Brioche French Toast Casserole Recipe

Our Brioche French Toast Casserole Recipe makes a perfect breakfast for weekend mornings or special occasions like holiday brunch, Easter morning, or Mother’s Day.

My girls have requested this easy french toast casserole recipe for Christmas morning. And I have to say, during a busy morning like that, I welcome a quick way to create a hearty breakfast that the whole family can enjoy.

This breakfast recipe can be baked right away or can be prepared as an overnight french toast casserole recipe.

Why You’ll Love This French This Recipe

• Ready in 1 Hour! With just a couple of ingredients, you can whip this baked french toast casserole up and have it on the table in just about an hour.
• Beautiful Texture! It can be a challenge to prevent a soggy casserole when it features an egg mixture. However, the soft texture of the brioche soaks up the liquid, and the top gets deliciously crunchy during baking.
• Traditional french toast in a casserole form! This great recipe skips all the steps of making individual pieces of french toast and streamlines the process into just a few steps. If you’ve never made this type of easy breakfast casserole, you will be pleasantly surprised.

What’s the difference between French Toast Casserole and Bread Pudding?

They are pretty similar. French toast differs from bread pudding mostly in the way that it is prepared. Traditional french toast includes soaking pieces of bread in an egg, milk, and vanilla extract mixture, and frying them in a pan on the stovetop.

A bread pudding is baked in a dish but sometimes has raisins or other fruit in it. It can also be served with a sauce. There is more egg-milk mixture poured over the bread which creates a more moist texture. Since our recipe is baked in a casserole dish, like a bread pudding, but doesn’t add a lot of liquid, you really get the best of both worlds.

Equipment Needed

• Large bowl or measuring cup
• 9×13 casserole dish
• Whisk
• Non-stick cooking spray

Ingredients

• Buttery brioche bread – Brioche is a sturdy bread that is a great choice when making a french toast recipe. It has a beautiful golden color, rich sweetness, and a soft texture that makes it perfect for soaking up the egg mixture.
• Whole Milk – You can use heavy cream, if that’s what you have on hand. See how to use it in our Pro Tip section of this post.
• Brown Sugar – We add this to the egg mixture to give it a hint of caramel to this delicious breakfast.

*Please scroll down to the recipe card for specific ingredient amounts.

Instructions

Step 1. Preheat the oven to 350℉ degrees.  Spray a 9″x13″ baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

Step 2. Cut the bread slices into 1-inch cubes. Place the cubed bread into the prepared pan. Set aside.

Step 3. Crack eggs into a large mixing bowl.  Add salt and whisk together.

Step 4. Add the brown sugar, milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla to the egg mixture and whisk until combined.  

Step 5. Pour the custard mixture over the bread, pressing down to moisten and coat all the pieces.

Step 6. Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until the top is golden brown, and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Step 7. Sprinkle the top of the casserole with powdered sugar and serve with fresh fruit and maple syrup.

Pro Tip

We used whole milk for this recipe. However, we’ve had great results with using heavy cream as well. If you are using heavy cream, pour 3/4 cup heavy cream into a liquid measuring cup. Add enough water to reach the 1 1/2 cup line. This is the equivalent of using whole milk. We do not recommend replacing the whole milk with the same amount of heavy cream.    

Storage and Freezing

Store leftovers in the refrigerator, in an airtight container, and serve within 3-4 days. 

Wrap individual servings in plastic wrap, then toss in a freezer Ziploc and Freeze for up to 2 months. Servings can be heated up for a minute or two in the microwave.

Substitutions

• Challah Bread or French Baguette – Our first pick for a substitution in this easy french toast bake is Challah. It has the same buttery taste as brioche but is usually braided. You could also use crusty french bread, although it tends to be firmer. We would recommend this type of bread if you are preparing the casserole a day in advance.
• Use stale bread – Although we’ve used fresh bread for this recipe, using bread that is a couple of days old is a perfectly good option. The drier crust would help to keep the casserole from getting soggy. Be sure to watch the top of the casserole when baking and cover it with foil in the last 20 minutes or so to prevent over-browning.

NOTES/FAQs

• Some recipes for french toast casseroles call for buttering the pan. I never have good success doing this, as the butter tends to burn, especially in a glass pan. I like nonstick cooking spray the best.
• Can you use another bread? You can certainly use what you have on hand. We recommend brioche or challah bread because of its sturdiness despite its soft texture. A different kind of bread would work, but you may get a slightly different result.
• If using firmer bread, the overnight version would be a better choice because the custard would have a chance to soak into the bread.
• Tear the bread into pieces instead of cutting it into cubes. I like to cut the bread for a more uniform look, but torn bread works just as well.
• If not baking immediately, cover with aluminum foil, and place in the fridge overnight to bake the next day. Bring to room temperature while the oven is preheating. I usually bake the casserole for closer to 55 minutes when it’s been in the refrigerator overnight.

Variations

• Chocolate Chips – Sprinkle them on top of this easy breakfast casserole.
• Fresh Blueberries – Add 1 cup of fresh berries before pouring the egg mixture over the bread cubes.
• Streusel Topping – Add your favorite cinnamon streusel to the top of the casserole before baking.

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