No need to stand at the stove to flip and babysit your French toast with this easy BAKED version!! Plenty of bacon and melted cheddar for the perfect savory, comfort-food French toast that's great for breakfast, brunch, or brinner!!
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time30 minutesmins
Total Time40 minutesmins
Course: Bread, Rolls, Muffins & Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Keyword: french toast with bacon, savory french toast, savory french toast casserole
Servings: 6
Calories: 353kcal
Author: Averie Sunshine
Ingredients
12slicesday-old or semi-stale white bread
½cupsoftened cream cheesedivided
1large egg
1 ½cupsmilk*
1teaspoonKosher saltor to taste
½teaspoonfreshly ground black pepperor to taste
1cupuncooked smoked baconcubed or sliced in small pieces (or your favorite bacon)
1 ½cupsshredded cheddar cheese or cheddar cheese blend
1teaspoonfresh rosemary finely mincedoptional (fresh thyme may be substituted)
2 to 3tablespoonshoney
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375F and spray an 8x11-inch or similar-sized casserole or baking dish with cooking spray; set aside.
Spread each of the 12 slices of bread evenly with cream cheese on one side of the bread. I used an averagely thick amount of cream cheese, but you can go thin or thick, depending on your preference. I find it easiest to do this on a clean countertop and just keep the bread on the counter.
To a large bowl, add the egg, milk, salt, pepper, and whisk to combine.
Briefly dunk each slice of bread in the milk mixture. You don't want it soaking wet or it will disintegrate. After dunking, I put each slice immediately in the prepared baking dish, with each successive sliced stacked next to it.
Evenly sprinkle the bacon over the bread, gently nudging some bacon down in between the bread slices.
Evenly sprinkle with the cheese, and again, gently nudge a bit of the cheese in between each slice of bread so it's not just all mounded up on top.
Optionally, evenly sprinkle with the rosemary and bake for about 30 minutes, or until cheese has melted and is nicely golden browned in color or to your liking, and the bacon is cooked through.
Optionally, for a sweet-and-savory flavor, evenly drizzle with honey. If you're not into sweet-and-savory flavor combos, definitely omit the honey.
Serve immediately. French toast is best fresh but will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days and can be gently reheated.
Notes
*I used whole cow's milk. 2% cow's milk or another non-dairy milk such as almond or soy are fine to use.