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This Baked Strawberry French Toast Casserole is incredibly delicious and a breeze to throw together! Made with fresh strawberries, buttery brioche and finished with a crumbly walnut streusel, this french toast is perfect for entertaining and easy enough for Sunday brunch with the family! Plus, this sweet breakfast recipe a super quick and easy homemade strawberry syrup recipe!

Straight on shot of a stack of Strawberry Baked Challah French Toast on a white plate with homemade strawberry maple syrup, small vase of pink flowers and a milk glass blurred in the background.

Update: This post was originally published in February 2016. I’ve updated the post below to include more information about baked strawberry french toast. Plus, I’ve included a recipe video to show you how easy these strawberry breakfast casserole is to make! 

Table of Contents

About this baked strawberry french toast casserole

This Baked French Toast is the breakfast of champions and it is the perfect way to enjoy summer fresh berries!!

This breakfast casserole is buttery and rich flavor with tender, crisp slices of brioche bread, juicy pops of fresh strawberries and a sweet, crumbly walnut streusel!

While it is outrageously delicious, it’s also an absolute cinch to throw together, can be prepared in advance and bonus – this French toast doesn’t require you slaving away flipping slices of bread over a hot stove!

With only 15 minutes of hands on time required, this strawberry french toast is elegant for entertaining yet easy enough for any lazy Sunday brunch!

If you love fresh summer berries, be sure to check out these fruity recipes next: Chicken and Strawberry Spinach Salad, Strawberry Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting, Strawberry Shortcake Sundae, Basil Strawberry Vodka Cocktail, and Strawberry Sangria,

Overhead shot of all the ingredients needed to make Strawberry French Toast recipe organized by individual ingredient on a white board.

What is baked French toast?

Baked French toast is an easy breakfast casserole and it’s a delicious, hands-off way to make traditional French toast!

Baked French toast, also known as a French toast casserole or French toast bake, can incorporate other savory or sweet ingredients layered with the bread, such as fresh fruit, slices of meat and/or streusel.

Overhead, up close shot of Strawberry French Toast in a casserole dish topped with streusel - photo of step 6 of the recipe.

How to make Strawberry French Toast?

Baked Strawberry French Toast Casserole is incredibly simple to make! With only 15 minutes of hands on prep time required, it’s easy enough for breakfast with the family and elegant enough for entertaining!

  1. Prepare the French toast custard.  Whisk together milk, cream, eggs, sugar, melted butter, extracts and salt in a large bowl.
  2. Dip bread.  Dip each slice of bread into the custard, turning over to fully coat.
  3. Transfer to casserole dish.  Place each slice of bread into a baking dish, arranging the bread into overlapping rows with the bread standing straight up. Pour the remaining custard over the bread.
  4. Add the strawberries.  Tuck slices of strawberries in between the soaked slices of bread. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to overnight.
  5. Prepare the streusel.  Whisk together walnuts, flour, sugars and salt. Drizzle in melted butter and stir with a fork until clumps form. Set aside.
  6. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
  7. Add streusel.  Remove the baking dish from the oven and sprinkle the streusel evenly over the top of the bread.
  8. Bake for 55-60 minutes.
  9. Serve.  Allow the French toast to cool slightly before dusting with confectioner’s sugar and sprinkling with more sliced strawberries.

Step-by-step photos to making this recipe at home

FAQ: frequently asked questions

Is baked French toast Soggy?

Baked French toast casserole should not be soggy at all. The French toast should be golden brown and crisp on top and soft throughout the middle and on the bottom. Please read and follow the simple tips below to prevent your strawberry toast from becoming soggy!

How to make baked French toast not soggy? 

To avoid soggy baked French toast, follow these tips!

  • Use thick slices of bread. Cut your bread into ¾ to 1’’ thick slices. Using thin sliced bread will be too flimsy to dip into the egg and milk mixture.
  • Use stale bread. Make sure your bread is at least a day old! Stale bread won’t fall apart when dipped into the egg and milk mixture. If you don’t have stale bread, you can lightly toast the bread prior to dipping.
  • Use the proper type of bread. Make sure you use a dense bread, such as Brioche, Challah or French bread. Breads with a denser consistency will do a much better job holding together when dipped into the egg custard.
  • Don’t use too much milk. Adding too much dairy to the French toast custard will prevent the egg in the mixture from properly cooking, which will cause soggy baked French toast!
  • Mix the custard well. Whisk the egg and milk mixture until it is fully combined! You want the eggs to be fully incorporated into the dairy and seasonings.
  • Soak the bread. Make sure you dip your slices of bread into the egg and milk mixture before layering them into a prepared casserole dish. Simply pouring the egg and milk mixture over the layered slices of bread can result in the liquid pooling at the bottom of the dish, which can cause soggy French toast!

Why is my baked French toast soggy?

If you French toast bake turned out soggy, chances are great you didn’t follow one of the tips above. The most common culprits of a soggy French toast are either your bread is too fresh or you didn’t individually soak the slices.

Angled shot of a stacked slice of Strawberry French Toast Casserole on a white plate with homemade strawberry maple syrup and a jar of syrup, milk glass and pink linen blurred in the background.

