Overnight Blueberry French Toast Bake
This Overnight Blueberry French Toast Bake is a fun (and easy) breakfast to serve on a lazy weekend morning!
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I credit my father with teaching me this detailed approach to budgeting. Growing up, my sister and I got a small allowance each week. I always stashed my allowance away so that I could buy more baseball cards or comic books. My sister on the other hand used her allowance for Troll dolls. You know, those creepy little dolls with spiky hair that every girl in the early 90’s just had to have. Yeah, my sister has a whole box of Trolls in her storage room now. (Granted, I can’t make fun of her as the entire space under our bed is filled with baseball cards.) And I totally remember my sister trying to charge me 25¢ to look at her Troll collection. She’s quite the entrepreneur, that one!
I got to thinking about allowances when I stumbled across this survey of average weekly allowances recently. In 2017, the average US kid took him just under $9 a week in allowance money. (Granted this ranges from $4 for 4-year-olds up to $12 for 14-year-olds.) Aside from thinking back to my Dad handing us our allowances on Friday afternoon, I also got to thinking about allowances for Robbie. Now Robbie is only 2.5 years old, so he’s got a ways to go before allowances kick in, but that article quoted a recent study from Cambridge University that found most people form their financial habits by 7 years old. That seems young to me!
Thanks to technology, there are apps out there now where kids can keep a virtual ‘piggy bank.’ (Robbie has an actual piggy bank in his room, so I’m going to encourage him to use that until he’s too cool for it!)
One of the coolest things about the virtual apps is that you can teach kids about interest rates. As in, if they save part of their allowance each week, the app calculates how much interest it earns. (Of course, the parents have to pay that ‘interest,’ but I’m ok with that…it’s a really unique way to teach the value of saving!) On the flip side, these apps also allow kids to take loans from their parents…complete with an interest rate they have to pay in return. I’m totally using this idea once Robbie starts getting an allowance!
But enough money talk. Let’s switch over to one of my favorite weekend breakfast recipes lately. This Overnight Blueberry French Toast Bake is a fun (and easy) breakfast to serve on a lazy weekend morning. Although, to be fair, lazy weekend mornings don’t happen much around here as Robbie likes to wake up with the sun. (I did the same thing when I was a kid, so this is just the universe’s way of paying me back I guess.)
I love overnight recipes for weekend mornings, and this Overnight Blueberry French Toast Bake is quite delicious! Laura was in the kitchen as I made this one, and she pointed out that it’s basically a breakfast version of bread pudding. Hmmm. I realized she was right. The base is some day-old bread, and then you just pour in an egg + milk mixture. Add a layer of fresh blueberries and a streusel topping, and you’ve got this Overnight Blueberry French Toast Bake. We used blueberries for this version, but I’ve also made this one with other fruit, too. (For the record, an apple version is amazing on a chilly Fall morning!)
As we head into the warmer months, keep this Overnight Blueberry French Toast Bake in mind. It’s a tasty way to start a Saturday or Sunday morning! Cheers, friends!
Looking for more blueberry recipes? Try one of these!
Blueberry Cashew Granola
Blueberry Crumb Donuts
Blueberry Coffee Cake
Overnight Blueberry French Toast Bake
Ingredients
For the French Toast Bake
- 1 day-old baguette
- 2½ cups milk
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 8 large eggs
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp salt
For the Blueberry Topping
- 2½ cups blueberries fresh or frozen
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter melted
For the Streusel Topping
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 1½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
- 1¾ cup all-purpose flour
Instructions
For the French Toast Bake
- Spray a standard 9”x13” baking dish with nonstick spray.
- Slice the baguette into 1” cubes and spread evenly in baking dish.
- Using a medium bowl, whisk together remaining French Toast Bake ingredients (milk, heavy whipping cream, eggs, maple syrup, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt). Pour liquid mixture over bread cubes.
For the Blueberry Topping
- Using a medium bowl, add all ingredients (blueberries, lemon juice, maple syrup, cinnamon and melted butter); toss until well combined. Spread blueberry mixture evenly on top of bread cubes.
- Cover dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
For the Streusel
- Using a medium bowl, add sugars, cinnamon, ginger and salt; stir until well combined.
- Add the melted butter; stir until well combined.
- Add the flour; stir until well combined.
- Crumble streusel evenly on top of bread cubes.
- The next morning, preheat oven to 375°F. (Tip: Remove the baking dish from the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for a bit to prevent the dish from cracking.)
- Bake for 80-85 minutes, or until a butter knife inserted into the center comes out clean. (Note: Tent the top with foil after 50 minutes to prevent the streusel from burning.)
- Let cool for 15-20 minutes. Before serving, dust with powdered sugar.
