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June 1, 2018

Make Ahead Meal: Overnight French Toast Casserole

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One dish French toast casserole, easily prepped the night before and baked in the morning.

One dish French toast casserole, easily prepped the night before and baked in the morning.

Make Ahead Overnight French Toast Casserole: One dish French toast casserole, easily prepped the night before and baked in the morning.

And just about as timely as my very first make ahead meal, this make ahead overnight French toast casserole comes at about the same time as that one did… Just three weeks after bringing our first kiddo home to our house.

There is something about three weeks into newborn-hood.

Ohhh, something so so special.

Sheer exhaustion.

Sleep deprivation for a week is rough. Another week on top of that is a bit worse.

Add a third? Then we’re talking real sleepy.

And thankfully, all that sleeplessness subsides a bit eventually, but until it does: food you can make ahead of time, perhaps while you have a crying, cluster-feeding newborn strapped into a carrier in the evening and then bake in the morning when you’re feeling hungry and desperate for a meal, should be a staple in your kitchen.

Oh, and hopefully some people are bringing you some meals, because that is a godsend with a newborn. GODSEND.

Make Ahead Overnight French Toast Casserole: One dish French toast casserole, easily prepped the night before and baked in the morning.

Shoutout to my SIL who brought us EPIC breakfast burritos this week and also a pan of meatballs with rolls for subs. We had breakfast and lunch for 3 days thanks to her!

And another shoutout to my work girlfriends for visiting earlier this week with hoagies and chips in hand, gin and tonic (they know me so well), and fruchewy candy. Y’all are my people!

OVERNIGHT FRENCH TOAST CASSEROLE GREAT FOR FEEDING A CROWD

This overnight French toast casserole is perfect for newborn life, but also…

…Christmas morning
…Easter brunch
…Thanksgiving breakfast
or any time you need to have a lot of food for a lot of people and don’t want to slave over a stovetop, dipping bread slices into an egg wash and waiting to flip each piece at the perfect time.

This is the easy peasy way to French toast, and it’s just as delicious as the individually sliced kind.

Make Ahead Overnight French Toast Casserole: One dish French toast casserole, easily prepped the night before and baked in the morning.

In order to get the best French toast casserole possible, you’ll need to start with stale bread.

START WITH STALE BREAD FOR FRENCH TOAST CASSEROLE

Why? More dry places for the egg custard to go.

Fresh bread won’t work quite the same and you’ll find yourself with some goopy French toast casserole instead of soft in the center with a crispy exterior.

What do I do if I don’t have stale bread?

Cut up a fresh loaf and let it sit out on the counter all day. Cut the bread in the morning, start the casserole in the evening, bake it the next morning.

You’ll spend a whole 24 hours with your casserole, but the hands-on time is seriously minimal. Only about 20 minutes in total!

Make Ahead Overnight French Toast Casserole: One dish French toast casserole, easily prepped the night before and baked in the morning.

As for the egg custard, we’re amping up the flavor with some brown sugar, vanilla extract, and cinnamon. Feel free to add more spices like nutmeg and ginger if you’re into them.

This is definitely not a “set-in-stone” recipe when it comes to the flavors. You could also use some almond extract in place of the vanilla, if you’re feeling extra fancy.

WHOLE MILK IS THE BEST MILK FOR FRENCH TOAST

The only thing I really suggest sticking to is the milk– whole! Since we have a toddler, whole milk is pretty plentiful around our house, but if it’s not where you live, I highly suggest making some space in your fridge for some.

High fat = high flavor in this French toast game!

Make Ahead Overnight French Toast Casserole: One dish French toast casserole, easily prepped the night before and baked in the morning.

The total bake time on this bad boy is 60-70 minutes, so you can wake up, pop this in the oven, and then by the time you’re ready to start functioning, breakfast is piping hot and ready to eat.

You’ll be left with soft bites of custardy French toast, topped with crispy pieces that sat on the top of the whole shebang. And leftovers? Toast them in the toaster oven and you’re in for a real treat.

I certainly miss waking up before the rest of my house on the weekends and enjoying my coffee before I have to interact with anyone. That pesky little newborn dictates my mornings right now, but I remember that will be a distant memory in probably just a few months.

“The days are long but the years are short.” I’ve realized that yes, this is indeed true, as our first born will be 2 in just 2 weeks, and it feels like we were just planning his first birthday party, at which point, I totally believed he was such a cool kid.

And he’s even cooler now.

I’m holding onto these thoughts as I trudge through the throes of the newborn stage, as I shovel French toast casserole into my mouth while nursing my tiny human.

