French Toast Casserole:
This French toast casserole is perfect for breakfast, brunch, or any get together, especially for the holidays and to feed a crowd. The best part of this casserole is that you can use various kinds of day-old bread to make it, not just the one in this recipe. I usually use whatever bread I have on hand Italian, French, challah, even white bread. You can even use cinnamon swirl bread for this recipe to shake things up a bit. You can also add variety to this casserole by topping it with your favorite flavors or nuts such as cinnamon, syrup, pecans, walnuts, cranberries, bacon, just to name a few. You can prepare this casserole the night before and bake it in the morning, or you can bake it immediately. If you refrigerate it overnight, the casserole will absorb more of the milk mixture and it will result in a fluffier, more custardy texture. Now, let's cook!
Course: Breakfast
Servings: 6-8
Cuisine: American
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total time: 55 minutes
Ingredients:
For Topping:
Optional Toppings for serving:
Instructions:
1.Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Make sure the oven rack is in the center position.
2.Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray or coat generously with butter.
3.Cut the bread into 1-inch cubes. If you prefer, you can just break the bread apart with your hand into small pieces. Make sure you leave the crust on.
4.Layer the bread into the baking dish. Make sure you add enough bread to cover the bottom of the pan. This is where you can sprinkle any additional toppings or add syrup – between the layers. Continue to layer the bread (and toppings if you have any).
5.Prepare and add the mixture: In a bowl, whisk the eggs together. Add the milk, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla extract and mix well. Pour the mixture evenly over all of the bread. I make sure to move the bread around in the pan to make sure it all gets covered in the egg mixture evenly.
6.Prepare and drizzle topping: In a small bowl, melt the butter, then mix in the brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. Use a spoon to drizzle the mixture all over the bread chunks.
7.Bake the casserole uncovered at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes (takes about 38 minutes or so). If you want the bread a bit crunchier, then bake it a few minutes longer. If you prefer, you can also cover it and refrigerate it overnight to bake in the morning.
8.Remove the casserole from the oven and place it on a cooling rack for about 10 minutes before serving. Now you can add any additional toppings you like, serve with maple syrup and enjoy!
This French toast casserole is perfect for breakfast, brunch, or any get together, especially for the holidays and to feed a crowd. The best part of this casserole is that you can use various kinds of day-old bread to make it, not just the one in this recipe. I usually use whatever bread I have on hand Italian, French, challah, even white bread. You can even use cinnamon swirl bread for this recipe to shake things up a bit. You can also add variety to this casserole by topping it with your favorite flavors or nuts such as cinnamon, syrup, pecans, walnuts, cranberries, bacon, just to name a few. You can prepare this casserole the night before and bake it in the morning, or you can bake it immediately. If you refrigerate it overnight, the casserole will absorb more of the milk mixture and it will result in a fluffier, more custardy texture. Now, let's cook!
Course: Breakfast
Servings: 6-8
Cuisine: American
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total time: 55 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 large loaf day old crusty bread (French, Italian, challah, sourdough, ciabatta, or any other you have)
- 6 large eggs
- 1 ¾ cups of milk (whole, almond, cashew, soy)
- ½ cup of granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
For Topping:
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted
- 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Optional Toppings for serving:
- Maple syrup
- Honey
- Powdered sugar
- Dried cranberries
- Bacon
- Chopped walnuts or pecans
Instructions:
1.Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Make sure the oven rack is in the center position.
2.Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray or coat generously with butter.
3.Cut the bread into 1-inch cubes. If you prefer, you can just break the bread apart with your hand into small pieces. Make sure you leave the crust on.
4.Layer the bread into the baking dish. Make sure you add enough bread to cover the bottom of the pan. This is where you can sprinkle any additional toppings or add syrup – between the layers. Continue to layer the bread (and toppings if you have any).
5.Prepare and add the mixture: In a bowl, whisk the eggs together. Add the milk, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla extract and mix well. Pour the mixture evenly over all of the bread. I make sure to move the bread around in the pan to make sure it all gets covered in the egg mixture evenly.
6.Prepare and drizzle topping: In a small bowl, melt the butter, then mix in the brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. Use a spoon to drizzle the mixture all over the bread chunks.
7.Bake the casserole uncovered at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes (takes about 38 minutes or so). If you want the bread a bit crunchier, then bake it a few minutes longer. If you prefer, you can also cover it and refrigerate it overnight to bake in the morning.
8.Remove the casserole from the oven and place it on a cooling rack for about 10 minutes before serving. Now you can add any additional toppings you like, serve with maple syrup and enjoy!