French Toast Casserole

(1)

A great French toast casserole is a busy host's best friend.

Southern Living French Toast Casserole in the pan with a serving out
Photo:

Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey

Active Time:
25 mins
Total Time:
2 hrs 5 mins
Servings:
8

This indulgent French toast casserole brims with classic French toast flavors, like cinnamon, maple, and sweet custard, all soaked into toasted, buttery challah. Orange liqueur adds a subtle note of freshness that cuts through the richness of the bread and custard, and glazed walnuts studded throughout add extra pops of sweetness and crunch. The cornflake topping stays crispy after baking, adding another irresistible texture dimension. 

This French toast casserole is perfect for slathering with sweet maple syrup and topping with fresh berries. And since there’s no need to fuss with individual french toasts in a skillet, this casserole recipe makes a winning dish to serve for a larger group at a breakfast or brunch gathering. It gets the job done all in one baking dish, and it’s guaranteed to please the crowd.

Learn how to make French toast casserole, and impress your family and guests with an incredible homemade breakfast with minimal effort.

Ingredients for French Toast Casserole

To make French toast casserole, you’ll need:

  • Challah bread: This egg bread is richer than standard sandwich bread, making it ideal for an application like a dense French toast casserole
  • Eggs: The base of the custard the bread will soak in.
  • Half-and-half: Add richness to the egg custard.
  • Light brown sugar: For sweetness and a hint of caramel flavor.
  • Vanilla extract: Warms up the entire dish's flavor and adds dimension.
  • Maple syrup: It's not a breakfast of French toast without maple syrup.
  • Orange liqueur: Like Grand Marnier. It adds a subtle fresh note amid the other rich ingredients, but it's optional, or you can use orange juice instead.
  • Cinnamon: Warm and comforting, cinnamon is a wonderful spice for this breakfast casserole. Feel free to add other favorites, like nutmeg or cardamom.
  • Salt: A bit of salt balances all the sweetness.
  • Glazed walnuts: Look for glazed walnuts in the snack aisle amid the other flavor nuts. Or substitute with your favorite brand. Pecans would work well, too.
  • Cooking spray: To coat the baking dish so the bread pieces won't stick.

To make the cornflake topping, you’ll need:

  • Cornflakes cereal: This cereal stays crispy and crunchy after baking, giving the casserole great texture.
  • All-purpose flour: Helps form the streusel-like topping.
  • Glazed walnuts: Adds more texture to the casserole. Substitute with other nuts or even candied pecans for a fun twist.
  • Light brown sugar: Adds sweetness and depth with caramel-like flavors.
  • Unsalted butter: Adds richness to the topping.
  • Kosher salt: A pinch will make the other ingredients taste sweeter.

For serving, you’ll need maple syrup and fresh berries (or other toppings as you prefer). 

Southern Living French Toast Casserole ingredients

Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey

How To Make French Toast Casserole

You'll need just 25 minutes of hands-on time with this casserole. The rest of the time is reserved for soaking the bread in the egg mixture and of course baking. Here's a brief outline of the process; the full recipe is further below:

  • Step 1. Toast the bread: After cutting the challah into cubes, lightly toast them in a low-temp (about 250°F) oven until just lightly browning and crispy. Then cool completely.
  • Step 2. Make egg mixture: Combine the eggs, half-and-half, and other ingredients for the custard-like egg mixture in a large bowl.
  • Step 3. Soak the bread: Stir the bread cubes and walnuts into the egg mixture, and let sit so the bread can soak up the liquid.
  • Step 4. Make cornflake topping: In a separate bowl, combine the ingredients for the cornflake topping.
  • Step 5. Bake: Spoon the bread mixture into a prepared baking dish, and top the bread with the cornflake topping. Bake until golden brown. Rotate the pan and add aluminum foil if needed to prevent browning.
  • Step 6. Serve: Let the casserole sit for about 10 minutes after baking is complete. It will deflate slightly. Serve warm with berries and maple syrup or any preferred topping.

Should You Let Bread Dry Out for French Toast Casserole? 

Stale bread is better than fresh bread when it comes to preparing French toast and French toast casserole. When it’s slightly more dry, it can better soak up the custard and hold its shape rather than getting too soggy. If you're working with fresh bread, toasting the bread slightly as we do in this recipe will help quickly speed up that drying out process.

Can You Make French Toast Casserole Ahead?

