French Toast Casserole
French toast casserole feature pieces of stale Brioche bread soaked in sweet egg and milk/cream mixture and baked in a casserole dish. Using Brioche makes this casserole softer and fluffy, it’s much less dense than when using a French baguette.
Brioche soaks up the egg mixture much better, giving it a pleasant soft texture. One of my favorite bites is when you get a luscious soft middle peace and a crunchy top piece in one bite.
To take this French toast dish over the top, I add a sweet buttery syrup. It’s smooth, soft, creamy, and compliments French toast beautifully. You can pour half over the top of the whole casserole and save some for adding to individual slices.
Remember, you can also add different flavors to your French toast casserole, but the main idea is simple and comforting.
Key Ingredients and Allergy Substitutions
Best bread for French toast – Brioche is our number one choice because it soft, light, sweet, and buttery. If that’s not available, you can also use Challah.
Egg mixture – the egg custard for French toast always features eggs, cream, and sugar as a base. For rich and creamy egg mixture, I like to combine whole milk and heavy whipping cream. You can also use half and half instead of heavy whipping cream.
Dairy Free Options – For dairy free option, use oat milk and remember that brioche bread has dairy in it in a form of milk and butter. So you will not be able to use Brioche in a dairy free casserole. You can use a French baguette but check labels.
Gluten Free Options – use gluten free bread but remember that most of them get quite crumbly when soaked. I am gluten free so I’ve tested a lot of gluten free breads and my personal favorite is Schär artisan white bread, it stands up very well in a casserole.
How To Stale Bread Quickly
Forgot to cut and leave out the bread a day before? NO PROBLEM:
- Preheat the oven to 200°F. Cut the bread into cubes and spread them on a large rimmed baking sheet in one even layer. If the baking sheet is too small, you may need 2. Place the baking sheet(s) into the oven.
- Let them harden for about 1.5–2 hours.
Making French Toast Casserole: Step by Step
- Now that we have the bread nice and stale, it’s time to make the casserole. So pile in all the bread into the greased casserole dish and don’t miss the crumbs! Crumbs are good to fill out the space between the pieces.
- Whisk the egg mixture until it’s completely smooth and pour it over the bread evenly. You will want to give the bread a gentle press all over so that is starts to soak up the mixture.
- Preheat the oven first and bake the casserole for 45-50 minutes until top is golden and center is firm. Lyuba’s Expert Tip: if the top of your casserole is browning too fast but it’s not baked through, place a sheet of aluminum foil on top loosely, don’t close all the way. This will keep the direct heat away from the top but will not slow the baking.
- While casserole is baking, make the sauce. Simmer butter and powdered sugar for a few minutes, while stirring, and then mix in heavy whipping cream and spices. Let it heat through but do NOT let it boil or the heavy whipping cream could overheat and break.
How To Tell If French Toast Casserole Is Done?
My first test is always to touch the middle and see how jiggly it is. If the middle hasn’t baked through yet, it will be quite jiggly and it might feel a little squishy. If it starts to feel firm and yields when you gently press into it, it is fully cooked.
You can also check the internal temperature using an instant digital thermometer in the center of the French toast casserole and aim for 170°F-175°F.
Storing and Reheating Instructions
Store: It’s easy to store leftover casserole in the original baking pan but make sure to cover it air-tight. Store it in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
French toast casserole can be easily reheated in individual pieces, in the microwave. Simply place a piece on the plate and cover with a microwave safe top. Reheat for about a minute, depending on the size of the piece.
If you want to re-heat a large amount, you can do it in the original casserole dish, in the oven. Preheat oven to 325°F and cover the casserole dish with a sheet of aluminum foil, relatively loosely. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until warm inside.
Can I Freeze French Toast Casserole?
Yes but make sure it is BAKED first! Cool the casserole to room temperature before freezing. If you made the casserole in aluminum pan, it’s ready to free it in it. If you used a ceramic casserole pan, transfer it into an aluminum pan. Cover air-tight in a couple of layers of aluminum foil, label, and freeze it for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
Can I Make If Ahead Of Time?
Sure thing. You can put the casserole together the night before and refrigerate it instead of baking. Make sure to cover it air-tight wither with a cling wrap or the lid that comes with the casserole dish. Store in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours before baking. Bake uncovered per instructions but note that it may take a few minutes longer to bake since it starts cold.
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French Toast Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb Brioche loaf
- 10 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Sweet Butter Syrup:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Topping:
- 2 tbsp powdered sugar OPTIONAL
Instructions
How To Stale Bread:
- Cut bread into small, 1-inch cubes and spread the pieces evenly in a large baking sheet and just let them dry for about 24 hours.
- OR
- Preheat oven to 200°F. Cut the bread into cubes. Spread bread cubes on a large rimmed baking sheet and place it into the oven.
- Let them harden for about 1.5–2 hours.
French Toast Casserole:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a casserole dish. You can use a 9×13 casserole dish or a deep 9×9 casserole dish.
- Spread stale bread in the baking dish evenly.
- In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, heavy whipping cream, vanilla extract, sugar, and cinnamon. Whisk until all smooth and combined evenly.
- Pour egg mixture over the Brioche bread cubes evenly, all over. Press down all over the bread so that it all gets soaked.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes in a 9×13 casserole dish, or about 50 minutes in a 9×9 casserole dish.*PRO TIP: If the top is browning too fast, you can cover the top loosely with a sheet of aluminum foil when it starts to brown.
Sweet Butter Syrup:
- Melt butter in a small sauce pot over medium-low heat.
- Whisk in powdered sugar. Whisk and bring it to a gentle simmer. Let it gently simmer, stirring from time to time, for a couple of minutes.
- Whisk in the heavy whipping cream, cinnamon, and nutmeg until combined. Let it heat through. Take off heat and stir in vanilla extract.
- Once French toast casserole is baked, pour half of the prepared syrup all over the top and give it a few minutes to soak through. (Save the rest for adding to individual slices.)
- Dust with powdered sugar if you wish and serve.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
More Breakfast and Brunch Recipes To Try
Originally published on Will Cook For Smiles in April 2019.
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Categories:
Breakfast Recipes, Brunch Recipes, Dessert Recipes, French Toast Recipes, Mother's Day Recipe Ideas,All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
This was an absolute hit! I didn’t make it, but someone I know did. We devoured it like we hadn’t eaten in a month. So good!
I’m so glad it was a hit! Even better when someone else makes it and you still get to enjoy it, right? Thanks for taking the time to share, that made my day!
Delicious enjoyed EVERY bite
I am so happy to hear that!
A good evening refreshment. I’ll serve it with tea so that the kids dip it in and drink/eat. GOod read!
Gabi, That sounds perfect!