This Brioche French Toast Casserole makes a perfect breakfast for weekend mornings or special occasions like holiday brunch, Easter morning, or Mother's Day.
My girls always request 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. It is a decadent breakfast, but making it for that specific holiday morning is a tradition that I look forward to every year.
I have often served this for weekend brunch because it easily serves a crowd. If I feel really ambitious, I will make some Homemade Cinnamon Rolls or Orange Scones. But most often, I pair this with Maple Bacon.
This breakfast recipe can be baked immediately or prepared as an overnight French toast casserole recipe and baked the next day. Letting the egg mixture soak into the bread overnight creates a super delicious dish.
Why You'll Love This Easy Breakfast Recipe
- Ready in 1 Hour! With just a couple of simple 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 best part about brioche is that it has a soft texture that 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 mainly in how 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. 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.
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. I recommend this type of bread if you are preparing the casserole a day in advance.
- Use stale bread - Although I'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.
- 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.
- Non-dairy - Oat milk or almond milk can be used in this recipe. Because the fat content is not as high as in regular milk, there might be a slight texture change.
- Dark Brown Sugar - Brown sugar is added to the egg mixture to give it a hint of caramel to this delicious breakfast. Dark brown sugar will work as well.
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.
- Cinnamon Streusel Topping - Add your favorite cinnamon streusel mixture to the top of the casserole before baking. I have a great Streusel recipe that I use on my Buttermilk Blueberry Coffee Cake.
Ingredients
*Please scroll down to the recipe card for specific ingredient amounts and the full recipe.
Instructions
Step 1. Preheat the oven to 350℉ degrees. Spray a 9" x 13" 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 top of 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, a drizzle of maple syrup, and some fresh fruit.
Storage and Freezing
If you're not baking immediately, cover it with aluminum foil and place it 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.
Store leftovers in the refrigerator, in an airtight container, and serve within 3-4 days.
Wrap individual servings in plastic wrap, then place in a freezer Ziploc bag for up to 2 months. Thaw servings in the refrigerator and reheat them in the microwave until heated through.
Pro Tip
When I make this recipe, I use whole milk because it's what we have on hand. However, I've also had great results with using heavy cream. If you use heavy cream, pour ¾ cup heavy cream into a liquid measuring cup. Add enough water to reach the 1 ½ 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.
If you'd like to cut this recipe in half, use an 8" x 8" dish. This baking dish is my favorite.
NOTES/FAQs
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. f using firmer bread, the overnight version would be a better choice because the custard would have a chance to soak into the bread.
It's personal preference. I like to cut the bread for a more uniform look, but torn bread works just as well.
Some recipes for French toast casseroles call for buttering the pan. I have never had success doing this, as the butter tends to burn, especially in a glass pan. I like nonstick cooking spray the best.
Brioche French Toast Casserole
Equipment
- 9"x13" casserole dish
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Whisk
- Nonstick cooking spray
Ingredients
- 1 brioche loaf (about 1 pound)
- 8 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 ½ cups whole milk
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ degrees. Spray a 9"x13" baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
- Cut the bread slices into 1-inch cubes. Place the cubed bread into the prepared pan. Set aside.
- Crack eggs into a large mixing bowl. Add salt and whisk together.
- Add the brown sugar, milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla to the egg mixture and whisk until combined.
- Pour the custard mixture over the bread, pressing down to moisten and coat all the pieces.
- Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until the top is somewhat puffed, golden brown and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Sprinkle the top of the casserole with powdered sugar and serve with fresh fruit and maple syrup.
mamzie says
Christmas morning is the perfect time to serve this beautiful casserole. We had it with a good maple syrup and pork sausage patties on the side. Serving this breakfast dish will be a 'Holiday Tradition' in my house!
Glad to be a part of your new tradition. So happy you loved the recipe.
Tiffany Welsh says
This recipe looks great for weekend brunch! Do you think it would work with gluten free bread?