Croissant French Toast Bake

Name: Croissant French Toast Bake
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 6 croissants (halved lengthways); 3 eggs; 200 ml milk; 2 tbsp brown sugar; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 0.5 tsp ground cinnamon; 3 tbsp maple syrup

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This Croissant French Toast Bake is the ultimate indulgent breakfast, that is perfect for feeding a crowd. Swap the bread for croissants and smother it in sugary cinnamon milk and then bake. You can prepare this the night before and then just bake in the morning and load it with toppings. This is our go-to breakfast for a special occasion like Christmas morning.

A baking dish contining bked croissants topped with yogurt and berries.

We love croissants, and we love french toast. So, why not put them together? French toast has been given a serious upgrade, as we have used croissants instead and baked it all in a pan. The croissants get perfectly crispy on top, but the sugary milk mixture keeps them nice and moist inside. It's kind of like a mixture between bread pudding and French toast.

We are big fans of hosting brunch, because when it comes to the food - anything goes! This is the perfect dish to serve because it's actually really easy, fairly cheap to make, can be prepared the night before and it looks so impressive.

If you are looking for some other breakfasts that are great for feeding a crowd, then why not try our Breakfast Bake, Breakfast Burrito, Breakfast Hash or Baked Home Fries.

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Why should you try it?
What you will need
Step by step
Variations
What to serve with Croissant French Toast Bake
Frequently Asked Questions
Extra tips
More breakfast recipes
Recipe

Why should you try it?

A great way to use croissants - If you have some stale croissants that need using, then this is the perfect way to bring them to life.
Easy to adapt - We have a few ways that you can adapt this recipe. More on that below!
Perfect for feeding a crowd - You can easily double or triple this recipe, as long as you have a baking dish big enough.
Can be made in advance - You can prepare this the night before and then put it in the fridge. The croissants will soak up all the mixture overnight and will be packed with flavour.

What you will need

Croissants - Just use standard croissants from a supermarket or bakery. The size on them depends on the size of the baking dish you are using, as you need to make sure that they will fit in. It doesn't matter if they are squashed in a bit. Don't worry if your croissants are a bit stale, as this recipe will bring them to life.
Eggs - These help to thicken up the milk mixture. We used three medium sized eggs.
Milk - This is what makes up the majority of the mixture that is poured on to the croissants. We used whole milk, to make it nice and creamy.
Sugar - A little bit of brown sugar adds a lovely flavour. You could use granulated or caster sugar instead.
Vanilla - This adds a depth of flavour and really enhances all the other flavours. It acts the same way as salt does in savoury dishes. Use vanilla extract, not essence.
Cinnamon - This adds a lovely warmth to the croissant french toast. You could swap it for ginger or nutmeg, or do a mixture of all three.
Maple Syrup - As well as the brown sugar, we added maple syrup for sweetness, as it has such a lovely flavour. Another liquid sweetener like honey would work well too.

All the ingredients needed for this recipe with text overlay labels.

Step by step

One: Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4. Halve the croissants lengthways and put the bottom halves in the baking dish.

Three shot collage of croissants cut in half then placed in a baking dish.

Two: Mix together the rest of the ingredients.

Two shot collage of milk, eggs, maple syrup and cinnamon in a mixing bowl, before and after mixing.

Three: Pour half the mixture on the croissants in the baking dish. Put the top half of the croissants on top and pour over the rest of the mixture.

Three shot collage of croissants in a baking dish covered in an milky egg mixture.

Four: Put in the oven for 35-40 minutes, until the croissants are crispy on top.

Five: Add toppings (optional).

Baked croissants topped with yogurt, jam, blueberries, strawberries and raspberries.

Variations

This is a fairly simple recipe, so there isn't too many ways to adapt it, but we have a few suggestions.

Croissants - We just used plain croissants, however you could use chocolate croissants or even almond croissants.

Milk mixture - Make this super indulgent by swapping half the milk for cream.

Boozy - If you want to make this for a boozy brunch, then add a splash of Baileys to the milk mixture. It's SO good.

What to serve with Croissant French Toast Bake

This is where you can take the dish from delicious, to really special. A bit like pizza - it is ALL about the toppings. We added some Greek yogurt, berries, powdered sugar and some raspberry jam and it was berry-licious.

You could swap the Greek yogurt for whipped cream to make it really indulgent. You could also top it with spoonfuls of Nutella or Biscoff. Why not try our Strawberry Puree for a lighter option?

If you wanted to make this for dessert instead of breakfast/brunch, then serve it with some really good quality vanilla ice cream.

We also love serving it with a delicious hot drink. Why not try our Vegan Egg Nog, Chia Tea Latte, Cinnamon Coffee or Slow Cooker Hot Chocolate?

A spoon lifting out some baked croissant from a baking dish.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make Croissant French Toast in advance?

Yes, this is perfect for making in advance and you can make it the night before and then keep it in the fridge until the morning. Make sure to keep it out at room temperature for an hour before putting it in the oven.

How to store croissant French toast

Once it is cooled, portion it out and then store in an air tight container and put it in the fridge. It will keep in there for 2 days.

Can you freeze croissant French toast?

Yes, you can freeze it. Portion it out and put a piece of baking paper in between each piece and put it in a freezer bag. It will keep in the freezer for a month.

How to reheat croissant French toast

You can reheat it in the oven for 10 minutes.

Is this gluten free?

If you use gluten free croissants, and make sure that there is no cross contamination then this can be gluten free.

Extra tips

Make a boozy version of this by adding a splash of Baileys or rum to the milk mixture.
You could serve this for dessert instead of breakfast/brunch and put some vanilla ice cream on top.
Take these to the next level and add a drizzle of orange icing on top.
Add some crunch with a sprinkle of crushed pecans.

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