Effortless Holiday Mornings: The Ultimate Overnight Coconut Cranberry French Toast Bake
Imagine waking up to the aroma of cinnamon, nutmeg, and toasted coconut filling your home, all without lifting a finger until it’s time to bake. This Overnight Coconut Cranberry French Toast Bake offers precisely that luxury, transforming your morning routine into a relaxed culinary experience. Prepare this delightful dish in under 15 minutes the night before, then simply pop it into the oven for a warm, golden-brown, and utterly delicious breakfast that’s perfect for feeding a crowd or simply indulging on a special occasion.
The Magic of Make-Ahead Breakfasts: Why an Overnight French Toast Bake?
Holiday mornings are meant for making memories, not for scrambling in the kitchen. Whether it’s Christmas, Easter, or any festive occasion, the goal is often to maximize time with loved ones and minimize stress. This is where the beauty of an Overnight Coconut Cranberry French Toast Bake truly shines. It’s designed to give you back those precious morning hours, allowing you to savor a warm cup of coffee, open gifts, or simply enjoy a leisurely start to your day.
Breakfast casseroles and overnight bakes are a phenomenal choice for gatherings, as they effortlessly feed a crowd and simplify morning prep. This particular French toast bake, with its inviting blend of coconut and tart cranberries, promises to be a staple in your holiday traditions. The moment it starts baking, your home will be enveloped in a heavenly fragrance of cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice – an olfactory delight that signals a truly special meal is on its way.
If you’re a fan of convenient and delicious breakfast bakes, you’ll also love exploring other variations. Consider trying an Overnight Gingerbread French Toast Casserole for a spicy twist, Air Fryer French Toast Sticks for a quicker alternative, or an Overnight Eggnog French Toast Bake for another festive option.
Crafting the Perfect Overnight French Toast Bake
The true genius of this recipe lies in its simplicity and the overnight soak. You can prepare this entire dish in less than 15 minutes the evening before, allowing the bread to fully absorb the rich custard mixture. The next morning, it’s a seamless transition from fridge to oven, baking to golden perfection in about 50 minutes. This hands-off approach ensures you have a warm, gourmet breakfast ready to enjoy with minimal fuss.
The Irresistible Flavor Fusion: Coconut and Cranberry
While countless overnight French toast bake variations exist, the combination of coconut and cranberry is particularly appealing for its festive and balanced profile. The sweet, tropical notes of coconut perfectly complement the tart, bright burst of dried cranberries, creating a harmonious flavor that is both comforting and sophisticated. As it bakes, the coconut gets lightly toasted, adding a delightful crunch and depth of flavor that is simply divine.
Selecting the Best Bread for Your French Toast Bake
The foundation of any great French toast bake is the bread. For this recipe, you’ll want to choose a sturdy, absorbent loaf that can hold up to the overnight soak without becoming mushy. Excellent choices include French bread, sourdough bread, or challah bread. I personally find that day-old challah bread works wonderfully, offering a rich, slightly sweet flavor and a tender crumb. If you’re aiming for an extra crunchy texture, consider letting your bread cubes sit out uncovered for a few hours before assembly. This slight drying process allows the bread to soak up even more of the custard, resulting in a perfectly crispy exterior and a custardy interior.
Once you’ve chosen your bread, cut it into 1-inch pieces and spread them evenly in your baking pan. Next, layer the dried cranberries and shredded coconut over the bread cubes. This ensures a delightful distribution of flavors in every bite.
The Heart of the Bake: A Rich Egg Custard
The egg mixture is crucial for an incredibly moist and flavorful French toast bake. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, whole milk, ground cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, light brown sugar, and vanilla extract until the sugar is fully dissolved. This fragrant custard forms the backbone of the dish. A key tip for all baked egg dishes, including this Overnight Coconut Cranberry French Toast Bake, is to pour the egg mixture over the solid ingredients (like bread, fruits, and any other mix-ins). This technique allows the liquid to thoroughly saturate the bread, ensuring the dish is uniformly moist, rich, and delicious. Cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for a minimum of 4 hours, though ideally, you’ll let it soak overnight for optimal flavor and texture development.
