Puffy and luxuriously rich, this Baked French Toast casserole can be assembled the night before, then baked in the morning for an easy and laidback weekend breakfast or brunch. So easy and so delicious! As always, please check the recipe notes for lots of extra tips.
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time50 minutesmins
Resting Time12 hourshrs
Total Time13 hourshrs
Servings: 8
Ingredients
11-pound loaf store-bought or homemade challah, cut into 1-inch pieces or use your favourite bread
Butter for the baking dish
8large eggs
2 3/4cupswhole milk
2tablespoonsbrown sugar
1teaspoonground cinnamon
Pinchsalt
2teaspoonsvanilla extract
icing sugaroptional to lightly dust the baked casserole
pure maple syrup optional, for serving
For the Optional Blueberry Compote
1pintfresh or frozen blueberries
2tablespoonswater
1teaspoon honeyor maple syrup
1teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
The night before you plan to serve this, generously grease a 9x13 baking dish with unsalted butter.
Ideally the bread you're using will be at least a day-old and somewhat dry. If it isn't, place the cubed bread on a sheet pan and place in a preheated 350ºF oven for 10 minutes. Let cool.
Once cooled, place the bread cubes into the greased pan.
In a large bowl, mix together eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla. Pour evenly over the bread, pressing lightly to make sure it soaks up all the mixture. Cover and refrigerate the dish overnight.
The next morning, take the dish out of the oven and let sit on the counter while the oven preheats to 375 degrees F. Bake covered with parchment paper (see tips in notes) for 30 minutes. Remove cover and continue baking until the bread is puffed and golden, about 20 to 25 minutes longer.
Meanwhile, if making the blueberry compote, place a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the blueberries, 2 tablespoons water, honey and vanilla. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the berries release their juices, about 10 to 15 minutes.
Remove the casserole from the oven and allow to cool slightly. Dust lightly with icing sugar, if using, and serve with blueberry compote or other desired accompaniments.
Notes
Tips To Make The Best Baked French Toast
As easy as this dish is to make, there are a few tips common problems that creep up with a baked French toast dish. The two most common are 1) The bottom of the French toast is soggy, and the top is dry. 2) An overall soggy casserole. Here are my best tips to avoid this:
Use dry, day-old bread. Make sure your bread is slightly stale, or it will fall apart in the batter and won't be able to soak up the custard. If your bread is really fresh and soft and you have no time to let it sit out, toast it for 10 minutes in a 350ºF oven. Let it cool slightly before mixing it with the custard.
Cube the bread. Many recipes call for arranging bread slices (as opposed to cut-up bread) which will look really pretty. However, this won't allow the custard to get as evenly distributed and you will end up with a really crispy top and a very soggy bottom.
Slice the bread the right thickness. Small, thin pieces of bread will not hold up well to the custard. Left too thick, they will not be able to soak up enough custard. If your loaf came sliced, cube it accordingly. Otherwise, slice the loaf into 3/4" to 1" thickness, then cube it.
Don't use too much dairy. If you add too much dairy to the custard mixture, the eggs will not set when cooked and the bread will remain wet and soggy.
Make sure all the bread is soaked. You want to lightly press onthe bread to make sure it soaks up all the egg mixture.
Cover the baking dish with parchment paper. I don't love using aluminum foil but covering a pan with parchment paper can be tricky. Here is a fantastic trick I learned from my years working at the cooking studio. Take a piece of parchment paper, crumple it into a ball, then wet it under running water. Shake off excess water then unfold it. Now it is easy to mold over the pan. I know, my mind was blown too.