Description
This Brioche French Toast Casserole is a perfect breakfast or brunch recipe for a holiday or special occasion. You can assemble it the night before then bake for about 35 minutes and enjoy hot out of the oven. Plus this recipe is delicious as is, but there's plenty of wiggle room to add your own twist.
Ingredients
French Toast Casserole
- 1 loaf brioche bread (about 1 lb.)
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 5 large eggs
- 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup half-and-half
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. table salt
Topping
- 1/4 cup melted butter, hot
- 2 Tbsp. light brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 pinch table salt
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans
- powdered sugar, maple syrup and berries, for serving
Instructions
French Toast Casserole
- To assemble the casserole, spray a 9- x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Cut bread into 1-inch cubes and add to baking dish along with pecans. Gently toss to combine. Set aside.
- Whisk together eggs and brown sugar in a medium bowl or large measuring cup until smooth. Add the milk, half-and-half, vanilla, cinnamon and salt and whisk until smooth. Pour evenly over the bread mixture.
Topping
- To assemble the topping, Stir together melted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a small bowl until the sugar is mostly dissolved. Add pecans and stir until well combined. Spoon mixture over French toast casserole.
- Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and refrigerate for 30 minutes or overnight. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375°F (if the casserole was in the refrigerator overnight, set aside on the counter at room temperature while the oven preheats). Bake in the oven for 20 minutes then remove foil from baking dish and continue cooking until the bread is puffy and golden brown, another 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving. Serve dusted with powdered sugar; drizzle with maple syrup and garnish with berries, if desired.
Notes
This Brioche French Toast Casserole is best served hot or warm with a drizzle of maple syrup, some fresh blueberries or strawberries, more chopped pecans and a dusting of powdered sugar.
Consider making some tweaks to the recipe by adding raisins or dried cherries, chopped walnuts or almonds, apples or even fresh peaches or nectarines.
As mentioned, you can make this recipe a day ahead of time. To make this an overnight French toast casserole, simply assemble, cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate until the next morning.
Pro Tip: Remove the casserole from the refrigerate while the oven is preheating to 375°F. This will give the casserole enough time to almond come to room temperature. You can store leftovers in an air-tight container (or simply cover the casserole dish with foil or plastic wrap) and refrigerate for up to 3 days. You can also freeze the casserole after it's baked. To freeze, cut into portions then transfer those portions to a freezer-safe zip-top bag, label, and freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat, we suggest thawing frozen portions in the refrigerator overnight then reheating in the oven until hot, about 10-15 minutes.
- Prep Time: 15 min.
- Hands-Off Time: 30 min.
- Cook Time: 35 min.
- Category: Breakfast/Brunch
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American/French