Why It's Best To Let Your Egg Bake Sit Overnight

We've all been there — guests are coming for breakfast the next morning, and you want to make something easy so you can actually enjoy their company. This is the perfect opportunity for an egg bake, which is pretty much scrambled eggs combined with hearty chunks of bread, veggies, and other delicious ingredients like sausage or ham, then baked off in a large dish. For the most flavorful egg bake, it is actually not advised to make the dish the same morning. Instead, it is best to prepare it ahead of time and let it sit overnight in the fridge before cooking it. That way, the bread can soak up and meld with the flavor of the eggs, spices, and veggies for optimal taste and texture when you bake it.

The following morning, all you have to do is bake the egg dish in the oven for 50 minutes to an hour at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, for a soft and luxurious baked texture, similar to bread pudding or strawberries and cream French toast casserole. The result is an easy breakfast, perfectly suited for a crowd or simply as a nutritious meal prep win for hassle-free mornings. Of course, if you're short on time, you could let it sit for around five hours to have a similar effect — though eight hours (or overnight) is ideal. Just don't let the raw bake sit in the fridge longer than 24 hours, since that could make the bread soggy.

An egg bake is an excellent opportunity to combine your favorite breakfast ingredients, all in one pan. Just like when making homemade stuffing, though, it's key to choose good, hearty bread with structural integrity to soak up all the flavors of the dish. Most people use French bread for the job, though you could also use slightly sweet, eggy breads like challah or brioche for extra flavor and richness. Use cut-up English muffins and layer them with eggs and ham for a delicious baked egg Benedict brunch casserole. Or layer cubed everything bagels, smoked salmon, and dollops of cream cheese with eggs for a New York deli-inspired breakfast. Stale or crusty leftover bread works great for soaking up all the egg and flavors from the spices, smoked sausage, and veggies as the dish sits prior to baking.

Once you have cut up your crusty bread, place it in a well-buttered baking dish, then layer it with tasty mix-ins like cheese, and finally eggs whisked with salt, pepper, and other seasonings like smoked paprika or chili powder. You can also make the dish bread-free, and incorporate plenty of protein and veggies in the egg bake instead. In this case, letting the dish sit overnight will be less about texture and more about melding the flavor's of the dish for a perfect bake the next morning.