Your sister had the right idea. I used to let my sisters look at my Bonne Bell lip gloss collection for free! I wonder if I could find a way to charge them interest on the 25 cents they should have paid me :). I love the idea of an app that can teach kids about interest; I remember my dad sitting me down at 15 to teach me about IRAs and compound interest. It probably would have stuck better if I’d been using an app for my allowance all my life. I hope you have coffee brewed because I’m on my way over for breakfast! Have a great weekend and happy Mother’s Day to Laura!
Wait. You let your sisters look at your Bonne Bell collection for free!? You definitely could have capitalized on that opportunity. Haha! Also, a lip gloss collection? 🙂
We did indeed have a great Mother’s Day here, and I was actually able to share it with Laura and my own Mom while we were on vacation. Speaking of vacation, my apologies on the delayed response, Kelsie. But I’m back now and getting caught back up on the blog! Happy early Memorial Day weekend!
First, stunning photography. I literally want to lick my computer screen right now.
Second, can we work out an arrangement where I go back in time (you stay in present day) you adopt me as a kid, teach me your money values, then once I’m all learned up, I fast forward to the adult (cough) I am today?
I think it’s atrocious our schools don’t teach financial classes that cover subjects like mortgages, insurance, budgeting, and the like. Of course, the more naive we are in these matters, the quicker others profit off our mistake, so it’s no wonder those subjects are skipped over. :/
Haha…thanks, Christina! I suggest not licking your computer screen for 2 reasons: (1) It probably won’t taste very good. (2) Then you’ll have to clean your computer screen.
Now as far as all of that time warping stuff? Sure! I think that sounds awesome! But then I want to time warp myself back to my own childhood days when the only thing I had to worry about was walking really fast past the graveyard once the sun had begun to set.
It is strange how schools don’t teach these “real life skillz” like mortgages, interest, etc. They teach us how to do insanely long calculus problems, but that doesn’t help me now when I’m trying to make my monthly budget balance! I’m with ya, my friend! Oh, and my apologies for the delayed response. We were on vacation, and I’m just now getting caught up on blog comments and emails. 🙂
Must say: I looked at the dictionary to see the meaning of “thrifty” 🙂 Yes, I belong to the same club; how on Earth would I manage to travel to R. Waters’ concert or to see a grand musical that was on yesterday ? No way ! So , yes, I believe we have to be careful with money and teach our children to be responsible, being an example. But life is beautiful with so many things for free …. it may sound crazy but la vita e bella, bellissima 🙂 Your Overnight Blueberry French Toast Bake too. Never made it, I confess, but will make it definitely ! Thank you David and enjoy the week end 🙂
Cheers to another thrifty friend! I’m with ya on the budgeting stuff. I watch everyday expenses like a hawk, but then once we go on vacation or wherever, I throw all caution to the wind. It works out well in the end. I love the ‘la vita e bella, bellissima’ line, too!
Oh, and speaking of vacation, my apologies in the delayed response here. Laura and I just got back from vacation, and I’m getting caught back up on the blog and email. Hope you’ve been doing well, and happy early Memorial Day!
You like the combination of me and Andrey. Andrey is crazy about budget-recording. He would regularly ask to count and provide info regards all those coins in the pocket (And although we normally don’t carry/spend cash, that was an annoying thing to do. Luckily, he stopped doing that). And I like to research available sales before going for the groceries (Well, we all know that those sales in most situations are the marketing thing, but still it’s nice to find the cheapest option, right?) And these French toasts? They look phenomenal, David! Indeed, they look like a cake. And I don’t mind french toasts pretending to be a cake or a cake pretending to be french toasts Either way, it’s delicious!
You know, we don’t really carry much cash around either, Ben. I mean I have a little bit in my pocket/wallet just in case…but 99% of the time I just pull out the card. I still track it as if it was cash, but that way I don’t have a pocket full of jingling (and heavy) coins!
As far as sales, I do the same thing! It might be a marketing thing to put cheap options on sale, but I’m ok with that. I stop by and grab whatever is on sale if it’s something we’ll eat. Oh, and you’re kinda right about this French Toast Bake masquerading as a cake. But it’s a delicious breakfast cake! Haha!
And my apologies on the delayed response here, Ben. Laura and I just got back from vacation, and I’m getting caught back up on the blog and emails. I hope you’ve been doing well, my friend!
I prefer ‘thrify’ over ‘cheap’ Just like I prefer ‘budget friendly’ or inexpensive’ over ‘cheap’. Your sister is too funny! Charging you to look at her Troll collection? ha! After watching the Troll movie a couple weeks back, I was wishing I still had my collection of Trolls, lol. You can get them now, but they are modernized versions of the ones I had growing up. Anywho, this french toast bake looks amazing David! I bet it smells even better too. Something special to wake up to for sure! Gotta give this one a try – love anything with blueberries. Happy Monday 🙂
I’m with ya, Dawn! Thrifty sounds way better than cheap. 🙂 So my sister has always been the entrepreneur, and I think that comes from my Dad. To be fair, I did have a lemonade stand on the streets of Charleston…so I guess my Dad’s ways rubbed off on both of us.
