Instead, you just throw everything into a dish and let the oven do the work! You can even assemble the casserole the night before and bake it the next morning.
You still get all the best parts of a slice of French toast, but with far less effort: soft and custardy middles, cinnamon-infused edges, plus an extra-crunchy toasted topping.
For this French toast casserole, you are going to need a fairly large loaf of bread – enough to make about 10 cups once cubed. Use any good-quality loaf, like a French loaf, sourdough, ciabatta, or challah. I actually really liked the sourdough bread because the slight sour taste helped balance out the sweetness of everything else.
Leave the crusts on the bread since this adds some good, crunchy texture to the casserole!
I also added some orange zest and dried cranberries to my version to brighten up the flavors. You can leave these out if you want, or add your own favorite dried fruits to the casserole!
By the way, those extra-crunchy top pieces are like cinnamon and sugar croutons. As I was testing this recipe, I kept picking them from the top and leaving the bottom for my husband. Shh…don’t tell anyone.
French Toast Casserole Recipe
Make-ahead instructions: Assemble the casserole through Step 4, cover well, and refrigerate overnight. The next day, uncover, drizzle the casserole with the topping, and bake. Baking time will be slightly longer.
This casserole reheats well, though the chunks of bread on the top will gradually lose some crunch. The best way to reheat it is to bake it in the oven at 350F for 10 to 15 minutes to warm through and re-crisp the top.
Ingredients
For the casserole:- 1 large loaf good-quality French loaf, sourdough, ciabatta, or challah (enough to yield 10 cups of chunks of bread)
- 1/2 cup (45g) chopped pecans
- 5 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- Zest from one medium orange (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 3 tablespoons (40g) dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Dried cranberries
- Powdered sugar
- Maple syrup
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