Sheet Pan Brown Sugar French Toast

Baked French Toast is the crowd-pleasing breakfast or brunch recipe the whole family will love. Made with rich brown sugar store-bought brioche, this easy recipe is ready from start to finish in under 20 minutes!

Crispy, buttery edges, soft custardy center, and perfectly caramelized on both sides, using a sheet pan is the best way to make a bunch of French toast all at once! I used a sheet pan for this brioche French toast instead of a casserole dish.

With a little brown sugar for rich, caramel flavor, this recipe uses all the same ingredients you’d use for traditional French toast. And instead of a skillet or casserole dish, I used a sheet pan!

This recipe uses all the same ingredients you’d use typical French toast but only needs one pan and they can all cook at the same time!

You’ll need these ingredients

Brioche (plain or flavored, the Trader Joe’s Pumpkin one is really good!)
Eggs
Half and half
Brown sugar
Cinnamon and nutmeg
Vanilla extract
Butter
Salt
Maple syrup, pumpkin butter, berries, or powdered sugar for topping

Ingredients make a huge difference. Starting with the bread.

What’s the best bread to use?

I prefer Trader Joe’s Sliced Brioche bread for making French toast. I’ve made this recipe using both the plain one available all year long and their Pumpkin Brioche Twist (featured below) for a fall treat.

I tested several different types of bread. I grew up with plain french toast – using Merita brand white bread. That was fine. When making this recipe, I tried a store brand and an inexpensive national brand of brioche bread (think Nature’s Own or Sara Lee) recently.

But bakery-style brioche is by far my favorite and what I recommend. Once you try it, you will say the same. No doubt. Brioche is full of butter. It’s light and airy and flavorful all on its own.

You can also use challah. Either bread will soak up the egg custard without becoming soggy which is the key for that caramelized finish and custardy but cooked center.

TIP: Challah is more dense. As such, it can stand to sit longer in the egg mixture without breaking down. So, if you want to prep this French toast overnight, use challah instead of brioche.

Get the best flavor

Using good cream or milk and eggs is important but so are your spices and vanilla extract.

I use mostly cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg and vanilla extract to infuse the custard with warm flavors.

While you can use regular sugar, the brown sugar adds caramel notes to the recipe and offers a bit more depth.

Make the recipe dairy-free

You can absolutely swap in an equal amount of oat milk creamer or full-fat coconut milk for half and half to make the recipe without milk

Using coconut milk will work great in the same quantity as the half and half. It also adds a coconutty, tropical flair. It will also work well with the pumpkin brioche.

Do you have to use parchment?

No. You can absolutely skip the parchment and cook them directly on the sheet pan.

If you do this, I recommend generously buttering the sheet pan and also adding a bit of pan spray to ensure the bread doesn’t stick. Pop the sheet pan into the oven while it preheats. When ready, quickly add the already coated bread to the sheet pan and cook.

Healthy French toast recipe?

As I’ve said before, not everything has to be healthy. This recipe is not a healthy one.

French toast is definitely one of the more indulgent brunch or breakfast recipes that I enjoy from time to time without any worries. While I don’t want it every day, it’s a fun Sunday meal and perfect for holidays and feeding friends during a girl’s or couple’s weekend.

You can add strawberries, blackberries, or blueberries on top to add a dose of fiber and antioxidants. Or if in the fall try cooked apples or pears for a sweet topping. These won’t automatically make it a healthy recipe. I just like to add a pop of flavor and nutrition whenever possible!

This recipe is easy to double or half.