This overnight french toast bake has layers of juicy pears and pockets of creamy mascarpone. Not overly sweet, this pear french toast casserole is the perfect special breakfast treat you can make ahead of time then just bake fresh in the morning. Step-by-step photos teach you how to bake this recipe!

just baked creamy pear overnight baked french casserole next to a cup of coffee, pears and white plates on a white marble surface with a floral linen

Weekends are made for brunchin' and enjoying family and friends. This overnight pear French toast bake is made for that! I developed this recipe for Easter Brunch with my friends at USA Pears. Making this overnight with little prep time is a major appeal, especially for a holiday brunch. Would be delicious for Christmas morning too! The recipe starts off with some brioche bread, a simple custard, bits of mascarpone cheese, or cream cheese, and then is filled with sliced juicy pears. I used Bartlett pears but you could use D'anjou pears too!

I started developing this recipe based on my best ever french toast recipe and my bread and butter pudding recipe.

Another Easter favorite is my Easter Cake it's a Neopolitan marble layer cake- so so good! Or my mini egg blondies.

syrup poured on top of pear french toast bake on a white marble surface with a floral linen

Let's get to the recipe

This post was sponsored by USA Pears. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Confessions of a Baking Queen possible.

Ingredients

For this delicious breakfast bake you will need:

Brioche Sliced Bread. You want the bread to be stale or dried out. If you prefer you could cut the bread up to make bread cubes but I like the ease of full bread slices. The best bread for French toast is Brioche, Challah, or French Baguette.
Whole Milk. You can use 2% milk but this is a treat, so using full-fat milk will just give you a better flavor!
Heavy Whipping Cream. I like to add a little bit of cream for a creamier flavor.
Melted Butter. Adding a little butter provides extra delicious flavor and richness to the french toast.
Whole Eggs + Egg Yolks. The eggs help give not only that classic slightly eggy flavor and provides richness to the custard.
Light Brown Sugar. The brown sugar sweetens the french toast bake beautifully. I love the warmth of brown sugar but you could use white sugar if you prefer.
Ground Cinnamon. If cinnamon isn't your thing feel free to leave it out. Ground nutmeg would be scrumptious too!
Pinch of Salt. A little salt brings the other ingredients flavor profiles out. Don't skip it!
Pure Vanilla Extract. The warm flavor of vanilla compliments beautiful with the pears.
Bartlett Pears. You could also use D'anjoy pears. You want to peel and slice them not too thin but not too thick. Learn more about the different types of pears on USA Pears Website.
Mascarpone Cheese or Cream Cheese. The little pockets of creamy cheese add another layer of delicious texture to the french toast bake.
Confectioners Sugar. I like to add a lite layer of confectioners sugar for looks, I feel like it just finishes it off.

What if my bread isn't stale yet? Place the bread on a sheet tray and bake in a preheated 300F/149C oven for 5-10 minutes depending on how fresh your bread is. Let cool before using.

If you want you could serve the French toast bake with a little drizzle of maple syrup or honey but it doesn't need a lot. Don't miss my easy pear bundt cake recipe next.

For ingredient quantities please reference the recipe card below. On the recipe card there is a button for US or M (Metric) measurements.

Instructions

If the brioche is not stale then you need to cook it to get rid of some of the moisture- otherwise, you will end up with a soggy french toast recipe. To dry the bread heat the oven to 350F/180C and place the slices in a single layer on a baking sheet, bake for 10 minutes then flip to the other side and bake for another 5 minutes. Let bread cool.

In a large bowl mix together the milk, cream, butter, eggs, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla extract. Make sure to mix until no trace of the egg is left behind. Lightly butter or coat in cooking spray a deep-dish 9" pie dish, 9" square pan, or deep skillet and set aside.

wet ingredients in a large glass measuring bowl on a white marble surface with a floral linen

Take each piece of bread and dip it in the milk egg mixture then place it in the prepared dish.

slice of bread dipped in custard mixture in a glass bowl on a white marble surface with a floral linen

Add slices of pears and little chunks of mascarpone in between the layers. I use a small cookie scoop to make balls of mascarpone easier to scatter.

peeled and sliced pears on a small wood cutting board

sliced pears and balls of mascarpone added to french toast bake in a ceramic pie dish on a white marble surface with a floral linen

Pour the remaining custard mixture evenly over the whole french toast bake. Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

custard mixture poured on top of pear french toast casserole before baking on a white marble surface with a floral linen

In the morning take the French toast bake out of the fridge and set it on the counter for 30 minutes to take the chill off. Preheat the oven to 350F/ 180C. Remove the plastic wrap from the dish, generously sprinkle coarse sugar on top if you'd like and lightly cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes, remove foil and bake for an additional 20-30 minutes.

close up of pear and cream french toast before baking in a ceramic dish

The bread will puff up and be a rich golden brown when finished. You are looking for an internal temperature the internal temperature should be a minimum of 170F/77C, the inside of the pudding should be set but still have a slow wobble.

Let cool for 10 minutes then serve. Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 5 days. Delicious served warm or cold, with maple syrup or confectioners sugar.

To reheat leftovers cover the dish in foil and bake in a preheated 300F/149C oven for 25-35 minutes or until heated through.