Overnight Brioche French Toast Casserole
This Overnight Brioche French Toast Casserole is a fast and easy way to get a hearty satisfying breakfast on the table. Whip up a quick egg custard and pour over cubed brioche bread then cover and refrigerate. Simply bake in the morning and breakfast is done!
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Weekend mornings call for a hearty breakfast but sometimes you simply don’t want to go through all the trouble of making a classic French toast recipe. This easy breakfast casserole is a great way to get an impressive breakfast on the table that will feed a crowd with minimal effort.
While this overnight French toast recipe is the perfect breakfast for any time of the year, it is especially welcome on special occasions and on a holiday morning. The kids coming down to the smell of French toast on Christmas morning is what memories are made of!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe!
- Buttery brioche bread takes this overnight French toast casserole over the top
- This French toast bake is a super easy way to get breakfast on the table
- It’s easy to customize the toppings so everyone gets what they want
Recipe Ingredients
Step By Step Instructions
Note: The full recipe can be found in the recipe card below.
Step 1:
Stale bread is ideal for this recipe. To achieve that, either cut the bread slices into 1-inch cubes and leave them on the counter all day or place them on a baking sheet and bake at 300 degrees for 15 minutes, stirring halfway through.
Set aside to cool.
Step 2:
Grease a 9×13 inch baking dish with softened butter. Place half of the cubed bread in the prepared baking dish.
Step 3:
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, whole milk, heavy cream, brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and salt.
Step 4:
Pour half of the egg mixture over the bread cubes. Then, add the rest of the cubes and top with the rest of the custard. Once the bread is coated in the custard it can easily break apart, so try to completely cover each layer without moving things around too much.
Step 5:
Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and place it in the fridge overnight.
Step 6:
The next morning, pull the casserole dish from the fridge to come to room temperature for 30 minutes (this prevents the dish from cracking in the oven).
Then, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. When the oven comes to temperature, bake the French toast casserole covered for 45 minutes.
Step 7:
Then, remove the foil and bake for another 30 minutes or until the top of the casserole is golden brown and the center has set. Top with powdered sugar before serving.
Tips & Tricks
- Cut the bread into cubes and place them on a baking sheet in a single layer. Leave them out on the counter all day or for at least 1 hour so they are slightly dried out.
- Alternatively, you can bake them in the oven at 300 degrees for 15 minutes, tossing them halfway through.
What to Serve With It
You can really serve this breakfast casserole with anything you like.
Here are some suggestions to get you started:
- Fresh berries
- Cantaloupe
- Maple Syrup
- Hazelnut spread
- Chocolate Syrup
- Bacon
- Sausage
- Orange juice
Substitutions & Variations
- If you want to substitute the brioche bread, challah bread would be comparable
- Change out the seasoning depending on the time of year. Try replacing the cinnamon with a chai spice blend. Or, add a dash of cardamom with the cinnamon. In the fall, pumpkin pie spice could replace the ground cinnamon.
- Add chocolate chips for a chocolatey version the kids are sure to love!
Storage & Reheating
Store leftovers in the fridge either in the dish it baked in covered with foil or in an airtight container. Eat up the leftovers within 5 days.
To reheat, either bake the leftovers in the oven at 300 degrees for about 20 minutes until warmed through.
Or, place a slice on a microwave-safe dish and heat at 50% power in 1-minute increments until warmed through.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sure! Challah bread would make an excellent substitute with similar flavor. Crusty French bread would also be good, though it won’t have the buttery sweetness that brioche has.
This is a great meal prep dish! To prepare this as a make ahead breakfast, make the recipe according to the directions and then allow it to cool. Then, just eat it throughout the week. If you need to take breakfast with you, cut the casserole into individual slices and place each slice into a container. Microwave at 50% power until it is warmed through.
This recipe is made with the intention that it will sit in the fridge overnight or for at least 8 hours. However, that is as much for convenience as it is for final results. You don’t have to let it sit overnight, but I suggest at least chilling it for 4 hours so that the bread can absorb the custard and everything can set.
Technically…..yes. But! If we call it French toast we get to eat it for breakfast!
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Overnight Brioche French Toast Casserole
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Ingredients
- 1 loaf (20-22 ounces) stale brioche bread cut into 1 inch cubes
- 8 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3/4 cup brown sugar packed
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- powdered sugar
Instructions
- To make stale brioche bread, either allow the cubes to sit out on the counter all day or place them on a baking sheet and bake at 300 degrees for 15 minutes stirring halfway through.
- Grease a 9×13 inch baking dish with butter. Place half of the bread cubes in the dish.
- Whisk together the eggs, milk, heavy cream, brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and salt.
- Pour half of the custard over the bread cubes. Then, add the other half of bread cubes and top with the rest of the custard. You can move the bread around a bit to cover everything, but avoid moving them too much or they'll break apart.
- Cover the dish with aluminum foil and place it in the fridge to chill overnight. (See note #1)
- In the morning, pull the casserole from the fridge to come to room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Then, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Bake covered for 45 minutes. Then, remove the foil and continue baking for another 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the center is set. Top with powdered sugar. (See note #2)
Notes
- While this dish is intended to sit overnight, you can make it and let it rest in the fridge for 4 hours, then proceed with baking.
- In addition to topping the baked French toast with powdered sugar, you can serve this with plenty of other items to round out the meal. Here are some suggestions:
-
- Fresh berries
- Cantaloupe
- Maple Syrup
- Hazelnut spread
- Chocolate Syrup
- Bacon
- Sausage
- Orange juice
Do you think a loaf of gluten free brioche would work with this recipe?
Thanks.
Yes, gluten-free bread should work just as well. Thanks!
Hi…my friend made this and I loved it. I will be doubling the batch. Do I combine in one foil dish or two 9/13 pans? Also, can I bake it for 45 minutes in the evening and then bake the rest in the morning? What do you think? Thanks! Dale
Hi, Dale! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! I suggest making it in two 9×13 dishes otherwise the center may not bake quickly enough causing the outer edges to over-bake. Yes, you could bake it for 45 minutes the night before and then finish in the morning. However, I would still highly recommend allowing them to rest in the fridge for at least 4 hours before baking so that the bread has time to fully absorb all of the custard. I hope this helps!
I know it says overnight but how many hours can it sit for? Can I make this by 3pm today to cook tomorrow morning or will that be too long in the fridge?
Overnight french toast can be made up to 1 full day in advance so that should be perfectly fine to make it at 3 today and bake it tomorrow morning. Hope you enjoy it!
Iโm making it tonight too! Just set it at midnight ET and baking at 8:30am tomorrow.
I hope you enjoyed the recipe!
Question;
I just bought a small brioche loaf from Aldi.
I donโt know if it is a standard size brioche loaf. I have never purchased brioche before .
Do you know how much a standard loaf measures or weighs?
There are just 2 of us ; so I want to use an 8 x8 pan
Hi, Jennifer! Thanks for reaching out. The loaf I use is 22 ounces and most loaves are around 20 ounces. If yours is smaller you’ll probably want to adjust the amount of custard that you make. Feel free to reach out again if you need help!
So good! I made this for Easter morning before our church service and it was a hit! We served with frozen strawberries and whipped cream.
Ooh, that sounds delicious! Glad you enjoyed the recipe!