This brioche French toast casserole can be baked immediately, or held overnight for a fresh bake off in the morning. It has all the flavor you love in a classic slice of French toast, but is way easier to make, and has delicious options like fresh blueberries and cinnamon streusel topping that'll take this classic dish to the next level!
Jump to (scroll for more!):
Overnight or Not Overnight, It's Delicious
Now I know casseroles can get a bad rep. But...I promise after baking this one up, you will never doubt the power of a good casserole again.
The great thing about the "casserole" style dish is it's so easy to prep. Not to mention, you can feed a crowd with very little effort. This brioche french toast bake is the perfect example of that with an overnight option, as well as lots of topping options so you can really customize the flavor to your liking.
What's even better, if you're in a hurry, then you can use the "not overnight" option, and bake it right away too. Either way, this delicious and customizable dish will start your day off on a very yummy note!
And for a bunch of other tasty recipes that will start any morning off on a good note, check out my French Toast Pancakes, Oat Milk Pancakes, Lemon Pancakes, and Easy Buttermilk Pancakes!
Ingredient Tips for Better Baking
(Pssst…if you're ready to just get baking, get all the details in the recipe card below!)
- Light or dark brown sugar: I like the little extra flavor you get from using a brown sugar in this custard. But, in a pinch, you can use white sugar as well in an equal amount.
- Brioche: this recipe is designed for a rich, dense brioche bread. That's both because brioche itself has a lot of flavor, and because it's texture can typically hold onto all that custard without turning to mush. The natural sweetness of Brioche is also an ideal match for this dish. While loaf sizes will can vary greatly, I recommend about a 21-24 oz loaf. I tested with both a local bakery brioche, and this one from Pepperidge Farm that should be available at your local grocery store. Both worked really well in this recipe.
- Fruit: I tested this casserole with both blueberries and chopped apples. The fruit layer brings a lot of flavor and also a pretty finish on top of this casserole. That said, you're welcome to skip the fruit altogether or experiment with other types of fruit if you like. If you're undecided, you can even split your pan in half and have multiple options, say half with blueberries and half with apples!
(p.s. for all the basic tips that no one ever taught you, that are super important to help you bake your best, check out my Baking 101 series!)
Special Tools You'll Need
No special tools or equipment needed for this easy casserole!
How to Make French Toast Casserole
(Pssst…if you're ready to just get baking, get all the details in the recipe card below!)
TO MAKE THE CASSEROLE:
- Quick-stale bread if needed in a 200°F oven for 10 minutes.
- Cube bread slices in about 1" pieces (roughly 3x3 per slice).
- Mix all batter ingredients together until fully combined.
- Gently toss the bread pieces in the batter until all liquid is absorbed.
- Transfer bread to a greased 9" x 13" pan and spread into an even layer.
- Cover pan with aluminum foil. Rest mixture for up to 14 hours (optional).
TO MAKE THE STREUSEL:
- Stir together all the dry streusel ingredients.
- Mix in butter until large crumbs form.
TO ASSEMBLE THE CASSEROLE:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F near the end of the rest time. Uncover casserole and sprinkle fruit evenly overtop of the bread, if using.
- Sprinkle streusel evenly over top of the bread and fruit.
- Bake covered for 30 minutes, then uncovered for 15 more minutes.
- Cool, slice, and enjoy!
And check out the full RECIPE WEB STORY for a click-through tutorial!
How to Quickly Stale Bread
Slightly stale or dry bread is great for French toast and French toast casseroles.
It not only soaks up the custard better than fresh bread, but it also can hold up to the custard without turning in to mush.
If you have a fresh loaf and want to bake this up right away though - no worries!
Spread slices out on oven-safe cooling racks. Place them in an oven pre-heated to 200°F for 10 minutes until the surface of the slices is fully dry to the touch. Then just continue on with the recipe as writ!
Test Kitchen Tips for Sweet Success
- Stale is better, but not required: I highly recommend using bread that is at least partially dried out on the counter or quick-dried using the method listed in the recipe. See the section above for why this is important!
