Looking for an easy and delicious recipe that won’t break the bank? We love this simple Berry French Toast Bake – it’s the perfect frugal breakfast for large families! Bread, bananas, mixed berries, cinnamon, and sugar – what’s not to love about this berry casserole?
It’s a scrumptious way to start the weekend. Add in a few side dishes and you could turn it into a full brunch. It’s perfect for those of us looking to serve up something hearty, sweet, and delicious. The fact that it can be prepped ahead of time is just an added bonus!
Berry French Toast Bake: Frugal Breakfast for Large Families
If you are looking for a frugal breakfast for large families, this mixed berry casserole will be just the ticket as it makes 12 servings. If your family isn’t as big as mine you can cut it in half and just use a smaller pan (9×13). Scroll down for more tips and variations, but for now, let’s get to the recipe!
Servings: 10-12
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Chilling Time: 6 hours
Cook time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
- 13-14 cups stale bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (this is approx 1 ½ loaves)
- 2 bananas, overripe
- 1 1/2 cups almond milk (if your mixture seems too dry you can add a little more)
- 8 large eggs
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
- 3 tsp ground cinnamon
- 10 oz frozen mixed berries
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup butter
Directions:
- Use a cooking spray on a 4 qt dish (approximately 11 x 16) and arrange the bread cubes in the casserole dish. (Here’s the one I used.)
- In a medium bowl, mash the banana with a fork until it is creamy and smooth. You don’t want big chunks of banana. The riper your bananas are the easier this will be.
- Whisk the milk, eggs, maple syrup, vanilla, and cinnamon in with the bananas until everything is thoroughly combined.
- Pour the mixture over the bread cubes, coating as many as possible. Toss to coat the bread cubes if needed.
- Sprinkle the mixed berries over the bread.
- Cover with foil and chill in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours, up to overnight.
- When ready to bake, combine the softened butter and brown sugar in a small bowl until it forms a paste. It will have a thick and crumbly texture.
- Remove foil from the casserole dish, and put dollops of the brown sugar mixture all over the casserole.
- Cover again and place in a cold oven.
- Set the temperature to 375 and bake for 35 minutes.
- Remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes, until the top is golden brown. The brown sugar and butter should be getting crispy and golden as well.
Tips & Variations
This berry French toast bake is an amazing treat when my large family is craving a sweet breakfast, but I don’t want to break the bank. Below are some frequently asked questions and answers to help you with the perfect sweet breakfast casserole, including some ideas for variations.
Do I Have to Use Almond Milk for this Berry French Toast Bake?
You can substitute other types of milk including cow milk, oat milk, and coconut milk. The higher the fat content, the creamier your casserole will be.
What Type of Bread Works Best?
You can use any type of bread for a French toast casserole. Feel free to experiment to find your family’s favorite. Challah bread, French bread, and whole wheat bread would all work well in this recipe. You might want to experiment with mixing different types of bread and fruit combos to find your family’s favorite.
Whatever type you choose, it should be stale or a day old, otherwise, your French toast bake will be soggy (and no one likes it soggy!). Breakfast casseroles like this are a great way to use up stale bread crusts or ends.
I know we are all trying to save pennies where we can so here’s a bonus tip – don’t go out and buy bread specifically for this recipe. Instead, save all your bread crusts that turn stale in one bag in the freezer. Cubing the bread before freezing will save you time, too. Once you have a bag full of old bread, you can make this recipe. I like having different types of bread all mixed together – it makes my Berry French toast casserole more interesting and playful.
What is the Best Way to Store Leftover French Toast Bake?
You will most likely not have leftovers, but if you do, then you can store it in a small covered container in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can rewarm it in the microwave or a warmed oven (this will bring back a bit of the crispiness). I do not recommend freezing this berry breakfast bake.
Can I Use Different Varieties of Fruit?
Absolutely! Seasonal fruits such as peaches, apples, or other hardier berries would also be good in this recipe. You may use fresh or frozen fruits.
If you use a different fruit variation you may also want to change the type of milk. For example, with peaches, you might want the end result to be even creamier, so switch the almond milk out for half and half. Try a tropical version with coconut milk and pineapple. And, now I’m hungry thinking of all this goodness – what variation will you try?
Can I Make This the Night Before?
This is a great overnight breakfast casserole for large families. The prep is easy to do right before bed and then in the morning all you need to do is pop it in the oven. Alternatively, if your family loves Breakfast-for-Dinner like mine does, do the prep in the morning before you go to work. Let it chill during the day and then stick it in the oven for dinnertime.
What Should I Serve With Berry French Toast Casserole?
Frugal cooking for large families requires us to stretch what we have. Overnight sausage egg casserole, bacon, sausage, or additional fruit would help you stretch this berry bake even further. You can make this into a delicious weekend brunch or put the casseroles in the oven while you’re taking a shower on a busy weekday morning.
That’s it, mamas! Now you know how to make this Mixed Berry French Toast Casserole, including all the variations. I can’t wait to hear how it worked for you and which fruit/bread combo your family voted as their favorite.
Berry French Toast Bake: Frugal Breakfast for Large Families
This berry french toast bake is an amazing treat when we’re craving a sweet breakfast, but don't want to break the bank. Perfect for serving a large family.
Ingredients
- 13-14 cups stale bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (this is approx 1 ½ loaves)
- 2 bananas, overripe
- 1 1/2 cups almond milk (if your mixture seems too dry you can add a little more)
- 8 large eggs
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
- 3 tsp ground cinnamon
- 10 oz frozen mixed berries
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup butter
Instructions
- Use a cooking spray on a 4 qt dish (approximately 11 x 16) and arrange the bread cubes in the casserole dish. (Here's the one I used.)
- In a medium bowl, mash the banana with a fork until it is creamy and smooth. You don’t want big chunks of banana. The riper your bananas are the easier this will be.
- Whisk the milk, eggs, maple syrup, vanilla, and cinnamon in with the bananas until everything is thoroughly combined.
- Pour the mixture over the bread cubes, coating as many as possible. Toss to coat the bread cubes if needed.
- Sprinkle the mixed berries over the bread.
- Cover with foil and chill in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours, up to overnight.
- When ready to bake, combine the softened butter and brown sugar in a small bowl until it forms a paste. It will have a thick and crumbly texture.
- Remove foil from the casserole dish, and put dollops of the brown sugar mixture all over the casserole.
- Cover again and place in a cold oven.
- Set the temperature to 375 and bake for 35 minutes.
- Remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes, until the top is golden brown. The brown sugar and butter should be getting crispy and golden as well.
Notes
- You can substitute with equal amounts of fresh fruit as well.
- Make sure the bread is stale/crusty for best results.
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