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    Home » Recipes » Breakfast

    Baked Cornbread French Toast

    Published: Nov 20, 2022 by Alyssa · This post may contain affiliate links.

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    A side view of a pan of baked cornbread french toast with a wedge removed.

    Repurpose leftover cornbread into breakfast for a crowd with this EASY baked cornbread french toast. No need for individual flipping! This simple recipe is sweetened with maple syrup and doesn't require a long soak time.

    A side view of a pan of baked cornbread french toast with a wedge removed.

    I baked my honey cornbread three times in the week I finalized that recipe and took photos. With a household of two, it's safe to say I contemplated different ways to use up leftover cornbread quite a bit!

    Cornbread croutons have long been a favorite for repurposing an odd two or three leftover slices, but I was dealing with volume this time and didn't need a mountain of croutons.

    With baked panettone french toast in mind, I took that simple framework of milk, eggs, and maple syrup and applied it to leftover cornbread for a fun and festive breakfast perfect for after Thanksgiving.

    Reasons to Love This Recipe

    • Have you made a batch of cornbread for Instant Pot turkey chili and are now wondering how to get through the rest before it goes stale? This recipe uses less than one whole batch of cornbread, making it the perfect thing to make to reduce food waste.
    • Who wants to stand at the stove and babysit individual small slices of cornbread french toast? This baked "casserole" of sorts will serve nine and is prepped all at once.
    • You don't have to prep this way ahead of time, rather it soaks up the liquid in the time it takes for the oven to pre-heat.
    • This quantity of liquid ingredients does not overly sog up the cornbread, so slices will hold their shapes well when slicing and serving.

    Recipe Ingredients

    Cornbread french toast ingredients in separate containers and labeled with text.
    • Cornbread: Leftover cornbread is best as it's a bit staler and less moist. All cornbread recipes can yield a different amount, but you'll need one pound of prepared cornbread, which is around 6 cups of cubes.
    • Milk: I recommend using milk with at least a 2% milkfat percentage.
    • Maple Syrup: This amount can vary! If your cornbread is sweet and you don't like overly sweet breakfasts, I would stick with adding 4 tablespoons. Increase this amount if your cornbread isn't that sweet or if you like sweeter french toast.

    Easy Recipe Steps

    1. Generously grease baking dish with unsalted butter.
    2. Slice cornbread into cubes around ¾- to 1-inch wide.
    A pat of butter in a glass pan (left) and cornbread cubes being chopped on a board (right).
    1. Whisk together the rest of the ingredients: milk, eggs, maple syrup, cinnamon, and salt.
    2. Lightly press the cubed cornbread into an even layer in the prepared baking dish.
    Milk, eggs, maple syrup, vanilla, and cinnamon in a bowl (left) and cornbread cubes in a pan (right).
    1. Slowly pour the whisked egg/milk mixture over the cornbread, ensuring that each piece is moistened. Lightly press down on the cornbread with a spoon or spatula to help it soak up the liquid even more.
    Liquid ingredients being poured over the cornbread cubes in a baking dish.
    1. Bake at 350°F for 40-45 minutes, or until the surface is golden-brown and the center is no longer liquid-y but is set. Serve warm with a dusting of powdered sugar and maple syrup.
    Baked cornbread french toast in a square pan topped with powdered sugar.

    Recipe Tips and Tricks

    • Adjust the sweetness. This recipe is a bit tricky to make precise as everyone is starting with different prepared cornbread. If your cornbread is not on the sweet side, consider adding more maple syrup to the milk and egg mixture, or adding a few tablespoons of granulated sugar.
    • It's not swimming in liquid. As cornbread is less sturdy and more crumbly than the more traditional breads you'd use when making regular french toast (like challah in challah french toast - yum), I didn't want an excess of milk and eggs to cause the cornbread is mush up entirely while this dish bakes. The liquid will not entirely submerge the bread, which is a good thing!
    • Simple serving options. Just prior to serving, dust the top of this baked cornbread french toast with confectioners' sugar and serve with maple syrup. Adding a nice drizzle of maple syrup is also a good way to bump up the sweetness so everyone can add enough to their taste.
    A square of french toast on a small plate drizzled with maple syrup.