- Be gentle with the bread: when tossing the bread in the custard, we want to keep the pieces as intact as possible. Of course, some will get smooshed. But overall, I like to use a spatula or big spoon to fold the bottom bread to the top and rotate the drier pieces down to the bottom. This will keep the pieces in better shape than any kind of stirring motion.
- Streusel for the win: just like the fruit, the streusel topping is technically optional, but strongly recommended. While the recipe will work fine without it, it adds a delicious crunch on top. It also keeps the surface of your bread from drying out too much in the oven. If you skip the streusel, I recommend increasing the cinnamon in the casserole custard to 1 tablespoon.
- Top it with all the good stuff: as with many of the best breakfast treats, the toppings are one of the best parts! Feel free to add the classics like maple syrup and powdered sugar, but don't feel like you have to stop there. You can add additional fresh fruit, chocolate chips, toasted coconut, or anything else your heart desires to make this dish your own!
More Tips + FAQs
Can you make this french toast bake ahead of time? How do you store leftover casserole?
While I highly recommend baking it right before service, you can definitely get all the work out of the way the night before by using the "overnight" direction for this recipe.
Any leftovers should be kept air-tight in the fridge, for up to 4 days, and can just be reheated in the microwave when you're ready to enjoy!
Can you use a different kind of bread?
I love brioche both for it's flavor and structure in this recipe.
However, if you're having trouble finding a true brioche, you can go for the another sweet enriched flavor like a "Sweet Hawaiian" or "Butterbread."
I would suspect some classic white breads might soften too much in the custard, but a whole wheat should hold up okay too if you prefer it's flavor.
Is it better to use fresh or stale bread for French toast (and French toast casserole)? How can I quickly stale bread? Does it have to be stale?
It is best to use stale or dried out bread for any kind of French toast dish. It not only soaks up the custard better than fresh bread, but it also can hold up to the custard without turning in to mush.
While you're welcome to try this recipe with fresh bread, I found it to be significantly more dense and you'll loose a lot of the shape of the bread cubes.
Instead, I highly recommend just using the "quick-stale" method listed above and in the recipe cards to dry your bread out in just 15 minutes!
Can I use frozen blueberries?
Yep! Frozen blueberries will work just fine. I'd just recommend keeping them frozen until right before you're adding them to your casserole immediately before the bake.
This makes sure they don't leak too many juices and discolor your bake.
Can I make this casserole overnight? What if I want to bake it right away?
Yes and yes! You can either bake this dish right after mixing it up, or store it for up to 14 hours in the fridge to bake off in the fridge. The recipe card below has instructions for both!
If baking overnight, don't add the fruit or streusel topping until the morning right before you're putting the pan in the oven.
Other Breakfast Recipes You'll Love
Craving more delicious treats? Here are a few of my other favorite breakfast and brunch recipes:
- Quick & Easy Cinnamon Streusel Muffins
- Apple Pie Filling Cinnamon Rolls (with cream cheese glaze!)
- Cinnamon French Toast Pancakes (quick n' easy!)
- Oreo Cookies and Cream Cinnamon Rolls (with cream cheese icing!)
- Old-Fashioned Donut Muffins
- Sour Cream Blueberry Muffins with Streusel Topping
- Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes
- Fluffy Lemon Pancakes
- Fresh Peach Pound Cake with Streusel Topping
⭐ If you gave this recipe a try please give it a ⭐ rating and tag me on Instagram @mint.and.mallow.kitchen so I can see what you're baking up! ⭐
📖 Full Recipe
Brioche French Toast Casserole (with blueberries!)
