bread and it was commented that it tasted just like Cinnabon. My family said this recipe should be a new tradition on Christmas morning. Thanks for the great recipe!!!!

I made this for my son's first communion brunch and everyone loved it. I made the recipe as is - I did have just a little dip left over after dipping the bread and spooning some on top of each piece. I cooked it early in the am and just put it in the oven to heat it up and it was yummy. I highly recommend this recipe.

UPDATED: I had to come and update my review...I started making this when my oldest was about 3. He is now 14. When asked what makes Christmas special...it is THIS French Toast. I've been told that if I don't make it, then Christmas is a bust. This is absolutely the easiest french toast to make. Honestly, I followed the recipe to the T the very first time I made it except I dipped my bread I didn't pour it over the bread. It does make a LOT of egg dip if you only dip your bread. Pieces of Advice: 1) Do not crowd my baking dishes. I will cut all of my pieces about 1 inch big. In my 9x13 glass dishes I get about 8-10 pieces. In my smaller glass dishes I get less. I probably make about 2 9x13, 2 7x11, 2 9x9 dishes worth before running out of my egg dipping stuff. 2) Since I never get to my french toast until about 9:00 pm (at the earliest and usually if I'm honest it isn't going into the fridge until about 11) on Christmas Eve, and I get it out of the fridge around 6:30 (at the latest), it doesn't need any more than 7 hours in the fridge. BUT, if you don't let it sit in the fridge at least 6 hours, the bread doesn't bake right. Trust Me...I know...just ask the kids about the failed french toast year (they all can still describe in great detail how I messed up Christmas...oy!) 3) I've made this SO many times...the sweet spot for cooking is 40 minutes in the oven at the recommended temp (so I cook in shifts b/c I don't have that many ovens), 5 minutes on broil (o

Outstanding!!! I would just do less of the egg mixture to dip into.

This was AMAZING. We made this for our New Year's Day breakfast. We skipped the pecans and added blueberry sauce. Easy and delicious!!!

This has become a Christmas morning favorite! The only thing I added to this recipe was a BIG splash of bourbon to the milk/egg/cream mixture. I make 2 9x13 inch dishes from this recipe, unless I cut the liquids in half, because there's always so much left over. And I pour the excess over the bread in the pan, as I've read others do. Yum!

Our new favorite. My daughter and I made this for Father's Day breakfast, and it was quite a hit. I thought it might be overly sweet, but it was perfect. The only change we made was to cut the bread in cubes to ensure even cooking. Served with balsalmic berry compote...scrumptious.

This was awesome! I made this for our Christmas brunch. I served it with Mimosas. Excellent taste and texture. We will make this one a tradition every year.

OKAY, I'm not rating this one because I'm positive that this came out so bad because of something I did. I didn't have french bread so I just used potato bread like I always do for french toast. Other than changing the bread and omitting the pecans (family's not a nut fan) I followed the recipe exact. The bread stuck so badly to the pan I couldn't get it out. The pieces that I was able to actually scrape out I served to my kids for a "back to school" breakfast. They said it was waaaay to sweet (and it definitely didn't look very appetizing). They wound up having cereal.

This was delicious! I made this Christmas Eve and baked it Christmas morning and it was fantastic. I cut my bread a little over 1" and also poured the remaining mixture over the bread and it was all absorbed the next morning. I used regular Hungry Jack syrup instead of maple and it was fine. I should have cooked the toast about 45 minutes as the middle was a little soggier than the outer edges but that's probably because I poured the extra over the top but in the end it didn't matter. I had leftovers and they reheated really well the next day.

Excellent and so simple to make. We make this every year for Christmas breakfast, it's nice to have a yummy breakfast and not spend hours in the kitchen missing all the Christmas fun. I add a little extra egg mixture into the pan the night before and the bread soaks it right up, gives it a little more flavor, is moist on the inside and has a nice candy like coating on the outside once it's baked.

Very good - everyone always enjoys this. The only problem I have is that the french toast often sticks to the baking pan. I started putting the bread and egg mixture in a tupperware to soak overnight and then transfer it to a greased baking pan before I'm ready to cook.

This is a slam dunk breakfast. So easy to make the night before. It's very sweet, but everyone loved it. I served mine with sausage and fresh fruit. It was a perfect balance. Making again for more company this weekend.

Sweet and delicious! The pecans really make the toasts special although it is not a must. I have used sliced and diced french bread for this recipe. Whichever cut you prefer, it was still good. The taste reminds me of cinnamon buns.