And I’m all about waking up to delicious breakfasts on the weekends. Now that summer is here, that means fresh berries…and that opens up so many more options for delicious breakfast recipes! Thanks so much, Dawn!
And my apologies on the delayed response here. Laura and I just got back from vacation, and I’m getting caught back up on the blog and emails. I hope you’ve been doing well, my friend!
thrifty * 😉
Haha…I knew what you meant! 🙂
Hi David! For reasons unknown to me I can once again access your site ?? Don’t care what happened, just glad it “unhappened”. My son would love this dish (so would I)! He’s crazy about anything with blueberries and throw streusel on top and he’s really happy!
Hey there, Dorothy! So I have no idea what would have caused the site to not be accessible…but I’m glad it’s fixed again! Thank you so much! 🙂
So yes, now that summer is here, that means we can get into recipes with fresh blueberries. And this French Toast Bake is especially tasty! I hope you and the family are doing well.
And my apologies on the delayed response here. Laura and I just got back from vacation, and I’m getting caught back up on the blog and emails. I hope you’ve been doing well, my friend!
Lovely. This would really be great for company in the morning. Or, I guess, if you have a big family, which I don’t.
Haha! We don’t have a big family here, either, Mimi…so we save recipes like this for when company is in town visiting. And since it’s an overnight version, it’s perfect for when you have people staying with you. Thanks so much! And my apologies on the delayed response here. Laura and I just got back from vacation, and I’m getting caught back up on the blog and emails. I hope you’ve been doing well, my friend!
Hi David! I made this yesterday! It was amazing!!! I did use raspberries instead of blueberries because I didn’t have any blueberries. I think just about any recipe would be fabulous in this delicious dish!
Kathy! That is awesome. 🙂 I’m so glad you made this recipe…it really is an honor. We’ve been away on vacation (thus the delayed response), but I totally saw your comment and it made me smile. You’re right. This recipe would work with any sort of fresh fruit, and now I’m kinda wanting to go make a raspberry version this weekend. Our fresh raspberries are still several months away, but I can grab some from the store instead. Thanks so much for making this recipe and letting me know, too! Happy early Memorial Day weekend, my friend!
Clipping coupons is a good thing. I love overnight French toast recipes, this one is a winner. Looks amazing.
Thanks so much, Dawn! Sometimes I wonder whether clipping coupons is worth it, but then it helps us save up for fun vacations and similar things…so I guess it does make clipping those coupons worth it in the end! Thanks so much for the comment, my friend!
Thrifty is good David! Again we are very similar on a day-to-day basis. I too clip coupons, have a monthly budget tracker and compare one shop’s prices to the next. Saved money is better spent on holidays and the like I always say! Whilst it was your father who taught you that detailed approach to budgeting though, it was my mother I got it from. I love this overnight breakfast. It’s particularly appealing to me because I love a bread pudding. Our wedding dessert was a bread pudding (and indeed is featured on my blog!). Thanks for this amazing start to the day. Pinned!
It sounds like we really are quite similar when it comes to budgeting philosophies, Neil. In fact, I was thinking about you when I was writing this post as you’ve talked about budgeting ideas like this in the past! I’m cut corners day-to-day, but then when it comes to vacations, I just don’t worry about what we spend. It works out well in the long run, and it leads to fun vacation memories, too. Speaking of vacations, my apologies on the delayed response here. Laura and I just got back from vacation, and I’m getting caught back up on the blog and emails. I hope you’ve been doing well, my friend! And now I want to go look up that wedding bread pudding post…sounds delicious!
First of all, this French toast bake looks incredible! Love that it’s an overnight dish and blueberries are just coming into season in Oregon, so your timing is perfect!
Also love the idea of instilling the idea of saving when kids are young. To be totally honest, I was a spender before I married my husband. But he’s great with money and I’ve learned to be too over the years. You made an important distinction, that there are times to splurge on gifts for loved ones (when you can afford it) and, of course, travel. But there are so many places to be frugal that make a huge difference in the long run.
Thank you so much, Marissa! I love that summer is (finally) here now, so that means fresh fruit and berries are on the horizon. Blueberry season is always a big hit in our house thanks to a certain toddler who can’t get enough of ’em! And I’m right there with ya on the spending thing. I cut corners as much as possible on the routine, daily life type of stuff…but then we “go big or go home” when it comes to vacations. The balance of the two works out well for us.
And speaking of vacation, my apologies on the delayed response here. Laura and I just got back from vacation, and I’m catching up on blog comments, emails, etc. I hope you’ve been doing well, my friend!
