Make your weekend mornings easy with this next level french toast casserole! Brioche bread is soaked in a sweetened custard and baked until golden brown and steaming. It has everything you love about traditional french toast, just made in one pan!
Jump to Recipe
Why you need to make this easy french toast casserole:
This recipe is great for when you want something special, yet easy on weekend mornings or special occasions! My baked french toast casserole is packed full of cinnamon flavor thanks to the delicious custard mixture that gets poured over tons of buttery brioche bread! No more fussing with individual pieces of french toast required!
Ingredients you’ll need for this easy breakfast casserole:
- Brioche bread
- Eggs
- Whole milk
- Heavy cream
- Granulated sugar
- Ground cinnamon
- Vanilla extract
- Butter
- Brown sugar
- Powdered sugar (optional)
- Maple syrup (for serving)
Even more ways to jazz up your brioche french toast:
- Sprinkle chocolate chips over the top of the casserole before baking.
- Spoon a few pockets of cream cheese around the casserole before baking for a creamy bite.
- Whip up heavy cream and sugar to soft peaks for a delicious homemade whipped cream to dollop on top.
- Wash fresh berries or slice up some fresh fruit to serve on the side.
How to make my easy french toast bake with brioche:
- Make the simple custard mixture.
- Tear brioche bread into irregular 1-inch pieces.
- Pour the custard over the torn bread.
- Top with the extra buttery, cinnamon mixture.
- Cover the dish with tin foil and refrigerate.
- Bake until golden brown and crispy on top.
- Dust the top with powdered sugar and serve with maple syrup.
FAQ:
Stale bread vs fresh bread:
Using stale bread for an overnight french toast casserole is usually recommended not only because it’s an easy way to use up food that’s going bad, but stale bread is so dry that it also does a great job soaking up all of that delicious custard. Using stale bread isn’t required though, fresh bread will work just fine as well.
Tearing pieces of bread vs bread cubes:
When making this french toast casserole, you have the option to either tear or cut your bread into 1-inch cubes. I prefer to tear my bread slices because then you are left with irregular edges that get nice and crispy in the oven. Cubed bread will result in a more polished look, but not as much texture variation.
Why I like using a cast-iron skillet for this delicious breakfast:
Whether you’re using cast iron for baking or for cooking, it’s always a foolproof way to get crispy edges on whatever you’re making. No worries you don’t own cast-iron though a 9×13 baking dish will do wonders for this recipe as well!
Why refrigerating this casserole is important:
I know, chill times in recipes are always annoying but this french toast casserole needs to be refrigerated before baking so that all the custard has time to soak into the bread. Letting it sit anywhere between two hours to overnight is great! If you don’t let it sit, the egg mixture will settle at the bottom of the dish and you’ll have a sheet of cooked eggs and milk at the bottom of your casserole! You could even make and assemble this casserole dish before bed and bake it the next morning!
Other breads you can use for this delicious casserole:
- Crusty french bread
- Challah bread
- Country loaf
- Croissants
French Toast Casserole With Brioche
Equipment
- 1 10 inch cast-iron skillet (9×13 baking dish can be substituted)
Ingredients
- 1 loaf brioche bread Trader Joes has my favorite one!
- 8 large eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
For the cinnamon topping:
- 4 tbsp butter melted
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
For serving:
- 3 tbsp powdered sugar
- maple syrup
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs, milk, heavy cream, granulated sugar, ground cinnamon and vanilla extract. Whisk well.
- Tear the brioche into irregular 1 to 2 inch pieces. Then add them to your cast iron pan or baking dish.
- Pour the custard mixture evenly overtop of the torn bread.
- In a small bowl, combine melted butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Mix to create a thin paste.
- Drizzle the butter/sugar mixture all over the top of the casserole. Cover with aluminum foil and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours to overnight.
- Remove the foil and bake at 375 degrees F. for 35 to 45 minutes.
- Once baked, sift powdered sugar all over the top and serve with warm maple syrup!
Nutrition
**I am not a dietitian and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. The information in the nutrition box are calculated through a program and there is room for error. If you need an accurate count, I recommend running the ingredients through your favorite nutrition calculator.**
I’d love to make this, but how many eggs do I use? Oh hanks!
Just added it to the recipe for you! Sorry about that! It’s 8 eggs.