The Perfect Finishing Touch: Streusel Topping
To elevate this French toast bake from delicious to truly extraordinary, a crumbly streusel topping is a must. This golden, buttery topping adds a fantastic textural contrast and an extra layer of sweetness and spice. I recommend preparing the streusel topping the night before as well, storing it in an airtight container. This way, when you retrieve the French toast bake from the fridge in the morning, all you need to do is sprinkle the prepared streusel over the soaked bread and add a few pats of cold butter before baking.
When it comes to baking, I typically aim for 50-55 minutes because I love the bread to have an extra crispy, golden-brown crust, while the inside remains wonderfully soft and custardy. However, if you prefer a softer, more uniformly tender texture throughout, you can bake it closer to the 45-minute mark. Always ensure that egg dishes are cooked until an internal temperature of 160° Fahrenheit is reached to prevent foodborne illness. For more cooking and safety tips, visit OhioEggs.com.
The Nutritional Powerhouse: Eggs in Your Breakfast
This recipe for Overnight Coconut Cranberry French Toast Bake isn’t just about indulgence; it’s also packed with nutritional benefits, thanks to the star ingredient: eggs. This particular bake uses eight large eggs, ensuring you start your morning off right with a significant boost of high-quality protein and essential nutrients.
My partnership with the Ohio Poultry Association, where I’ve had the privilege to learn so much about eggs, has reinforced their incredible value. Did you know that just one egg is a powerhouse of nutrition? It delivers 13 essential vitamins and minerals, high-quality protein, and valuable antioxidants, all for a mere 70 calories. Eggs are an all-natural source of protein that helps keep you feeling fuller for longer and provides sustained energy throughout the day.
The protein found in eggs is considered the highest-quality protein available in any food, making them an excellent choice for a satisfying breakfast. By starting your morning with a protein-rich egg breakfast like this French toast bake, you’ll be well-equipped to tackle hours of holiday festivities, reducing the likelihood of unnecessary snacking or overeating.
It’s also worth noting that my home state of Ohio is a significant contributor to the nation’s egg supply, standing as the second-largest egg-producing state. Ohio egg farms produce over 8.7 billion eggs each year, meaning there’s a great chance the fresh, wholesome eggs you’re enjoying in your holiday brunch come from right here in Ohio!
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Overnight Coconut Cranberry French Toast Bake
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Ingredients
- 12 ounces French bread, sourdough bread or challah
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup coconut , + extra for garnish
- 8 large eggs
- 2 1/4 cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- powdered sugar , to garnish
Instructions
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Grease a 9×13 pan with butter or spray with nonstick spray. Slice then cut the bread into cubes, about 1 inch in size. Spread cubes into the prepared baking pan and top evenly with the cranberries and sprinkle the coconut. Set aside.
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Whisk the eggs, milk, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, brown sugar, and vanilla together until the sugar dissolves. Pour the liquid over the bread. Cover the baking dish tightly with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator for 4 hours but ideally overnight.
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Preheat oven to 350°F. Remove the french toast bake pan from the refrigerator and take off the plastic wrap.
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Prepare the streusel topping {this could be done the night before}. Whisk the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon together in a large bowl. Using two forks cut in the butter.
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Sprinkle the streusel topping over the bread. If you like extra coconut go ahead and sprinkle a little extra on top of the French toast bake now. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown on top. Serve warm with powdered sugar and extra coconut flakes.
Notes
- Leftovers can be saved in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- I like my casserole to have a soft inside and a crispy outside so I tend to bake mine for 50-55 minutes. If you like it softer you will want to do closer to 45 minutes.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Today’s post is sponsored by the Ohio Poultry Association for sponsoring today’s recipe. As always, opinions are 100% my own. Thanks for supporting the brands that allow me to create quality content and recipes.