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There’s no better or more fun way to serve French toast than this Pull Apart French Toast Bake. Not only is this french toast incredibly easy, it’s also better than any other. Soft, buttery, and slightly sweet challah or brioche bread, soaked in a vanilla and cinnamon egg custard. The bread is cut into a crosshatch pattern to create cubes you can easily pull apart and enjoy! Serve just as you would any other french toast, with lots of cream, berries, and maple. It’s the perfect (make ahead) brunch entrée.
You know Mother’s Day must be right around the corner if I’m sharing a sweet breakfast recipe instead of something chocolate. While my mom loves chocolate (as we all know), she’s also a huge breakfast kind of girl. Actually, she really loves breakfast for lunch.
French toast, a dutch baby, pancakes, waffles…she loves them all. So every year when Mother’s Day rolls around I love to share a new recipe inspired by my mom!
This year’s French toast recipe is a favorite for sure. It’s unique, super easy to make, and most importantly so delicious.
Way back in the day I shared a recipe for cranberry brie pull apart bread. And when I say back in the day, it was 2016, which feels like forever ago (I can’t believe that HBH is going to be 10 years old soon!).
That bread has been one of my most popular recipes to date, especially around the holidays. It’s popular for a combination of things. First, it’s easy, and we all need easy. Second, it’s different. Slicing up bread this way isn’t all that common, so it feels like a fresh and exciting way to serve a pull apart style bread.
And third, it’s totally delicious!
I figured the same method could be applied to a baked french toast. The moment I had the idea, I knew I had to make it.
The details
The bread is key here. You want to use a loaf of challah or brioche bread, something soft and eggy. A loaf of sourdough will work too, but the flavor changes a little. And I always find a softer, sweeter loaf of bread to be so much more delicious for French toast.
Use a bread knife to slice the bread into thick slices horizontally, then vertically, to create large cubes of bread. Now the KEY is not to slice all the way through the bread. You want to leave a half-inch on the bottom of the loaf completely intact so that the loaf doesn’t fall apart on you.
It’s easy to do and pretty fun as well.
The custard is a simple mix of eggs, egg yolks, cream, cinnamon, orange liquor, and vanilla. I highly recommend using the orange liquor as it adds that touch of special flavor.
Pour the batter over the bread and use your fingers to very gently pull the bread apart to allow the batter to sink down into the bread. Then, I take cold slices of butter and place them in between the cubes of bread. They’ll melt down into the bread as it bakes.
Once the french toast has been assembled, you can bake it right away or place it in the fridge overnight. This is great if you want to have breakfast already prepped and ready for baking in the morning!
The final thing I like to do is to brush the top of the bread with the reserved egg whites. You don’t have to do this, but it gives the loaf a nice glisten.
Oh, and then a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar too, which in my book is a must. The french toast itself is not sweet, but a little cinnamon sugar on top goes a long delicious way.
Serve dolloped with whipped cream and plenty of berries, plus real maple syrup. Pull it apart and have fun eating.
The French toast is eggy and custard-like. And with a little maple on top, it will have everyone coming back for more. It’s pretty darn near perfect.
Looking for a few other Mother’s Day brunch recipes? Here are my mom’s favorites.
Lemon Strawberry Dutch Baby with Ricotta Cream
Raspberry Lemon Brioche Rolls with Whipped Ricotta Cream
Bakery Blueberry Vanilla Crunch Muffins
Blueberry Lemon Ricotta Sweet Rolls
Lastly, if you make this Pull Apart French Toast Bake be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Pull Apart French Toast Bake
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 382 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 large loaf challah or brioche bread
- 2 whole eggs, plus 2 egg yolks
- 1 cup heavy cream or canned coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier (orange liqueur)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons cold butter, sliced into thin slices
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- whipped cream and berries, for serving
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 375° F. 2. Slice the bread horizontally and vertically to create 1 inch cubes, being careful not to slice all the way through the bread (see above photo). Place in a 9×13 inch baking dish. 3. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks (reserve the whites), cream, Grand Marnier, vanilla, melted butter, maple syrup, cinnamon, and salt. Slowly pour the batter over the bread, using your fingers to gently pull the bread apart to allow the batter to sink in. Spoon any batter from the baking dish, back over the bread until the bread has soaked up most of the batter. Don't stress if you don't use it all. 4. Line a baking dish with parchment and place the bread into the dish. Insert the butter slices in between the cubes of bread. Brush the top of the bread with the reserved egg whites. In a bowl, mix the sugar and 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the bread. 5. Bake for 25-35 minutes, until the French toast is golden and crisp. If the top of the bread begins to brown too quickly, cover with foil. Serve warm with cream, berries, and maple syrup.