Ingredients
FOR THE CASSEROLE:
- 2 cups milk
- 6 large eggs
- ¼ light or dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 21-24 oz loaf of Brioche*1 (left out for a day or two)
- 1 cup blueberries or finely chopped apples (optional)
- Maple syrup, powdered sugar, fresh fruit, whipped cream, or any other toppings you’d like (for garnish, optional)
FOR THE STREUSEL (optional):
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted)
Instructions
TO MAKE THE CASSEROLE:
- Quick-dry bread: to quick-stale fresh bread, spread slices out on oven-safe cooling racks and place in an oven pre-heated to 200°F for 10 minutes until surfaces are fully dry to the touch. (Not necessary if you’re using old bread that’s been left out for a day or two.)
- Cube bread slices: If baking immediately (no rest time), preheat oven to 350°F. Cube bread up into roughly 1” pieces (about 3 x 3 for each slice) .
- Mix all batter ingredients: combine all casserole ingredients except bread in a medium-sized mixing bowl and whisk until well combined. (The cinnamon will float back to the top which is totally fine.)
- Toss bread in batter: add bread to egg mixture and gently toss just until all pieces are coated, and all the liquid is absorbed. Do your best to not squish or mash the bread, using a “folding” technique to get the bottom wet pieces to the top and the top dry pieces to the bottom. Avoid any “stirring” motion if possible, and know a few dry-ish pieces is okay.
- Transfer to the pan: grease a 9” x 13” pan. Transfer the bread to the greased pan and spread out evenly. (Be careful not to press everything down as leaving the surface uneven will give you some nicely browned edges). Cover pan with aluminum foil secured over all the sides.
- Rest mixture (optional): allow batter to rest for up to 14 hours overnight in the fridge. (If resting overnight, place streusel covered in the fridge as well or mix it up in the morning.)*2
TO MAKE THE STREUSEL (optional):
- Stir together dries: use a fork to stir together the streusel flour, sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl.*3
- Mix in butter: add melted butter to dries and use a fork to blend until large crumbs form and there are no more dry patches in the mixture. Set aside.
TO ASSEMBLE THE CASSEROLE:
- Add fruit: near the end of the rest time, preheat oven to 350°F. Sprinkle fruit evenly overtop of the bread mixture, if using.
- Add streusel: sprinkles streusel evenly in chunks over top of the bread mixture (and on top of fruit if using).*4
- Bake covered, then uncovered: bake covered with foil for 30 minutes, then uncovered for 15 minutes until puffy and well-toasted, with dark golden brown edges on the top pieces of bread.*5
- Cool, slice, and enjoy: allow to cool for 10-15 minutes,*6 then slice, sprinkle with powdered sugar or drizzle with maple syrup and enjoy!
Test Kitchen Tips
- *1Quick-Dry Method: if you have a fresh loaf and want to bake this up right away - no worries! Just follow step one to quick-dry your bread.
- *2Overnight Tips: if you’d like, feel free to mix the streusel up and store it overnight in the fridge. Use a fork to break it up in the morning (as it’ll harden once the butter chills), then assemble the casserole by topping with fruit and streusel (if using) right before baking in the morning.
- *3Optional Streusel: the streusel topping is optional, but strongly recommended. While the recipe will work without it, it adds a delicious crunch on top and keeps the surface of your bread from drying out too much in the oven. If skipping the streusel, increase the cinnamon in the casserole to 1 tablespoon.
- *4Streusel Tips: depending on how much your streusel has cooled, it may be easier or harder to keep it in small chunks instead of dust or big chunks. To make the clumps, squeeze a big chunk of streusel together in your hand, then gently break up that chunk over top of the pan to sprinkle smaller and larger clumps evenly over the surface of the bread.
- *5Baking in glass or ceramic? The times listed in the recipe above are for a metal pan. If you're baking in a glass or ceramic pan, add 5-10 minutes extra to the "uncovered" part of the bake.
- *6The collapse: because of all the eggs in this recipe, it’s going to act a little like a soufflé. It will be very puffy right out of the oven and then quickly settle down and collapse into the pan as it starts to cool. Just know that that’s exactly what’s supposed to happen, and it doesn’t mean you did anything wrong.
Comments
No Comments