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Delicious French Toast Casserole is easy to make with French bread, a spiced egg custard and is naturally sweetened with honey. Top with berries, and bake to golden brown perfection. Serve with more fresh berries and a dusting of powdered sugar for the ultimate brunch dish!
This recipe for baked French Toast Casserole is layers of French bread soaked in a honey-sweetened cinnamon custard. Topped with sliced strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries, this casserole gets baked until perfectly golden and fruity. The bread is soft and sweet, and the fruit gets warm and flavorful. It will make the best addition to your brunch menu, and it’s especially great for the holidays!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Incredibly delicious! This recipe for French toast is fluffy bread with golden edges and juicy fruit. One bite and you’ll be craving more!
- Easy to make: It looks impressive and taste amazing, but it’s really quite easy to put together!
- Great for special occasions: Since this can be prepped the night before and then baked in the morning, it would be the perfect breakfast for Christmas morning, or any other special occasion! Plus, it serves a crowd.
Ingredients needed
A short list of simple ingredients is all you’ll need to create the best French toast breakfast casserole! Here’s the lineup:
- Bread: We like to use 2 loaves of French bread cut into cubes. You can also use challah or brioche bread.
- Eggs: Eight large eggs is the perfect amount to add lovely richness to this bake.
- Milk: Use any kind of milk you want to make the custard. The higher the fat content, the richer the result be.
- Vanilla extract: For that classic French toast taste that’s so delicious.
- Ground cinnamon: Adds warmth and coziness.
- Honey: Perfectly sweetens this dish. Maple syrup or agave are good substitutes.
- Berries: We’re using a mix of strawberries, blueberries and raspberries to add sweetness and juicy fruit flavor.
- Powdered sugar: It’s optional but we like to add a dusting of powdered sugar over the top just before serving.
How to make this recipe
Baked French toast is such a great brunch dish to make on the weekend or for special occasions. It’s easy to throw together, can be made ahead of time, and it’s always a hit. Here’s the simple process to make it:
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Cut the bread loaves into 1-inch cubes and add them to a 9×13 casserole dish.
- Make the egg custard: In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to whisk the eggs, milk, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and honey. Whisk the mixture until smooth.
- Pour over bread: Pour the mixture into the casserole, over your bread cubes, then gently press to soak into the egg mixture.
- Add berries: Top the casserole with your fresh berries, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight.
- Bake: Place in the oven and bake the casserole for 35-40 minutes.
- Serve: Decorate with powdered sugar and more fresh berries, if desired. Enjoy!
Expert tips
- Day old bread: For best results, we recommend using day-old bread that is not super fresh, so you can avoid the casserole from becoming soggy.
- Drying the bread: To dry out the bread, leave it on a sheet pan overnight, or put the bread pieces on a sheet pan and bake at 275ºF for 20-45 minutes until it resembles stale bread.
- Cubing the bread: It’s best to cut the bread into similar-sized pieces, so that they will absorb the egg mixture at the same rate and cook evenly.
- Allow time to soak: This will turn out best when it has time to soak, so the bread can fully absorb the egg mixture. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, and overnight is even better.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, this works great with frozen berries. There’s no need to thaw them before adding them to the top of the casserole.
Your French toast casserole may become soggy if there is more egg mixture than what is needed for the amount of bread used. To avoid this, use thick, heavy bread rather than sandwich loaf slices.
We like French bread for French toast because it’s sturdy and holds up well to the egg mixture. Other great options are brioche, challah, Italian bread, or ciabatta.
Serving suggestions
Serve your berries French toast casserole with your favorite French toast casserole toppings, like maple syrup, more fresh berries, and a generous dusting of powdered sugar. You can also add a little crunch with pecans or walnuts. Here are some sides that would be a great addition to your brunch spread:
- hash browns or breakfast potatoes
- fresh fruit or fruit salad
- yogurt
- bacon, sausage, or ham
- Scrambled eggs, fried eggs, omelet or quiche
Storage recommendations
- Storing leftovers: Place in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave or in a toaster oven.
- Freeze: To store in the freezer, wrap in plastic wrap, then place the leftovers in a gallon size freezer bag or another freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 2 months.
- Reheating: Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and then heat in the oven at 350ºF for about 20 minutes or until heated through.
recipes you may also like
- Gingerbread Pancakes
- Orange Cranberry Muffins
- Peanut Butter Brownie Baked Oatmeal
- Garden Veggie Frittata
- Hot Chocolate Oatmeal Bowl
- Gluten-free Snickerdoodle Cookies
- Gingerbread Muffins
- Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
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Baked Berries French Toast Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 loaves French bread
- 8 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups milk of choice
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 2/3 cup honey, or maple syrup
- 1 cup strawberries, sliced
- 1/2 cup blueberries
- 1/2 cup raspberries
- Optional: 1 tbsp powdered sugar, to decorate
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- Cut the bread loaves into 1-inch cubes and add them to a 9×13 casserole dish.
- In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to whisk the eggs, milk, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and honey.
- Whisk the mixture until smooth. Pour the mixture into the casserole, over your bread cubes, then gently press to soak into the egg mixture.
- Top the casserole with your fresh berries, then cover with cling film and refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight.
- Bake the casserole for 35-40 minutes.
- Decorate with powdered sugar and more fresh berries, if desired.
Notes
- Use any bread of your choice
- You may use 2% milk or dairy-free milk
- If you do not have honey, you can swap it with maple syrup or agave
- Get creative with your toppings, if you prefer not to use berries.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
