French Toast Casserole
This delightful casserole can be prepped the night before baking or even a full 24 hours ahead of time. Bake for about 45 minutes if you want more of a bread pudding consistency but if you like the top to have a crisp texture, bake for a full hour before serving.
Servings: 12 people
Calories: 350kcal
Equipment
- 9 x 13 baking or casserole dish
Ingredients
French Toast:
- Butter, for greasing baking dish
- 1 loaf French bread or sourdough
- 10 large eggs
- 2 cups whole milk
- ½ cup half and half or whipping cream, can just add more milk if desired
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar, packed firm
- 2 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
Topping:
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup brown sugar, packed firm
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp nutmeg, freshly grated
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup butter, cold, cut into pieces
Topping options for serving:
- Warm syrup
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
- whipped cream
- chopped pecans
- melted butter
Instructions
For the French Toast:
- Generously grease a 9 x 13 casserole dish with butter. Cut 1 loaf French bread or sourdough loaf into 1-inch cubes and distribute evenly in the casserole dish.
- In a large bowl, add 10 eggs, 2 cups milk, ½ cup half and half, ½ cup granulated sugar, ½ cup brown sugar, 2 Tablespoons vanilla, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Whisk together until well combined. Slowly pour the egg mixture over all of the bread. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator so the egg mixture can finish soaking all of the bread; at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.
For the Topping:
- Mix ½ cup flour, ½ cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon nutmeg, and ¼ teaspoon salt in a separate bowl. Stir together with a fork. Add ½ cup cold butter and with a pastry cutter, mix it all together until the butter is broken up into pea-size crumbles. Store covered or in a resealable plastic bag in the refrigerator until ready to bake the casserole.
Bake the French Toast Casserole:
- When you're ready to bake the casserole, preheat the oven to 325° F. Remove the casserole from the refrigerator, uncover it, and evenly sprinkle the topping mixture over it. Bake the casserole for 45 minutes if you like a softer bread pudding texture, or for one hour if you want the top more crisp and the French toast to be more firm (both are excellent).
- Remove the casserole from the oven and cut into individual servings or just scoop out with a large spoon. Top with melted butter, warm syrup, and 1 cup fresh blueberries.
Options for additional toppings or add ins:
- Additional toppings include freshly whipped cream for more of a dessert option; toasted or candied pecans, chopped. Any other berries are great including raspberries or cranberries (Cranberries are excellent if you add it to the chopped bread before pouring the egg mixture over. Then the cranberries soften and kind of melt into the custard. This is possible with the blueberries too, if desired).
- Leftovers will keep wonderfully for about three days in the refrigerator, though if the top of the casserole was crisp at first baking, it softens up in storage. Reheat in the oven or microwave.
Notes
- The French toast casserole is equally good when refrigerated for four hours before baking as it is if refrigerating for 24 hours beforehand. Four hours is the minimum to help the egg mixture to soak the bread.
- Delicious with fresh berries sprinkled on top at serving, the casserole is also great if you add some berries into the casserole with the bread cubes.
- If you like nuts, add some to the topping before baking for added crunch and flavor.
Nutrition
Calories: 350kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 167mg | Sodium: 285mg | Potassium: 187mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 25g | Vitamin A: 529IU | Calcium: 109mg | Iron: 2mg