Croissant Baked French Toast With Strawberries and Cream Cheese
French toast, strawberries
Updated 16th June 2024
Buttery croissants baked in a sweet spiced vanilla custard alongside sweet juicy berries and a cream cheese surprise in each bite. A very decadent /splurge breakfast perfect for Sunday brunch. The best thing about it is how easy it is to make and enjoy. Just assemble and chill until ready to bake, then bake and serve. Simple, beautiful, and delicious and just the most decadent way to enjoy croissants. Baked French toast is my family’s favourite kind of breakfast and this has quickly become their favourite version and I’m sure it has to do with the croissants. I think it will become a favourite in your home too, and is perfect enjoyed with maple syrup drizzles before enjoying each bite.
Baked French toast can be made with pretty much any bread you love from brioche and challah to panettone, but after you make it with croissants you may not want to use anything else to make it. The Croissant French toast is soft, tender, and the true definition of buttery perfection. It’s best to use day old croissants if possible that way they will soak up the custard a little better and end up with a better textured, puffed French toast that isn’t too soggy. It can easily be made the night before which is great when you want to have something ready first thing in the morning - just pop it in the oven in the morning and all you have to do is set the table and make the coffee while it bakes away. The berries that are nestled into the croissants become jammy and delicious. The croissants stay soft and tender but they develop a nice caramelised crispy exterior that is wonderful to cut into and enjoy. The subtly sweet cream cheese layer adds a decadence that puts this French toast over the top if it already wasn’t with the use of croissants in it.
Strawberry Croissant French Toast Bake Ingredients
- CROISSANTS: I recommend using day old croissants either regular size or mini croissants -you would likely need double the amount of mini croissants. 10 medium or regular sized croissants is what I usually use. I tend to freeze leftover croissants when I have bought a large container of them and store them until I have enough to make this baked French toast- we buy them often for brunch or breakfast when entertaining- there always seems to be a few leftover.
- BUTTER: I use unsalted butter and for this recipe is used to dollop over the croissants before they go into the oven.
- SUGAR: You will need brown sugar for the custard and confectioners sugar or powdered sugar for the cream cheese
- EGGS: You will need 6 large eggs. Eggs help bind everything together.
- MILK: I recommend whole milk or even a combination of whole milk and heavy cream. For a richer custard, you could also use all half and half
- CREAM CHEESE: This really makes this croissant French toast even more decadent. You will need one 8 ounce bar of cream cheese.
- FRESH STRAWBERRIES: I love this casserole with strawberries and cream but really you could use any fruit you like - blueberries, chopped peaches, raspberries, cranberries, blackberries…
- STRAWBERRY JAM / PRESERVES: This adds so much more sweetness and flavor to the casserole. If you end up switching out the fruit feel free to use the jam that suits the fruit.
- VANILLA: Adds that signature flavor to all my sweet baked goods.
- SPICES: I kept things simple with cinnamon and a pinch of salt but feel free to add more warming spices like nutmeg, cardamon or allspice.
Croissant Baked French Toast Instructions
- BLEND the cream cheese with the powdered sugar
- WHISK together custard ingredients, milk, vanilla, sugar, salt, and eggs
- DIP croissant pieces into milk/custard mixture then layer half into pan
- DOLLOP cream cheese and jam all over and sprinkle with 3/4 of the berries
- TOP with remaining soaked croissant pieces
- REST after covering it with plastic wrap let it rest in the fridge for at least an hour or overnight
- BAKE once ready to bake remove covering dollop all over with the sliced butter and bake until golden and set
- SERVE warm dusted with powdered sugar and with whipped cream and fresh fruit and chopped nuts if desired
Croissant Baked French Toast Tips
- Use day old croissants for best texture - fresher softer bread doesn’t soak up the custard as well and it might end up soggy.
- Baking time varies so keep an eye on the French toast casserole. Bake longer if you prefer a drier less chewier/soft custardy French toast.
- Ideally you want top to be crispy, the edges to be a little bit chewy, and when it comes to the middle, it’s all about that tender, custard-y texture, so some soft texture is a good thing.
- Tent French toast casserole with foil if browning too quickly.
French Toast Topping Ideas
- Maple syrup (of course!)
- Greek yogurt
- Whipped cream
- Fresh berries
- Peanut butter
- Nutella
- Chocolate sauce /hot fudge
- Jam
- Butter
Storage, Make Ahead & Freezing Baked French Toast
- STORAGE: Baked French toast will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Pop your French toast in the microwave to reheat it quickly, or place it in a 350 degree F oven to restore the crispiness of the top and edges.
- MAKE AHEAD: This baked French toast can be prepared up to a day in advance, covered and stored in the fridge overnight until ready to bake it.
- FREEZING: Wrap the baked French toast in the baking pan, or transfer leftovers to an airtight container or freezer bag. Store for up to 3 months, then thaw in the refrigerator before reheating according to the directions above.
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Recipe
Ingredients
- 10 medium size croissants, cut in large segments/chunks
- 2 cups whole milk or half and half
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 6 large eggs
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 8 ounce cream cheese room temperature and softened
- 2 tablespoons of confectioners sugar plus more for dusting
- ½-1 cup strawberry jam/ preserves (optional)
- 2 cups strawberries, sliced or chopped
- 4 tablespoons cold butter, thinly sliced
Directions
- Butter or grease a 9x13 casserole dish. Set aside.
- In a medium sized bowl blend the cream cheese with a hand mixer until soft and fluffy (just a couple of minutes) then mix in the confectioners sugar and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together milk (or half and half), vanilla, eggs, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt.
- Dip half the croissant halves into mixture until fully coated and arrange the croissants into prepared casserole, overlapping if needed.
- Dollop the cream cheese over the first layer of croissants followed by the strawberry jam/preserves if using.
- Spread ¾ of the sliced strawberries over top.
- Dip the remaining pieces of croissants in the egg milk mixture and arrange over the berries
- Pour remaining milk and egg mixture over the casserole, gently pressing to absorb.
- Sprinkle the remaining berries over the top of the casserole. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to overnight
- Preheat oven to 375°F. And remove the dish from the fridge and remove plastic wrap.
- Lay the thinly sliced butter over the croissants and bake 40- 50 minutes, or until the French toast is golden brown and crisp. If the tops of the croissants begin to brown too quickly, loosely cover the french toast with foil.
- Let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar, cut into wedges, and serve with whipped cream and maple syrup
