Brioche French Toast Casserole

Perfect for a cozy breakfast with the family, this brioche French toast casserole will be the breakfast they ask for again and again! The French toast can easily be made the night before, and is perfect for a holiday breakfast like Christmas or Easter, but easy enough for a potluck or cozy Sunday breakfast.

 

Why We Love Brioche French Toast Casserole

• Great Family Breakfast -This brioche French toast is easy enough for a Sunday breakfast, but special enough for holidays like Christmas or Easter! Kids and adults love this recipe and can enjoy it together. Don’t skip the powdered sugar for the kids, they love the extra “snow” on this French toast bake.
• Prep Ahead – I love a breakfast I can make ahead of time. This baked French toast casserole is a great way to feed the whole table, and you can make it the night before. After sitting in the fridge overnight, it’s ready to bake when it’s time for brunch. Make this French toast recipe for Christmas morning, Easter morning or when hosting for Mother’s Day. It can also chill for about 30 minutes before baking if you need to make it faster.
• Decadent French Toast – Brioche bread makes such a great gooey baked French toast, you’ll love every soft and chewy bite, down to the golden brown top!

Ingredients For Brioche French Toast Casserole

• brioche bread stale or toasted, if it’s fresh see notes. Leftover brioche actually works best! You can use French bread or challah in this recipe, but it won’t be quite the same as using a buttery brioche bread.
• eggs
• milk 2 % or whole milk produces the richest French toast, you can also swap half the milk for heavy cream for a really decadent dish
• brown sugar divided
• cinnamon divided
• vanilla
•  salt
•  butter melted, salted. If you have unsalted butter add 1/4 teaspoon of salt and mix it into the melted butter
• powdered sugar (optional) also known as confectioner’s sugar, you can dust the casserole with powdered sugar before serving, it makes it pretty!
• berries (optional) we like to top this French toast casserole with fresh blueberries, strawberries or raspberries.

What Is Brioche Bread?

Brioche bread is a type of bread that’s soft and rich. It has a higher amount of eggs and butter giving it a more decadent soft bite and makes a really delicious French toast.

You can find brioche as a full loaf, but it’s also sold as hamburger buns, hot dog buns and rolls. Since you need dried out or stale bread for French toast casserole, I try to grab whatever the bakery has on the next day rack whether it’s a loaf or buns for this easy French toast bake.

How To Make This Brioche French Toast Casserole Recipe

1. Spray a 9×13 casserole dish with spray cooking oil. Cut the bread into 1-inch cubes, or 1-2 inch pieces is fine too. We just want them small enough to easily fit on the end of the fork.

2. In a medium bowl add eggs, milk, ¼ cup brown sugar, vanilla, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and salt. Whisk together the eggs, milk and the rest of the custard until well blended.

3. Spread cubed brioche bread in the pan and pour the egg custard over the bread pieces. Cover and refrigerate the casserole for at least 30 minutes, or overnight in the fridge.

4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
5. Mix together 2 tablespoons brown sugar, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon and 4 tablespoons of melted butter in a small bowl. Drizzle the melted butter mixture over the top of the casserole.

6. Place the casserole in the oven. Bake for 30-35 minutes until egg custard mixture is cooked all the way through in the center. Serve and enjoy! Dust the casserole with powdered sugar with fresh fruit, maple syrup or your favorite toppings.

Easy Breakfast Casserole Variation Ideas

Add Chocolate – Chocolate chips can be added right on top and baked into this French toast casserole or at the table. Adding a drizzle of Nutella or a drizzle of chocolate syrup is also always delicious.

Mix Up The Toppings – We tend to stick to berries like strawberries, raspberries and blueberries but other fruit like sliced bananas, peaches or blackberries are all delicious.

Try Some Jam – You can add a few spoonfuls of your favorite jam to the top of this French toast either into the bake or at the table. Also lemon curd while not as easy to find, is always extra delicious on top of this French toast. I find lemon curd usually at Trader Joe’s.

Top With Whipped Cream – Skip the powdered sugar and add a big dollop of whipped cream on top!

Can I Lay Down Full Slices Of Bread In The Pan Instead Of Cubes?

Yes you can definitely lay down full slices of brioche bread. You’ll need to overlap the brioche slices or they won’t all fit in the pan.

I’ve found cubing the bread depending on how much bread I have can make things cook a little more evenly, as sometimes the slices don’t fill the whole pan around the edges. But the full slices look more like traditional French toast when you serve and can look pretty.

How Long Will Brioche French Toast Casserole Last?

Expect this French toast casserole will last for about 3-4 days when stored in a covered airtight container in the refrigerator.

Leftover French toast can be baked again to warm up right in the same pan. It’s usually easiest to microwave each person’s portion on their plate when enjoying the next day.