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French Toast Casserole
Published Oct. 20, 2023
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- Total Time
- 1 hour 25 minutes
- Prep Time
- 10 minutes
- Cook Time
- 1 hour 15 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
- 1tablespoon unsalted butter
- 10cups (1-inch) cubed bread, from a large loaf of day-old French bread (see Tip)
- 2cups/480 milliliters whole milk
- 6large eggs
- ¼cup/50 grams lightly packed light brown sugar
- 1½teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
- 4tablespoons/57 grams unsalted butter, melted
- ½cup/100 grams lightly packed light brown sugar
- ½teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch of kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
- Fresh berries, confectioners’ sugar, maple syrup and/or toasted chopped nuts, for serving (optional)
For the Casserole
For the Topping
Preparation
- Step 1
Grease a 9-by-13-inch (or other 14-cup) baking dish with the butter, then place the bread cubes in the pan and spread them into an even layer.
- Step 2
In a medium bowl or large measuring cup, combine the milk, eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and salt. Whisk until smooth. Pour the custard mixture over the bread and press gently to help the bread absorb the liquid. Set aside, covered, for at least 30 minutes at room temperature, or up to 12 hours in the refrigerator.
- Step 3
Heat the oven to 400 degrees and let the casserole sit at room temperature while the oven heats. Meanwhile, make the topping: In a small bowl, mix the butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt with a fork until smooth. Dollop the mixture all over the casserole, then gently spread it with the back of a spoon until the entire surface is covered. (If preparing the casserole the day prior to baking, don’t add the topping until just before it goes into the oven. Reheat the topping, if needed.)
- Step 4
Bake, uncovered, until puffed and golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Cut into squares, and serve hot. Top as desired.
- To dry out bread cubes, spread them on a sheet pan and bake at 350 degrees until dry to the touch but not browned, 10 to 15 minutes.
- To freeze: Assemble the casserole through Step 2 and refrigerate for at least 3 hours (or overnight). Tightly cover with plastic wrap, then foil, and freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then resume the recipe at Step 3.
Private Notes
Cooking Notes
This was delicious. I just used whatever bread I had leftover. I baked it covered for 30 minutes and then uncovered for another 10-15 minutes.
Wondering if this dish would be ok without topping to minimize sugar and fat. Could use powdered sugar or syrup when served. Any thoughts before I try it?
perfect for an overnight bake — add orange zest!!
I think you won't get the crunchy top, but otherwise should be fine. I was going to cut back the sugar in the topping to 1/4 cup.
I’ve made this several times; it’s freaking amazing. I don’t even need or use any syrup, nor does my 6 year old sugar fiend. Today I dusted it with powdered sugar and roasted walnuts and also didn’t have regular milk so I used a homemade walnut milk and it was just as delicious as the original recipe.
Orange zest is a must for next-level french toast!
Made this for Sunday brunch in early August, 2024. Used Albertson croissants. Was very, very good the day I made it. It did not freeze well and the leftovers were mushy and wet when I served it the next week.
I made as is with Starter Bakery brioche (mm). I do recommend a glass cooking dish to be able to see the bottom, and now I see the reason behind only using enough liquid to saturate/cover the bread. I burned the bottom and now need to try to save my Le Creuset pan. It was still a big hit though! I’ll try to cook it again.
Made this when my wife's sister and husband came over for brunch and i was a bit unsure of how it would go over. Answer: it was a bit hit! i thought it might be overly sweet but it was delicious and very easy. Hardest part was cutting up the bread! some of the cubes had no crust and some had some of the outside crust which i think helped the consistency. bottom line very easy to make and pop onto the table with minimum fuss. served with oven fried bacon and some powered sugar.
Cooked as written, except using oat milk and gluten-free bread. It worked perfectly! Delicious and an easy breakfast to serve to guests.
I used Oatmilk bc I didn’t have whole milk and it turned out great. Also, half the sugar in the topping was the way to go. Huge hit at Father’s Day brunch.
I used day old kings Hawaiian rolls and it was delicious.
Made for grad brunch for a group. It was a hit but seemed a Little dry. Next time I’d soak the bread overnight vs a few hours.
Great! Ok to add topping to casserole 2 hours before it goes into the oven. Delicious with arugula-strawberry-blueberry-feta salad. Remember to add cinnamon to brown sugar before adding any liquid.
Delicious. Cut into4x4 squares . Serve promptly. Combine cinnamon and brown sugar and salt before adding liquids
Call it Bread Pudding or French Toast Casserole - either way it’s amazing. We used a sourdough round, a few days old, and added the zest and juice of 1/2 an orange to the egg mixture. Turned out perfect, that crispy topping really takes it up a notch! Can’t wait to add to our next holiday buffet.
Maybe this is a silly question but do you leave the crust on the French bread when you break it into pieces? I can't tell from the pictures whether the crust is on or off. Thank you.
i did half and half and i think leaving the crust on some of the cubes really helped with the consistency. not so mushy!
Halved the recipe and made in 9 inch square pan. Did add orange zest, absolutely delicious!
Add zest of one orange.
Would this work if you needed to use gluten free bread and non-dairy milk?
As I poured the topping on I thought “mmm butter and sugar, this will burn quickly”. Also the temp seems too hot by 50 degrees. My NZ bread and butter pudding recipe is baked at 350f. I added candied peel. Sure enough, it burned. I checked at 25 mins (5minutes early) and all the protruding bits of bread were burnt. Nevertheless I tried it and it tasted pretty good with cream on. Next time I will simply up the amount of sugar in the egg mix to 1/2 c & sprinkle with
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