Soft, creamy, and with the soft scent of vanilla, this Overnight Brioche French Toast Casserole is perfect for brunch or breakfast. This French toast casserole is made the night before needed and then baked the next day for the perfect weekend indulgence or a dish to serve for company.
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A delicious comfort food for lazy mornings, this French toast casserole uses Brioche bread as the base for a rich, eggy texture, and a vanilla for a comforting flavor. Made the night before, this baked French toast casserole can be cooked the next morning allowing you to spend less time in the kitchen.
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Use it as an indulgent brunch for guests or as a holiday morning breakfast when you need something hands-off. This French toast recipe is one that everyone will fall in love with.
If you would rather use a different type of bread for your French toast, challah bread works well as does this sourdough French toast recipe, which looks amazing! I also love these Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pancakes and Chocolate Chip Banana Bread for breakfast.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Make ahead: The French toast tastes best when it’s had some time to soak in the creamy custard. This means that you can make the casserole the night before you need it which saves you a lot of rushing in the morning.
- Flavor: Soaked in homemade vanilla custard, the flavor of this French toast can’t be beaten.
- Easy to make: With only a handful of house staples, this recipe comes together easily enough making It great for busy weekends.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes:
I use a vanilla bean in this recipe but feel free to substitute it for either 2 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste or 2 tsps of vanilla extract.
See the recipe card for quantities.
Variations
This baked French toast casserole can be adjusted to suit your flavor preferences. Some delicious add-ins I love are below.
- Toppings: You can add any toppings you enjoy to the French toast. Maple syrup, fresh berries, or drizzled chocolate or Nutella are always a hit.
- Crunch: if you want a bit of extra texture, toss some chopped pecans into the casserole dish before baking it.
- Flavor: Adding in dried fruit like raisins and blueberries is a tasty way to change the flavor with minimal effort.
- Cinnamon - Add a teaspoon of ground cinnamon to the custard.
How To Make Overnight Brioche French Toast Casserole: Step-By-Step
Step 1: Slice your Challah bread into ½-inch thick slices. Place the slices into a 9 x 13 pan, laying them flat. You should have two layers.
Step 2: Split the vanilla bean and scrape out the seeds. Add the seeds and the pod to a small saucepan along with the remaining custard ingredients.
Warm up the mixture over low heat and stir frequently ensuring it doesn’t boil or burn. When it reaches a simmer, turn it off.
Remove the vanilla bean pod from the mixture.
Step 3: Pour the custard over top of the bread in the casserole dish.
Cover the dish and let it sit in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight.
Step 4: In the morning, uncover the casserole and bake it in a preheated oven until the bread is golden brown.
Dust with confectioners’ sugar and serve it warm.
Expert Tips
- Make sure that the custard mixture does not come close to boiling. You want it warmed up but just warmed. Otherwise, the eggs in it will start to cook and the cream will curdle.
- A vanilla bean pod will bring the best flavor to this French toast. However, if you don’t want to scrape the pod, substitute 2 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste instead.
How to use a vanilla bean pod
While you can easily substitute vanilla bean paste in this recipe, I highly recommend spending a few extra dollars on a vanilla bean pod. Why? Because the fresh seeds inside give this recipe a depth of flavor and a huge hit of vanilla flavor! My favorite vanilla bean pod is this one.
- Using a sharp paring knife, make a cut down the length of the pod
- Open the pod slightly with your hands
- Using the sharp side of the knife, scrape down inside the pod taking care to grab each and every seed you can! Vanilla pods are expensive and this is all the flavor
I love to serve this with other egg dishes like the Smoked Salmon Frittata, Leek And Goat Cheese Quiche, or the Blintz Casserole (Without Blintzes). I also love serving these homemade frozen hash browns in the air fryer as a side dish!
Frequently Asked Questions
Soggy French toast stems from using the wrong bread or not baking the casserole enough. This recipe uses Brioche bread because it absorbs so much liquid that it comes out as a thick, comforting flavor. Challah bread will work as well. However, plain white sandwich bread is too thin and will be soggy.
Let it cool completely before storing it in the fridge covered. It will last 2-3 days. You can reheat cooked French toast in a pan until warmed through or in the microwave in intervals.
Did you try this recipe? I would love to hear about it! Scroll down to the comment section and leave a ⭐️ rating and review. Share it on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
xoxoxo
Gwen
Overnight Brioche French Toast Casserole
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Ingredients
- 1 loaf Challah or Brioche bread
- 2 cups half-and-half
- 2 cups heavy cream
- pinch of kosher salt
- 1 vanilla bean pod split lengthwise
- 6 eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- confectioners' sugar for dusting
Instructions
Preparation
- Slice bread into ½ inch thick slices
- Using a 9x13 baking dish, layer the bread across the bottom and into two layers.
- Split the vanilla bean in half and scrape out the seeds. Add the vanilla bean pod and seeds to a saucepan with the half-and-half, cream, eggs, sugar, and salt.
- Stir occasionally to make sure the cream mixture doesn't burn, boil, or stick to the bottom of the pan but becomes warm to the touch.
- When the cream mixture reaches a slow simmer, turn off the heat.
- Take the vanilla bean pod out of the cream mixture.
- Pour the custard over the top, cover, and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
Bake
- Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.
- Uncover the casserole and place in the middle of the oven.
- Bake for 35 minutes or until the bread is golden brown and any custard is set.
- Dust with confectioners' sugar and serve warm or at room temp.
Anonymous says
Yum
Anonymous says
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