The Better Version Of French Toast You’ll Want To Make All Year Long

When I came back home during my first holiday break in college, I went straight to the kitchen (after greeting my dog first, obviously). We all knew not having a kitchen would take a toll on me, mostly around the holidays when I’d bake seasonal cookies and cupcakes for all of my friends and family.

That’s why, when I was home that December, I begged my mom to let me make a special Christmas morning brunch. It was only the second week of the month, but I got to planning right away. My Pinterest feed looked promising, but I wanted to try something new that wasn’t gingerbread or peppermint-based.

I finally found an off-season recipe that would be perfect for my holiday spread: a blueberry French toast bake.

Even though this was a new recipe to me, I ended up winging much of the process and some of the ingredients, like I do with most other recipes. Yes, I know it’s a major no-no when it comes to baking, because there is actual science involved. But it worked out anyways. At the time, I copied the recipe almost exactly with some tweaks here and there. But now, I don’t eat dairy or eggs, so I altered the recipe to fit my new diet. This recipe is pretty straightforward, but I was still scared to taste the tofu-based custard. Surprisingly, it tasted so similar to the egg-filled custard I made the first time.

This bake ended up being a perfect breakfast, since I believe that eating is always better than cooking for hours first thing in the morning. You just pop it in the oven, stir up a quick batch of blueberry sauce, and after about 45 minutes, it’s ready to go. This recipe is so powerful, it made me actually enjoy a cup of black coffee (I still can’t even believe it).

You can find the best red casserole dish for this recipe here.

Check out the ingredients and instructions below to make the bake for your own holiday meal, weekend brunch, or weekday breakfast.

1. Grease a 9×13 casserole dish.
2. Cube the baguette and spread it throughout the dish, covering the bottom.
3. Combine the tofu, milk, sugars, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt in a blender until it’s smooth and creamy. If it’s too thick, add a little more milk.
4. Pour the custard evenly all over the bread cubes.
5. Sprinkle fresh blueberries coated in flour over the top.
6. Cover it and refrigerate overnight.
7. The next morning, preheat the oven to 375ºF.
8. Cover it with foil and bake for 25 min.
9. Remove the foil and bake for an extra 20 to 30 minutes.
10. Let it cool slightly, then serve it warm with blueberry sauce on top.