This whole wheat chai blueberry french toast bake is an easy and flavorful way to feed a crowd! Blueberries, chai spices, and maple syrup are bursting throughout this easy make-ahead (or not!) breakfast bake. Includes an easy recipe for whole wheat bread or you can use challah for a time saving shortcut.
I am a HUGE fan of brunch. You can choose to eat savory or (really, “and”) sweet foods, you can eat it right when you wake up or in the early afternoon, and you can sip on a morning cocktail, no problem. Lately we’ve been enjoying a laid back brunch at home on the weekends, consisting of eggs (scrambled for me), bacon, and a spicy homemade home fries-and-onion mixture that really needs to make a blog appearance soon. Sometimes we even eat brunch for dinner. Is that what brinner’s all about?
While I love brunch in and the occasional brunch out, I have to ask: why oh why does there always seem to be a 45+ minute wait? Waiting that long to replenish my life blood, a.k.a. drink coffee is just cruel. On a particularly lazy Sunday morning we decided to stay in and gussy up our typical home brunch with this whole wheat chai blueberry french toast bake, and YES yes yes. This won’t be a one-time occurrence.
In keeping things real, I totally intended to pick up a loaf of challah at the supermarket but forgot it. Really I don’t think they had any so that helped it slip my mind, but whatever. Turns out my one-hour braided honey whole wheat bread was a perfect stand in with its dense nature. I made it the day before whipping up this chai blueberry french toast bake and it was perfect. I used about two-thirds of the loaf for this recipe, so you’ll have a few extra slices to nibble on or use for sandwiches. Using this quick bread also turns up the nutrition on this indulgent brunch dish – 100% whole wheat!
Those blueberries are literally bursting with flavor, and I may have gotten a little creative when portioning out my slice to include as many crisp top bread cubes as possible. They’re too good not to!
Psst – this chai blueberry french toast bake is a recipe remix! A year ago I shared a version using challah, as I hadn’t yet figured out the fabulousness that is one-hour braided honey whole wheat bread. Making this again recently made me remember just how wonderful it is, especially with the whole wheat tweak! Looking back at old posts also makes me freak at how fast time is passing. My first french toast bake is where I shared the news that we were moving. It’s been almost a year since then? Huhwhaa? Utter craziness.
This whole wheat chai blueberry french toast bake is an easy and flavorful way to feed a crowd! Blueberries, chai spices, and maple syrup are bursting throughout this easy make-ahead (or not!) breakfast bake. Includes an easy recipe for whole wheat bread, or use challah for a time-saving shortcut.
- 10-12 oz. honey whole wheat bread, or challah
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup milk (any)
- 3/4 cup chai latte concentrate
- 1/2 cup maple syrup, plus 2 tbsp for drizzle + serving
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
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Grease an 8" x 8" baking dish and set aside. Using a serrated knife, cut bread into 1"-sized cubes and place bread in the dish.
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In a bowl whisk together eggs, milk, chai latte concentrate, 1/2 cup maple syrup, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and ginger. Pour egg mixture over top of the bread cubes and press down a little bit with a spatula or spoon to submerge the bread.
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Scatter blueberries over top of the french toast, then drizzle approx. 2 tbsp maple syrup over top as well.
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At this point, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. I let the french toast sit for 5-10 minutes while the oven preheats so the bread absorbs the liquid. Once the oven has heated, bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed and the top bread pieces are beginning to brown and become crisp. This may take more or less time, depending on your oven. If the top bread pieces are beginning to brown too quickly in relation to the liquid being absorbed, place aluminum foil over the dish and continue baking. Once the liquid is fully absorbed and the french toast is fully cooked, you may optionally place dish under the broiler for a few minutes to help crisp up the top. Remove from oven and let sit for a few minutes before slicing and serving.
If using honey whole wheat bread, you can make the bread a day or two in advance of preparing this french toast bake.
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Zainab says
Oh this looks amazing!!
Alyssa says
Thanks Zainab! 🙂
Mariah @ Mariah's Pleasing Plates says
Brunch is my all time favorite meal on the weekends. We love it! I like the sweet stuff and my husband likes savory. So you have me all excited about this french toast bake…and it is whole wheat so that means I can have as much as I want right? 😉
Pinned!
Alyssa says
Haha yes, absolutely Mariah! Thanks for the pin, friend! 🙂
Ashley says
My favorite part about brunch is that I can have both savory and sweet foods! And I love french toast bakes! This sounds delicious – especially since it’s whole wheat!
Alyssa says
Thanks Ashley! My thoughts exactly. 🙂
Denise | Sweet Peas & Saffron says
I totally agree with you on the brunch situation…anything that requires too much effort is out the window for me! This looks delicious, and I bet your bread tastes amazing in there!
Alyssa says
Thanks Denise! I definitely need something relatively light on effort in the mornings.
Kristine @ Kristine's Kitchen says
Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day, and I’d love to nibble on this french toast bake all morning long! I’m clicking through to check out your one-hour braided bread, as that sounds delicious too!
Alyssa says
Thanks Kristine! 🙂
Danielle says
I could eat breakfast food all day, every day. This french toast looks so delicious and I love that you used your whole wheat bread too!
Alyssa says
Thanks Danielle! I loooove me some breakfast. 🙂
Annie @Maebells says
Ohhh this looks so good! I love that you added the chai element to it! We eat breakfast for dinner at least once a week. It is definitely my favorite thing to cook!
Alyssa says
Breakfast for dinner is one of our favorites! Especially for those nights where we inevitably don’t have anything prepped and our stomachs are growling. So comforting. Thanks Annie!
marcie says
Baked French toast is my favorite kind of breakfast for special days! I love this whole wheat version and the chai sounds delicious!
Alyssa says
Thanks Marcie! Chai definitely gives it a nice touch! 🙂
Kristi @ Inspiration Kitchen says
I love brunch too Alyssa! I’m not a big early morning breakfast fan, but by brunch time, I’m like bring on the breakfast and the bacon! This toast bake looks amazing, and I’m loving the blueberry and chai! Yum! Pinned!
Alyssa says
Thanks Kristi! I agree, most of the time I’m good with a cup (…or two ) of coffee right when I wake up, but after awhile I’m craving brunch food! 🙂