    Related Recipes

    • Honey Cornbread
    • How to Make Cornbread Croutons
    • Gruyere Cornbread Strata
    • Easy Blueberry Cornbread Waffles

    If you’ve enjoyed this recipe, I’d love for you to leave a star rating in the recipe card and/or a comment review below!

    A side view of a pan of baked cornbread french toast with a wedge removed.

    Baked Cornbread French Toast

    Repurpose leftover cornbread into breakfast for a crowd with this EASY baked cornbread french toast. No need for individual flipping! This simple recipe is sweetened with maple syrup and doesn't require a long soak time.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Breakfast
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 23 minutes
    Cook Time: 40 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour 3 minutes
    Servings: 9
    Calories: 228kcal
    Author: Alyssa

    Ingredients

    • 16 ounces (454g) leftover cornbread (6 cups cubed)
    • ¾ cup (180 ml) milk I use 2%
    • 3 large eggs
    • ¼ cup (60 ml) pure maple syrup up to ½ cup (see note)
    • ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
    • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • Pinch of salt
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    Instructions

    • Grease an 8-inch square baking dish with butter or spray with cooking spray. Set aside for now.
    • Slice cornbread into cubes roughly ¾-inch wide, then arrange in an even layer in the prepped baking dish.
    • Add milk, eggs, maple syrup, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt to a mixing bowl and whisk well to combine.
    • Drizzle the milk mixture evenly over top of the cornbread, working to moisten every piece. Lightly press down on the cornbread with a spatula to soak everything.
    • Now heat the oven to 350°F (177°C), allowing the pan of cornbread french toast to sit and soak up the liquid during the 10-15 minute period it takes for the oven to preheat.
    • Once the oven has heated, bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the center has set and the surface has crisped. If the surface is browning too quickly, tent a piece of aluminum foil over top of the dish until it's fully-cooked.
    • Let it cool off some before serving. Serve with a shake of powdered sugar, berries, and drizzles of maple syrup.

    Notes

    Cornbread: This recipe was tested with a more "Northern" style honey cornbread, one that includes one-third cup of honey in its batter. It has not been tested with a Southern-type cornbread which tends to be much crumblier with very little to no added sweetener. If using Southern cornbread this may work, but you likely would have to bump up the maple syrup considerably and/or add sugar.
    Maple Syrup:  If your cornbread is not that sweet (or if you'd prefer a french toast bake on the sweeter side), you may consider increasing the maple syrup, up to doubling it, or adding a few tablespoons of sugar to the milk and egg mixture.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1square (out of 9) | Calories: 228kcal | Carbohydrates: 35.4g | Protein: 6.9g | Fat: 6.5g | Saturated Fat: 1.7g | Cholesterol: 82mg | Sodium: 490mg | Potassium: 146mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 6.3g | Calcium: 201mg | Iron: 2mg
    Tried this Recipe?Tag @mysequinedlife - I love to see what you're making!

    Nutritional information is provided as an estimate. As it can vary due to many factors (brands used, quantities, etc.), we cannot guarantee its accuracy.

    Food Safety and Nutrition Disclaimer
    « Pear Crumble
    Leftover Thanksgiving Sandwich »
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    Comments

    1. Alison says

      January 03, 2023 at 7:10 pm

      5 stars
      This was really good. I had an excess of sweet corn bread and didnt know what to do with it. This was the perfect thing for it! I used a few tablespoons of maple syrup in the recipe and topped with warmed mixed berries and maple syrup. Delicious. Thank you!

      Reply
      • Alyssa says

        January 05, 2023 at 9:51 pm

        You're welcome, Alison! I'm so glad you liked it. 🙂

        Reply

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