Take your morning to the next level with this easy, make-ahead Brioche French Toast Casserole! It's got all the flavors and textures of classic french toast baked in one pan for a special breakfast or brunch that is sure to please!
French toast casserole is one of my favorite breakfasts to make for holidays and special occasions because it tastes delicious, could not be easier to throw together and is easy to prep in advance. You can soak this brioche French toast casserole for as little as 2 hours before baking, but I recommend leaving it in the fridge overnight to soak up all that delicious custard. The next morning you'll bake until golden brown and then serve with a little powdered sugar and fresh berries. My kids love it with maple syrup and yogurt too. Hope you enjoy!
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Equipment
For this recipe you will need:
- Mixing bowls: I love these Pyrex glass mixing bowls.
- Measuring cups and spoons
- 9X12 baking dish: Or other similarly sized baking dish. I love this Le Creuset casserole dish because it has a lid and cooks really evenly.
Ingredients
- Brioche bread: For this recipe I like using sliced brioche bread, mainly because it's what they have at my grocery store. I also really like the look of the sliced bread layers. However, you can definitely make this recipe by cubing up a loaf of brioche if preferred. You can also feel free to substitute with another type of bread such as challah. They key is to use stale or day old bread as it is going to absorb the custard much better than fresh bread.
- Eggs
- Whole milk & Heavy Cream: I like using a combination of whole milk and heavy cream. However, you could substitute with half and half if preferred or even just use all whole milk and omit the cream altogether.
- Vanilla extract: You could use vanilla bean paste or even substitute almond extract if preferred.
- Cinnamon and nutmeg: I like using a combination of cinnamon and nutmeg but feel free to get creative with spices. You could use pumpkin spice or add cloves, ginger and cardamom.
- Unsalted butter: You'll need both melted butter and cold cubed butter for this recipe.
- Lemon: I recommend adding lemon zest and juice to really elevate the flavor. You could also use an orange or lime if preferred.
- Brown sugar: Feel free to substitute white granulated sugar or omit altogether for a less sweet casserole.
- Maple syrup: I love the flavor of maple syrup in this recipe but you can substitute with sugar (brown or white) if preferred.
- Turbinado sugar: I love the crunchy texture of turbinado sugar, also called sugar in the raw, which adds a lovely crisp topping. If you can't find any feel free to substitute brown sugar.
For Serving (optional)
- Fresh berries
- Powdered Sugar
- Whipped Cream
- Maple Syrup
- Yogurt
Step-by-Step Photos
Recipe FAQs
Yes, feel free to reduce the sugar level to your personal preference. You
Yes, you can freeze this French Toast Casserole! Bake it and let it cool completely. Then cover with plastic wrap and foil and freeze for up to 6 months. To reheat, simply let the casserole thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat in the oven at 325 F until warmed through.
I highly recommend using stale or dried out bread for the best results. Fresh bread will work but it tends to get a little soggy. Stale bread is able to better absorb the custard.
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Made this Brioche French Toast Casserole recipe? Let me know what you think in the comments!
Recipe
Brioche French Toast Casserole
Equipment
- 9 x 12 casserole dish
- mixing bowl
- Measuring cups and spoons
Ingredients
- 6 eggs
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 1.25 cup whole milk
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 1.5 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 tablespoon melted unsalted butter
- pinch of salt
- 2 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, diced
- 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar
Toppings (optional)
- powdered sugar
- maple syrup
- fresh berries
Instructions
- Butter a 12 x 9 baking dish. Then cut slices of brioche bread diagonally to get a triangle shape. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl add 6 eggs and whisk together. Then add in brown sugar, maple syrup, heavy cream, whole milk, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, 2 tablespoon of melted butter and a pinch of salt. Whisk together until well combined.
- Dip each slice of brioche into the custard mixture, then tightly layer them in the prepared baking dish until all the bread has been used up. Pour any remaining custard over the top of the bread. Cover tightly and refrigerate at least 2 hours to overnight.
- When ready to bake remove the casserole from the fridge and preheat the oven to 350 F. Evenly dot with the cold, diced butter then sprinkle on Turbinado sugar. Bake 40-45 minutes until the custard is set and the top is golden brown.
- Serve warm topped with a sprinkle of powdered sugar, berries and maple syrup. Enjoy!
Rudo
I make brioche french toast every year for xmas, this is my 5th year and this reciepe is by far the best. I made a batch of gluten free&diary free aswell for some guests with allergens and I replaced the brioche with GF fruit loaf, cows milk with soya milk, nuttalex and plant based cream and it was just as good as the orginal. This will be the stable reciepe for years to come. Thank you.
jamjarkitchen
Hi Rudo - This honestly made my day. Thank you so much for sharing this! I’m especially glad to hear it worked so well as a gluten-free and dairy-free version too. That’s incredibly helpful for anyone baking for guests with allergies. Knowing this has earned a spot as your Christmas staple (especially after five years of trying recipes!) means more than you know. So happy it’ll be part of your holidays for years to come.
Becky
This was so rich and buttery. It’s such a convenient and delicious way to serve a crowd for breakfast.
Lora
I made this and it’s so rich and soft with the perfect texture in every bite. It made breakfast feel special and everyone kept going back for more!!
Jenny
SO GOOD! It's dessert for breakfast and I love it! I'm already thinking about making it again.
jamjarkitchen
Yay! So glad you liked it!
Elaine
This is my new favorite Sunday morning breakfast treat. So good. I'm happy I found this recipe.
Jenny
So yummy! Everyone loved it for brunch.
jamjarkitchen
So glad you liked it!