Yes, you can. Prepare the French toast casserole all the way through Step 4, but adding the bread mixture to the baking dish. Then cover it and refrigerate overnight. When you're ready to bake, pull the casserole from the fridge and let sit at room temperature for about an hour before adding the cornflake topping and finishing the recipe. (If you're baking the casserole while it is still cold, plan to bake longer than the recipe calls for.)

French Toast Casserole Recipe Tips

We asked the Southern Living Test Kitchen to share a few tips they learned while developing this recipe. Here's what they had to say:

  • Make cutting easier: Always cut bread with a serrated knife, or tear it with your hands; a regular chef’s knife will squash the bread during slicing. 
  • Avoid burned spots: Rotating the pan halfway through cooking helps the top more evenly brown. 
  • Dry out the bread: Buy the bread a few days in advance, cube it, and let sit at room temperature, uncovered, to dry out for two days. This step eliminates the need to bake the bread before using it.
  • Try other breads: Substitute the challah in this recipe for French bread, sourdough, brioche, or another type you prefer.

How To Serve French Toast Casserole

Serve with berries, maple syrup, and milk. This would also be a crowd-pleasing brunch dish to serve alongside mimosas.

More Great French Toast Recipes

If you need more ways to enjoy French toast, we have a few ideas:

Editorial contributions by Alesandra Dubin.

Southern Living French Toast Casserole in the pan ready to serve

Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey

Ingredients

Casserole:

  • 15 oz. challah bread, cut into 1-in. cubes (12 cups)

  • 8 large eggs

  • 3 cups half-and-half

  • 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

  • 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

  • 1 Tbsp. maple syrup

  • 1 Tbsp. orange liqueur (such as Grand Marnier), optional

  • 3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

  • 1/2 tsp. kosher salt

  • 1/4 cup chopped glazed walnuts (such as Emerald)

  • Cooking spray

Cornflake Topping:

  • 1 cup (1 1/4 oz.) cornflakes cereal, roughly crushed

  • 3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

  • 2 Tbsp. chopped glazed walnuts (such as Emerald)

  • 2 Tbsp. light brown sugar

  • 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

  • 1/4 tsp. kosher salt

  • Pure maple syrup, for serving

  • Mixed fresh berries, for serving

Directions

  1. Toast bread cubes:

    Preheat oven to 250°F. Place bread cubes in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven until bread cubes are starting to crisp and dry, 20 to 25 minutes, stirring once halfway through bake time. Place baking sheet on a wire rack, and let cool completely, about 10 minutes.

    Southern Living French Toast Casserole bread cubes after toasting

    Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey

  2. Make egg mixture:

    Meanwhile, whisk together eggs, half-and-half, brown sugar, vanilla, maple syrup, orange liqueur, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl.

    Southern Living French Toast Casserole whisking together the egg and milk mixture

    Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey

  3. Add bread to egg mixture:

    Add bread cubes and walnuts; toss to coat.

    Southern Living French Toast Casserole adding the bread to the milk mixture

    Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey

  4. Soak bread in egg mixture:

    Let bread mixture stand at room temperature 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes to help bread evenly soak up egg mixture. Meanwhile, increase oven temperature to 375°F. Coat a 9- x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray, and set aside.

    Southern Living French Toast Casserole letting the bread soak up the milk mixture

    Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey

  5. Prepare the Cornflake Topping:

    Stir together crushed cereal, flour, walnuts, brown sugar, butter, and salt in a medium bowl.

    Southern Living French Toast Casserole mixing the cornflake topping

    Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey

  6. Add casserole to baking dish:

    Transfer bread mixture to prepared baking dish, and top evenly with Cornflake Topping.

    Southern Living French Toast Casserole adding the topping to the casserole before baking

    Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey

  7. Bake casserole:

    Bake at 375°F until puffed and Cornflake Topping is golden brown and crispy, 32 to 40 minutes, rotating pan halfway through bake time and loosely covering with aluminum foil to prevent overbrowning, if needed.

    Southern Living French Toast Casserole after baking

    Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey

  8. Serve:

    Remove from oven, and let cool slightly, about 10 minutes (Casserole will deflate when resting.) Serve warm with maple syrup and berries.

    Southern Living French Toast Casserole ready to serve with berries and maple syrup

    Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey

Additional reporting by Alesandra Dubin

Related Articles