Maple Sausage French Toast Bake

Maple Sausage French Toast Bake is a sweet and savory dish perfect for the holidays but so scrumptious you’ll want it all year long!

The Best Make-Ahead Breakfast Casserole

Is there anything as wonderful on Christmas morning as a scrumptious, make-ahead breakfast casserole? 

This savory maple toast recipe is super easy to assemble and refrigerate at night. Pop this luscious sausage & French toast bake on Christmas morning right into the oven. 

Now sit back and let the sweet, mouth-watering aroma fill your home while you enjoy a cup of coffee and watch the kids open their presents from Santa!

Other Recipes to Serve with French Toast Bake

• Grandma’s Potatoes make an excellent addition to any special breakfast! They aren’t fancy, but they ARE spectacular! 
• Egg Muffins are versatile, high in protein, and quickly made in advance. Just warm and serve!

Ingredients

Sausage: A pound of pork breakfast sausage is ideal for this maple French toast bake, but you could also use chicken or turkey sausage if that’s your preference!

French Toast: The rest of this delicious breakfast casserole uses the same ingredients as regular French toast, just in a larger quantity – a loaf of French bread, milk (whole or 2%, but you can even use half-n-half for a richer taste), and eggs.

Seasonings: Add the warm, rich flavors to this breakfast bake with brown sugar, maple syrup, and a pinch of salt.

How to Make Maple Sausage French Toast Bake

STEP ONE: Brown the sausage in a large skillet over medium heat, being sure to break up the meat as it cooks. Drain any excess grease from the pan and set that aside for now.

STEP TWO: Cut the French bread into 1-inch cubes and transfer them into a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl combine the eggs, milk, salt, one tablespoon of brown sugar, and two tablespoons of maple syrup. Pour this mixture over the bread cubes and toss coat each piece.

STEP THREE: Mix half the bread into a coated 9×13 baking dish. Add sausage over the first layer of bread. Add the remaining bread as the top layer. Sprinkle the remaining brown sugar evenly over the top, then drizzle the rest of the syrup. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

STEP FOUR: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Take the casserole out of the fridge and uncover it. Bake for 1 hour or until the top is nice and golden brown. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Tips for Success

• Cut precooked sausage links into fourths if you need a super fast assembly. The texture will be chunkier, but the flavor won’t change.
• When cutting bread, always use a serrated knife to simplify the process. 
• For a beautiful Christmas morning presentation, serve with an extra drizzle of warmed maple syrup, a dollop of fresh whipped cream, and a side of berries.

What’s the Difference Between Pancake Syrup and Maple Syrup?

The difference is HUGE – just read the labels! Maple Syrup will have one ingredient: Maple syrup. “Pancake Syrup” suffers from imposter syndrome and often contains no maple. It’s a cheap alternative in every way. It costs less because it’s made from high fructose corn syrup, sodium benzoate, cellulose gum, and about a half dozen other artificial ingredients.

How Do You Make Maple Sausage?

Maple sausage (and maple bacon!) is so yummy! Before cooking the sausage, drizzle a little maple syrup onto the raw patties and let them sit for a few minutes so the maple flavor can soak into the meat. Cook in your skillet or oven as you normally would, and enjoy!

Other Fabulous French Toast Recipes!

• Lemon and Blueberry French Toast Bake
• Overnight Caramel French Toast
• Peach Raspberry Slow-Cooker French Toast
• Crunchy French Toast Sticks
• Eggnog French Toast Bake
• Berry French Toast Cups

*This post was originally posted on 05/09/2013.