Notes
To Make Overnight: Follow the recipe through step 4. Cover and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, remove the bread from the fridge while the oven preheats. Follow the recipe as directed through step 5.Â
My sister and I woke up early and made this for our mom for Mother’s Day today. It turned out amazing and I love how it turned out! Thank you for helping us create more memories as a family! P.S. We love baking/cooking from your new book! We’re your biggest fans <3
Hey Andrea,
Wonderful!! Thank you so much for making the recipe, I am so glad to hear that it was enjoyed!! Have the best week:) xxT
My local store only had challah and it was enormous. I wish I had thought to 1 1/2 or double the liquid needed. It turned out dry and not very saturated even though it soaked overnight. The custard flavor was terrific though so I’ll definitely give the recipe another try and will adjust the liquid if necessary.
Hey Elle,
Thanks for your comment and trying the recipe! I hope it works better next time with a smaller loaf of bread:) xTieghan
Hi Tieghan…This recipe looks and sounds so utterly delicious!! I wonder if this particular baked item can be individually portioned and placed in a Deli case and marked for selling without getting soggy as it waits for customer purchase? I could have individual servings of the maple syrup placed in separate individual containers alongside, and maybe some stabilized whipped cream servings in small containers, as well. Do you think that would work? Our Deli is open from 7 am to 2 pm.
As a baker, I work in a commercial kitchen and market homemade baked items to sell to the individual as a customer.
I wasn’t able to find a whole loaf of Brioche in my area. Would pre-sliced Brioche work?
Hey Sonya,
So sorry, you don’t want to use pre-sliced bread for this recipe, any chance you can find Challah? That will also work well for you! xTieghan
I saw this on my Instagram feed and knew I had to make! It smells so good while baking! I’m taking some to my mom today, as a pre-Mother’s Day treat!
Hey Mary,
Thanks for your comment! Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed:) Have a great weekend! xxTieghan
In the pull apart French Toast Bake can you sub a non alcoholic something for the Grand Marnier? What?
Hey Susan,
You can just skip it:) Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love the recipe! xx
They all look amazing!!! What inspiration!!
Thank you!
Hey there,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it!! Have a great week:) xxT
I made this Sunday morning and my family devoured it. It is one of those “imperfectly perfect” recipes that tastes delicious and has beautiful aspects, but looks a little chaotic coming out of the oven until you dollop with cream and sprinkle the berries! We topped ours off with a bit of warm maple syrup. Wonderful and so easy! I just picked up your new cookbook and have already marked the pages of recipes I want to try right away! Thank you!
PS I meant to give it 5 stars!!!
Thanks again Sheri!!
Hey Sheri,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it!! Have a great week:) xxT
I made this for my office. They are my taste testers. It was a unanimous thumbs up. Planning to surprise my Brother the morning of his Birthday with this. The berries and cream make a beautiful presentation.
Hey there,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it!! Have a great week:) xxT
This was fantastic!
Hey there,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it!! Have a great week:) xxT
I made this today. The flavor and texture was so good. I was concerned that it would be a little dry but it was just right. My daughters and friends love it!
Love the recipe!
Hey Judi,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it!! Have a great week:) xxT
As our family doesn’t use alcohol I am thinking of using 1 Tbl. oj and 1 Tb. raw honey and whisking it together as a substitute for the Grand Marnier. Your thoughts? Is there something better to use. Am going to make for Mother’s Day.
Hey Gail,
Sure, I don’t see why that wouldn’t work, you can also just totally omit it no big deal at all:) I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
I am a bit confused about the baking dish-should the bread be put into the baking dish with the parchment paper to start, step one says place bread into baking dish and step 4 says line baking dish with parchment papaer
If u look at the photos u can see she has line the tin with baking paper so I wld do that
Probs a small typing error!
Thank had skipped right to recipe so looking at pictures makes sense
Hi Lisa,
Sorry for any confusion, you are going to use 2 separate baking dishes. So the first one is where you pour the egg mixture over and allow to soak the bread, the baking dish in step 4 is what you are going to bake the loaf in. I hope this makes sense, let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I love breakfast recipes like this where everyone can sit down and eat at the same time. Looks delicious!
Thanks so much Lina! Let me know if you give the recipe a try:) xTieghan
Hey Tegan,
Is there a type of gluten free bread you think would be a good substitute, or would you know where to get any that would be good? I’d love to make this but my options are limited.
Thanks!
Hey Brittany,
I would check out your local bakery and see what kind of gluten free loafs they offer. Any loaf will do, I just love using a challah or brioche loaf:) Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan
You can order a gluten free challah from Modern Bread & Bagel in New York. They ship anywhere in the US. Their challah is really good and would be fantastic with this recipe.
Thanks so much for sharing Randi, that’s awesome!!
The brand “Promise” makes a brioche bun and loaf (presliced) this would work for.
Thanks for sharing Diane!
This looks delicious! Cinnamon baked goods are my weakness and I love OJ (literally grew up in same city where Tropicana is in Florida), but I’ve never been a fan of combining the two flavors. Should I add extra vanilla instead or just not worry about replacing the orange liqueur with anything? Thanks!
Hey Joni,
You can just omit the orange liquor:) Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan