diff --git a/docs/index.rst b/docs/index.rst
index 69724435..579078db 100644
--- a/docs/index.rst
+++ b/docs/index.rst
@@ -1003,6 +1003,16 @@ once. To do this, wrap the operations in a ``flush_after()`` callback:
         TagFactory::createMany(200); // instantiated/persisted but not flushed
     }); // single flush
 
+The ``flush_after()`` function forwards the callback’s return, in case you need to use the objects in your tests:
+
+::
+
+    use function Zenstruck\Foundry\Persistence\flush_after;
+
+    [$category, $tag] = flush_after(fn() => [
+        CategoryFactory::createOne(),
+        TagFactory::createOne(),
+    ]);
 
 Not-persisted objects factory
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
diff --git a/src/Persistence/PersistenceManager.php b/src/Persistence/PersistenceManager.php
index 3c1b1acf..324089ff 100644
--- a/src/Persistence/PersistenceManager.php
+++ b/src/Persistence/PersistenceManager.php
@@ -174,13 +174,13 @@ public function save(object $object): object
     }
 
     /**
-     * @param callable():void $callback
+     * @param callable():mixed $callback
      */
-    public function flushAfter(callable $callback): void
+    public function flushAfter(callable $callback): mixed
     {
         $this->flush = false;
 
-        $callback();
+        $result = $callback();
 
         $this->flush = true;
 
@@ -189,6 +189,8 @@ public function flushAfter(callable $callback): void
                 $this->flush($om);
             }
         }
+
+        return $result;
     }
 
     public function flush(ObjectManager $om): void
diff --git a/src/Persistence/functions.php b/src/Persistence/functions.php
index 69afbbf8..364c8123 100644
--- a/src/Persistence/functions.php
+++ b/src/Persistence/functions.php
@@ -149,11 +149,11 @@ function delete(object $object): object
 }
 
 /**
- * @param callable():void $callback
+ * @param callable():mixed $callback
  */
-function flush_after(callable $callback): void
+function flush_after(callable $callback): mixed
 {
-    Configuration::instance()->persistence()->flushAfter($callback);
+    return Configuration::instance()->persistence()->flushAfter($callback);
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/tests/Integration/Persistence/GenericFactoryTestCase.php b/tests/Integration/Persistence/GenericFactoryTestCase.php
index ec3071bc..af504f9c 100644
--- a/tests/Integration/Persistence/GenericFactoryTestCase.php
+++ b/tests/Integration/Persistence/GenericFactoryTestCase.php
@@ -435,16 +435,20 @@ public function flush_after(): void
     {
         $this->factory()::repository()->assert()->empty();
 
-        flush_after(function() {
+        $object = null;
+        $return = flush_after(function() use (&$object) {
             $object = $this->factory()::createOne();
 
             // ensure auto-refresh does not break when in flush_after
             $object->getProp1();
 
             $this->factory()::repository()->assert()->empty();
+
+            return $object;
         });
 
         $this->factory()::repository()->assert()->count(1);
+        self::assertSame($object, $return);
     }
 
     /**