This Baked Chai Spiced French Toast can be prepared the night before to save time, making it a perfect make-ahead option for breakfast and brunch. The spices will keep you warm during those chilly winter months!
I tend to go for simple recipes first thing in the morning. Smoothies, yogurt with some granola, maybe eggs on an English muffin if I’m feeling extra motivated. In winter, I’m less inclined to go the smoothie route because I’m freezing all the time.
Hot breakfasts that involve the oven are certainly a good way to keep the kitchen warm during those cold January months. However, I’m also extremely lazy in the morning, so I don’t like preparing overly complicated breakfasts.
One solution is baked french toast. The great thing about this baked chai spiced french toast is that you can do all of the prep work the night beforehand. Once morning arrives, all you have to do is stick it in the oven. Voila: hot, tasty carbs.
Warm kitchen, hot breakfast. Sound good?
Looking for more make-ahead breakfasts?
You may also enjoy my English muffins, overnight oats, and banana bread muffins!
Baked Chai Spiced French Toast
Ingredients
Chai spice mixture:
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
French toast:
- 4 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cup whole milk (1% or 2% may be substituted)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon chai spice mixture
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
- 9 cups day-old challah or brioche, cut into 1-inch cubes
Topping:
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon chai spice mixture
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and chopped into small pieces
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the cinnamon, allspice, cardamom, cloves and ginger. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon of the spice mixture.
- Use the softened butter to grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan and place the bread inside the pan, gently pressing it down. Briefly re-whisk the liquid ingredients and pour over the bread, covering all of the exposed bread. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or overnight to allow the mixture to absorb into the bread.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a small bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon chai spice mixture, and salt with a fork. Add the cold butter and press the mixture together, stirring until a crumb topping has formed.
- Uncover the loaf pan and press the bread down gently until the liquid begins seeping up. Spread the topping evenly over the soaked bread. Bake for 50-55 minutes until the top is golden and crunchy.
- Allow to cool for several minutes before slicing and serving.
Please read my full post for additional recipe notes, tips, and serving suggestions!
Nutrition
Recipe Troubleshooting
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Uh yum?! This sounds/ looks delicious!
Yummy! I love the crumble topping and tasty spices!
This is just plain heavenly! I love chai, this looks irresistible :)
A new French Toast recipe to try – sounds delicious :)
I’m a sucker for sweet morning goodies- and this definitely fits the bill. It looks delicious, thanks so much for sharing! I’ll hopefully get around to trying it soon. :)
MMMM! This looks so good! Will definitely be trying out baked french toast! I’ve never heard of it until now!
i can’t wait to make this for my husband, i think he’ll be obsessed with this french toast.
Sounds so delicious, have to try it soon. Beautiful photography and lighting :)
Would almond milk (i.e. Original Almond Breeze) work for this in place of the 2%/whole milk?
Looks delicious!
Sarah
Oh sure. It will just be a bit less creamy. I would use unsweetened almond milk.
I just saw this recipe on your blog and can’t wait to try it! I just recently started to like Chai spice and made my own mix and posted it recently. I am currently working on two other recipes with the spice mix. I have some leftover and I think I will use it in the recipe for Saturday breakfast! Thanks!
Delicious French toast! It was a huge hit! Thanks for the recipe!