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French Toast Bake

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By Pillsbury Kitchens
Updated Oct 9, 2024
Bake-Off® Contest 41, 2004
Will Sperry
Bunker Hill, West Virginia
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This delicious breakfast or brunch treat was a Bake-Off™ winner, and no wonder…it’s like cinnamon rolls baked as a morning bread pudding. Moist, sweet, and so irresistible, it looks like it could be complicated to make, but starting with Pillsbury™ Cinnamon Rolls, means its oven-ready in just 15 minutes.

With a recipe this simple, you could make it for your family when you’re craving a lazy weekend breakfast. You can easily assemble it while your oven heats to temperature. But its impressive appearance and amazing flavor also makes it an outstanding choice to serve for brunch. Boasting 12 servings, you can feed a crowd--or enjoy the leftovers all to yourself.

What puts this easy French toast bake over the top is the liberal use of decadent ingredients, in addition to the sinfully delicious cinnamon rolls. Luscious rich cream, extra cinnamon, vanilla, pecans, and maple syrup layer up the flavor in an extraordinary way. We almost shouldn’t refer to it as a breakfast casserole. It deserves a bow with a double-wow, for the dreamy way you’re about to start your day. 

How to Make this French Toast Bake

Take a peek at just how easy it is to make this cinnamon French toast bake. Follow along with the complete recipe below, and this amazing, sweet breakfast or brunch dish will be one you’ll be proud to serve:

Prep the Cinnamon Rolls

Pour melted butter in the bottom of your casserole baking dish. Separate and cut up the rolls from both cans, cutting each roll into 8 pieces (that’s 128 total pieces). You can do this quickly and easily, using a kitchen shears. It’s important to have the pieces small enough that the egg mixture can get in and around them and bake completely through. Place the cut pieces over the butter in the dish.

Whip Up the Filling Ingredients

Beat the eggs in a bowl, using a whisk to make quick work of it. Then, still using the whisk, beat in the cream, cinnamon, and vanilla. The whisk allows everything to blend quickly and easily. Pour the mixture evenly over the roll pieces in the dish.

Sprinkle and Drizzle

Next comes the pecans; sprinkle them over the egg mixture. Using 1 cup of the maple syrup, drizzle it over the pecans. Can you taste the decadence, already?

Bake and Cool the Casserole

Bake until the top is golden brown. Cool the dish on a cooling rack for 10 minutes. This allows the center to continue to bake and the casserole to stay warm for eating.   

Drizzle and Dust

Drizzle the softened icing over the top of the casserole and sprinkle it with powdered sugar. To sprinkle the powdered sugar evenly, place it in a small, fine-mesh strainer . Tap the handle of the strainer with a spoon while moving the strainer over the top of the simple French toast bake.

Cut and Serve

Cut the casserole into 4 rows by 3 rows and remove the pieces to serving plates, using a cookie spatula. You can spoon any remaining syrup in the bottom of the dish over the servings. And, if you like, drizzle each serving with an additional 2 teaspoons of maple syrup.

Storing and Reheating Leftovers

Depending on how much of this breakfast dish you have remaining, you may wish to just keep it in the dish and cover it with plastic wrap. Or you can move pieces to a food-storage container. Spoon any remaining syrup in the bottom of the dish around the bottoms of the pieces. (Chances are the syrup will get soaked into the casserole during storage, but it will add flavor when reheated.) Cover and refrigerate up to 3 days. To reheat, move a serving onto a microwavable plate. Cover and microwave on low (30%) about 1 minute or just until warmed. Due to the ingredients in this casserole, the texture of the casserole may become more gummy and less fluffy, the longer it is stored.

We do not recommend freezing any leftover French toast casserole, as the pieces will become drier and gummier when thawed and reheated.

More About This Recipe

  • This French toast bake is equal parts delicious and easy. Using two cans of Pillsbury™ Cinnamon Rolls with Original Icing, this recipe is ready in an hour and gives you the best excuse to eat dessert for breakfast (double win)! Icing not your favorite? Some common French toast recipes are dolled up with whipped cream and syrup instead. You can make French toast savory, too! This Bacon and Cheese French Toast Bake is one of our favorites. Did you know that the earliest versions of French toast dates back to the Roman Empire? The recipe was later brought to America by the early settlers. In France, the dish is called pain perdu, meaning “lost bread.” To learn how to make French toast to feed a crowd, check out our go-to guide. Big breakfast fan? Browse through our awesome breakfast casserole recipes that features more French toast recipes and beyond.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Can You Tell When the Cinnamon Roll French Toast Bake is Done?

Don’t go by just time alone, as ovens can run hotter or cooler over time. Look for the golden-brown color on top and then let the casserole cool on a cooling rack for 10 minutes, the interior should be baked through.

Can you Make the French Toast Bake the Night Before?

Unlike traditional egg bakes, starting with unbaked cinnamon rolls requires this recipe to be baked right after it is assembled. If it stands longer than that, the dough pieces can become doughier, making it difficult to achieve the perfect bake.

Can I Double the Recipe?

If you’re looking to make 24 servings, we suggest making the recipe twice, using two 13x9 glass dishes for baking. Bake the dishes on separate shelves in the oven, rotating them once halfway through cooking. You may need to add a few extra minutes of bake time to account for the second dish in the oven.

French Toast Bake

  • Prep Time 15 min
  • Total 60 min
  • Ingredients 11
  • Servings 12
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Ingredients

French Toast Bake

  • 1/4 cup butter, melted
  • 2 cans (12.4 oz) refrigerated Pillsbury™ Cinnamon Rolls with Original Icing (8 Count)
  • 6 eggs
  • 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1 cup chopped pecans
  • 1 cup maple syrup

Garnish

  • Icing from cinnamon rolls
  • Powdered sugar
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup, if desired

Instructions

  • Step 
    1
    Heat oven to 375°F. Pour melted butter into ungreased 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish. Separate both cans of dough into 16 rolls; set icing aside. Cut each roll into 8 pieces; place pieces over butter in dish.
  • Step 
    2
    In medium bowl, beat eggs. Beat in cream, cinnamon and vanilla until well blended; gently pour over roll pieces. Sprinkle with pecans; drizzle with 1 cup syrup.
  • Step 
    3
    Bake 28 to 32 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 10 minutes. Meanwhile, remove covers from icing; microwave on Medium (50%) 10 to 15 seconds or until thin enough to drizzle.
  • Step 
    4
    Drizzle icing over top; sprinkle with powdered sugar. If desired, spoon syrup from dish over individual servings. Serve with the additional 1/2 cup maple syrup.

Nutrition

410 Calories
23g Total Fat
7g Protein
43g Total Carbohydrate
19g Sugars

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 Serving
Calories
410
Calories from Fat
210
Total Fat
23g
35%
Saturated Fat
8g
39%
Trans Fat
3g
Cholesterol
125mg
42%
Sodium
520mg
22%
Potassium
85mg
2%
Total Carbohydrate
43g
14%
Dietary Fiber
1g
4%
Sugars
19g
Protein
7g
% Daily Value*:
Vitamin A
8%
8%
Vitamin C
0%
0%
Calcium
4%
4%
Iron
8%
8%
Exchanges:
2 Starch; 0 Fruit; 1 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Skim Milk; 0 Low-Fat Milk; 0 Milk; 0 Vegetable; 0 Very Lean Meat; 0 Lean Meat; 0 High-Fat Meat; 4 Fat;
Carbohydrate Choice
3
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

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