Wow, the study found that people form financial habits by 7 years old?! That seems kinda crazy, but that really showcases how people learn money habits from their parents. My husband and I talk all the time about how there needs to be a class in senior year of high school that covers all common sense finance topics, from college loans and credit card interest to 401Ks. I really think that would be helpful. With all of the somewhat useless stuff we learn throughout school, that’s one topic that should be offered to all students, don’t you think?
I agree, Nicole! I don’t recall learning that much about financial habits by age 7 but maybe the foundations were already laid by that point? I mean I did have my lemonade stand on the streets of Charleston! And as far as a class that teaches stuff like mortgages, interest, 401ks? Yes. That needs to happen! It’s so confusing to figure it all out by yourself. It could just be a short course or something…but it would be so helpful!
Oh and my apologies on the delayed response here. Laura and I just got back from vacation, and I’m catching up on blog comments, emails, etc. I hope you’ve been doing well, my friend!
Yay Blue berry french toast bake? Yes Please. I’m sooo happy to be back not he Spiced Blog, it’s been way too long. I don’t eat a lot of french toast but I would make an exception for this recipe. I’m pretty thrifty too, I might be cheap but hey what’s wrong with that. My budget is is sooooo important so I totally understand.
Welcome back, Mary! Like you, we don’t make French Toast that often. Maybe we’ll do it every once in a while on a Saturday morning, but it’s not a regular thing. But this overnight version? Perfect for when company is in town! And perfect for when fresh berries are in season, too! 🙂
My apologies on the delayed response here. Laura and I just got back from vacation, and I’m catching up on blog comments, emails, etc. I hope you’ve been doing well, my friend!
Hello David, It is a great recipe. I am following your blog and you share a great recipe with us. I love french toast. I made it last week.good work
Why thank you very much! I really appreciate you stopping by to comment and follow my blog, too. 🙂 French toast is tasty, isn’t it? And this overnight version is perfect for when company is in town visiting!
My apologies on the delayed response here, too. Normally I’m much faster with responses, but my wife and I just got back from vacation. Cheers, my friend!
I can’t wait overnight! I want it now!
Hmmm, they say patience is a virtue, Jeff. But I’m not sure I agree with “them”. I want a slice of this French Toast Bake right now, too!
Hahahaha – your sis was quite the entrepreneur indeed! Haha, I cannot stop laughing at the fact that she tried to charge you to LOOK at her troll collection! Gah – I shudder that I too collected them – then when I was a teen I was convinced they would be worth money some day. Now Lil Shashi has that same collection under her bed – convinced (like I was) that they and her beanie babies will bring in a fortune! Yikes!
Too cool about those money saving apps for kidos – and speaking of too cool, dude, this is one heck of a delicious breakfast! I wish I had seen this last weekend – this would have been easy to prepare Saturday night when we got back into town and even easier to enjoy Sunday! 🙂
Happy Almost Weekend, my friend!
Oh, yes, my sister really was the entrepreneur back then, Shashi. I mean I was, too, as I had my lemonade stand and all…but charging your own brother to look at your Troll collection? That takes it to a new level! 🙂 Hey, you never know, maybe those Trolls and Beanie Babies hanging out under Lil Shashi’s bed actually have value…you should go look ’em up and find out!
You make a good point about this recipe being good for weekend mornings. It’s great for when company is in town and you don’t want to spend all morning in the kitchen…but then again, I don’t want to spend all morning in the kitchen on a normal weekend, either. Haha!
And my apologies on the delayed response here. Laura and I just got back from vacation, and I’m catching up on blog comments, emails, etc. I hope you’ve been doing well, my friend!
Blueberries and French toast? Sign me up! That recipe looks delicious. I love how easy it is too. Seems like the perfect accompaniment Sunday brunch idea!
That app sounds like a really neat learning tool as well. I’m surprised the financial thinking starts out so young but I guess I was around that age when I really started managing my weekly allowances for big ticket items (Like new Nintendo game!)
Anyways, thanks for sharing! 🙂
Hey Matt! Now that summer is here, I’m all about fresh berries…and French Toast just lends itself so well to fresh berries. But I also don’t want to be standing in my kitchen too much on the weekends, so this French Toast Bake is the perfect solution there. 🙂
And as far as saving up allowance for a new Nintendo game? I remember those days well! Heck, I was just doing that last week still. Haha!
The photos look fantastic, I bet it tastes as good as it looks! Where I am fresh blueberries are very expensive, do you think frozen berries will work?
Hey Francis! Thank you so much for the kind words. 🙂 I totally understand about fresh berries being expensive…and good news! This French Toast Bake can totally be made with frozen berries. I’d recommend just letting the berries thaw first and then draining off any excess liquid. I hope this helps, and happy baking!