Serving French toast casseroles

No breakfast is complete with a few tasty sides! Below are a few delicious side dish options that pair well with baked French toast!

Storing leftovers

Baked French toast can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

Freezing instructions

Yes, you can freeze baked French toast!

To freeze baked French toast casserole, bake according to the recipe instructions. Once fully baked, allow the casserole to cool completely. Wrap the cooled casserole in plastic wrap and then foil, and freeze for up to 3 months.

Reheating a baked French toast

To reheat frozen baked French toast, allow the casserole to what overnight in the refrigerator if frozen.

Loosely cover the top of the casserole dish with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes. Next, uncover the casserole and continue baking for 15 minutes or until warmed throughout.

Straight on, up close shot of a stack of Strawberry French Toast on a white plate with homemade strawberry maple syrup and a jar of syrup and milk glass blurred in the background.

Show your loved one(s) how much you care with an EPIC breakfast – this Strawberry French Toast!

Until next time, friends, cheers – to French toast with the most!

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More breakfast toast recipes!

Straight on shot of a stack of Baked Strawberry French Toast on a white plate with homemade strawberry maple syrup and a jar of syrup, fork, knife and pink linen to the side of the plate.

Baked Strawberry French Toast Casserole

5 from 16 votes
Author: Cheyanne Holzworth
Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Chill in refrigerator: 1 hour
Servings: 8
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
This Baked Strawberry French Toast Casserole is incredibly delicious and a breeze to throw together!  Made with fresh strawberries, buttery brioche and finished with a crumbly walnut streusel, this french toast is perfect for entertaining and easy enough for Sunday brunch with the family!  Plus, a super quick and easy homemade strawberry syrup recipe!

Ingredients 

  • 1 1/2 Cups Whole Milk *
  • ½ Cup Heavy Cream (you can substitute whole milk or half-and-half)
  • 6 large Eggs
  • 3 TBS Light Brown Sugar
  • 2 TBS Unsalted Butter – melted and cooled, plus more for greasing pan
  • 1/2 tsp EACH: Vanilla Extract and Strawberry Extract
  • Kosher Salt
  • 1 loaf Brioche Bread – cut into 3/4’’ thick slices (can substitute challah)*
  • 2 Cups Strawberries , divided – hulled and sliced, plus more for serving

Walnut Streusel:

Optional for serving: Confectioner's Sugar, Maple Syrup

Instructions

  • Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.  Set aside.
  • Prepare the French toast mixture:  In a large bowl or deep baking dish, whisk together the milk, heavy cream, eggs, sugar, melted butter, extracts and ¼ teaspoon salt. 
  • Dip bread:  Dip each slice of bread into the milk and egg mixture, turning over, until fully coated.
  • Prepare the casserole:  Transfer the dipped bread slices to the prepared baking dish, arranging the bread vertically in 2 overlapping rows standing upright.  Pour the remaining milk and egg mixture evenly over the bread.
  • Add berries:  Tuck 1 cup of the strawberries in between the bread slices.  Sprinkle the remaining cup of strawberries over the top of the casserole.  Cover the dish tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to overnight.
  • Prepare the streusel:  In a medium bowl, whisk together the walnuts, flour, both sugars and ¼ teaspoon salt.  Drizzle in the melted butter and stir with a fork until both large and small chunks of streusel are formed.  Set aside.
  • Preheat oven:  When ready to bake, remove the French toast from the refrigerator and set on the counter while you preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
  •  Add streusel to top:  Sprinkle the streusel evenly over the top of the bread.
  •  Bake for 55-60 minutes or until puffed and golden.  Loosely tent the top of the baking dish with aluminum foil during the last 15-20 minutes of baking if the top is browning too quickly. 
  •  Serve:  Remove the casserole from the oven and allow to cool slightly.  Dust with confectioner’s sugar, sprinkle with more berries and drizzle with maple syrup.  Enjoy!

Video

Notes

    1. Make sure you are using bread that is at least a day old!  If you only have fresh bread, you can toast the bread in an oven preheated to 250 degrees F for 5-10 minutes, or until the bread is lightly toasted.
    2. Make sure your milk isn’t overly cold.  If your milk is too cold it will re-solidify the melted butter.
    3. This French toast requires at least 1 hour of refrigeration for best results.
    4. The streusel can be made in advance and stored, covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Easy Strawberry Syrup:
1 (10 ounce jar) Strawberry preserves
¼ Cup Water
Pinch of Kosher Salt
Directions:
  1. In a small saucepan, add the preserves, water and salt. 
  2. Bring contents to a boil over high heat.  Immediately reduce heat to maintain a simmer and cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally.  
*Syrup will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days.

Nutrition

Calories: 485kcal    Carbohydrates: 41g    Protein: 14g    Fat: 31g    Saturated Fat: 16g    Cholesterol: 273mg    Sodium: 357mg    Potassium: 224mg    Fiber: 1g    Sugar: 15g    Vitamin A: 1085IU    Vitamin C: 21.2mg    Calcium: 127mg    Iron: 1.8mg
Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Main Course
Cuisine: American

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