This is great. I've made it twice now - both times without the pecans and brown sugar, etc, just pouring the melted butter over it before baking, for a plainer french toast. I served it on Christmas morning and for a special brunch, and it was a big hit each time. So easy and so good.

Pretty good. Topping was a little to thick though.

Outcome was good, but next time I would definitely cut back on the amount of liquid used- there was so much left over, I was able to add some sugar and bake it into a custard! I would also use a texas toast, or heavier regular bread. The hard crust of the French Bread made the slices very hard. I baked this and brought it to work for a potluck. People liked it a lot. Make sure you cover every piece of the bread with the topping to ensure it gets it's fair share of "syrup"! Hope this helps!

First off, this is excellent. You can't lose with this recipe. However, my husband and I thought this was more like Bread Pudding than French Toast. You could serve this to company with a dab of very lightly sweetened whipped cream. It is the best bread pudding we've ever had. The bread I used was a loaf of French bread from the bakery section of the grocery store and it was 2 days old. I used a glass pan and sprayed it with Pam. The oven was set for only 325 degrees due to the glass. One final note: My husband and I ate 1/2 of the 9" X 13" pan and when I commented it was half gone, my husband said, "I'm not done yet!"

This turned out fantastic. Our company raved about it and even asked for the recipe.

This is soooo good. Will definitely become a holiday regular at our house! Thanks for a great recipe.

YUM!!!!!! & EASY Who could ask for more?

Absolutely wonderful! Someone wrote a review for this stating they made their own bread using the Amish White Bread recipe, so I decided to give that a try. Thick, hearty slices were used. 12 or 13 of them, cut diagonally and layered. Mix was 1/2 cup whole milk, 5 eggs, 1 cup half and half, the vanilla and some cinnamon. Dipped and dunked bread, spread it out in cooking-sprayed 9x13 pan. There was maybe 1/4 cup of mix left that I drizzled over. Baked for about 50 minutes, it was fantastic. I agree that it's not like traditional French toast but it's delicious. You need to try this!

EXCELLENT!!! I don't know what else to say. I was a little afraid because I have made recipes similar to this before and it came out soggy. Not this one! For one 9x13 pan I used 3 eggs, 1/2c milk, 1/2c half and half but made the full amount of topping. I used non stick spray on the pan before putting it in the fridge and had a little trouble with it sticking, not to bad. I made this christmas morning and my family liked it so much I think I will make it again for new year's morning.

Ignore the negative comments on this recipe & try it! It's exceptionally good in my opinion. There is a lot of batter left over & I'm not sure why, maybe it can make a bigger pan than stated. Anyway, I followed previous suggestions for cutting the sugar in half b/c it was VERY sweet & I used thicker slices of bread to avoid sogginess. TERRIFIC advice! I also used corn syrup & Italian style bread.

Made the first time this morning. Was Ok...don't think I'll make again. Or if I do, I will certainly tweek the recipe. 5 eggs-1.2 c. milk? Really? I had way too much left over...could have made another + recipe. Not very cost effective, but had nice flavor. Liked others much better.

A Mother's Day brunch was great with the addition of this french toast. I immediately asked my daughter where she got the recipe, and went directly to the computer to get a copy for myself. I highly recommend this recipe.

This is SOOOOO good! This recipe always gets many compliments. Great for special events. Do keep the slices pretty thick like others suggest, otherwise it will turn out more soggy and not as crispy. I can't say enough how much I LOVE this meal!!

I used 2 cups of half and half only and eliminated the milk. My small town grocery store didn't have french bread so I used English muffin bread instead. Added 2 tbsp of sugar and 2 tsp cinnamon to milk mix. Otherwise prepared as written- was absolutely delish! Thanks for sharing!

I made this for my husband's birthday breakfast. It was very good, but I wasn't crazy about the nuts. Making it ahead of time was very convenient for me though because it meant I didn't have to wake up so early in the morning.

Very good! I love the fact of making night before. I had leftover batter, so I just poured the rest on the bread. I did add a bit of cinnamon to batter. Only just 1/2 cup of brown suger. Tasted great. Family loved it. Just add some fruit and some sausage for a side and wa-la, you have brunch!!

Very easy to make. I used a mixture of leftover bread from a couple of dinners (including some biscuits) and I didn't add the cream b/c I didn't have any, but did not seem to cause a problem We will be making this again, but I will add cinnamon to the sauce next time. Kids and hubby all loved it! Thanks!