We can do this, we can do this, we can do this…

Make Ahead Overnight French Toast Casserole: One dish French toast casserole, easily prepped the night before and baked in the morning.
Pass the syrup, eh?
Make Ahead Overnight French Toast Casserole: One dish French toast casserole, easily prepped the night before and baked in the morning.
Print Recipe
5 from 7 votes

Make Ahead Meal: Overnight French Toast Casserole

One dish French toast casserole, easily prepped the night before and baked in the morning.
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time1 hr 30 mins
Total Time1 hr 45 mins
Servings: 10 servings

Ingredients

  • 10-12 ounces stale* challah, brioche, or other crusty bread cut into large cubes (about 8-9 cups of bread)
  • 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted
  • 2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
  • 8 large eggs
  • 2 cups milk any, but I prefer whole cow
  • 2 Tablespoons vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

  • Spray a 2 quart casserole or 9" x 13" baking dish with non-stick spray. Place the bread cubes in the prepared baking dish.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and brown sugar. Add the eggs, milk, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt, and whisk again until everything is completely combined.
  • Pour the egg mixture over the bread, cover with a lid or foil, and allow to rest in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours or overnight.
  • When you are ready to bake the casserole, preheat the oven to 350ºF. Bake the casserole for 60 to 70 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the egg mixture looks set. Baked casserole freezes well, up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, and reheat portions as needed. You can also freeze unbaked casserole unbaked, up to 3 months-- freeze after step 3, then thaw in refrigerator overnight before continuing with step 4.

Notes

*The reason for stale bread is because you want the bread to soak up all of the liquid ingredients. Stale bread has far less moisture in it, allowing for intake of the custard. I usually cut up my bread and let it sit out during the day or even overnight an extra night, if I have that much advance planning.
You can easily halve this recipe and put it in a smaller casserole dish or 8" square baking pan. Bake time is 50-55 minutes.
Did you make this recipe?Mention @freshaprilflours on Instagram or tag #freshaprilflours!

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Filed Under: Breakfast, Christmas Recipes, Easter Recipes, Featured Recipes, Make Ahead Meal, Seasonal, Thanksgiving Recipes Tagged With: bread, brown sugar, challah, cinnamon, milk

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kathleen says

    September 25, 2019 at 8:05 PM

    Bake covered or uncovered?

    Reply
    • Lynn says

      September 26, 2019 at 10:08 AM

      Uncovered! Though you’re welcome to cover if you prefer not to brown the top.

      Reply
  2. Gail Vogl says

    October 2, 2019 at 12:07 PM

    Can this be assembled, then frozen, to be baked in a week or so?

    Reply
    • Lynn says

      October 4, 2019 at 10:11 AM

      Yes! Directions for freezing are in the instructions.

      Reply
      • Nicky says

        September 2, 2020 at 6:11 AM

        Um…where are the instructions for freezing? I can’t seem to locate it.

        Reply
        • Lynn says

          September 2, 2020 at 6:42 AM

          That was my fault! It’s in there now 🙂

          Reply
  3. Kimra says

    October 4, 2019 at 9:15 PM

    Can I use lactose free milk

    Reply
    • Lynn says

      October 4, 2019 at 9:21 PM

      Of course.

      Reply
  4. Stella says

    November 26, 2019 at 10:13 AM

    Can this be made two nights before?

    Reply
    • Lynn says

      November 26, 2019 at 12:56 PM

      Hey, Stella– I’d probably not do that. If you’re pressed for time or would like to prep as much as you can, I would make the liquid portion 2 nights ahead, prep the bread if you want (or not), and then set aside a few minutes the night before in order to follow with the recipe as intended.

      Reply
  5. Clare says

    December 25, 2019 at 12:05 AM

    i just made this for Christmas morning but im afraid its going to be awful because of the bread i used. its probably going to be mush. 😞

    Reply
    • Lynn says

      December 26, 2019 at 12:49 PM

      How did it turn out, Clare?

      Reply
  6. Lori says

    December 25, 2019 at 8:56 AM

    5 stars
    Thanks for sharing. Making for my family for Xmas morning. Can’t wait it looks amazing! In oven now! I used great quality Ciabbata bread from Il Forno. Having with oven baked turkey bacon and cinnamon flavor coffee 💞 enjoy the holidays 💞 Lori

    Reply
    • Lynn says

      December 26, 2019 at 12:49 PM

      How did it turn out, Lori? Happy holidays!

      Reply
  7. Gal says

    December 27, 2019 at 2:39 AM

    5 stars
    Wow! Best French Toast I ever had! Made it for Christmas breakfast. Very easy. House smelled so good on Christmas morning! Thanks for posting this recipe. Do you have any lire make-ahead dishes? Any vegetarian ones?

    Reply
    • Lynn says

      December 27, 2019 at 10:07 AM

      I do have some more make ahead dishes! You can find my most popular recipe here, a make ahead breakfast casserole. Leave out the meat and sub in extra veggies!

      Reply
  8. Mary says

    November 25, 2020 at 9:03 PM

    Is it really 2 tablespoons of vanilla?

    Reply
    • Lynn says

      November 26, 2020 at 6:55 AM

      It is, Mary!

      Reply
      • Mary says

        November 26, 2020 at 8:30 AM

        Thank you.

        Reply
  9. Eileen Ganster says

    December 17, 2020 at 6:52 AM

    Hi Lynn! Is there a creamy or a custard sauce recipe to top the casserole with? Maybe a sauce you would top off bread pudding? Thanks for your easy, tasty recipes.

    Reply
    • Lynn says

      December 17, 2020 at 6:54 AM

      Hi, Grammy! I’d probably go for a simple icing with this– 1 cup of powdered sugar + 3-4 Tablespoons of milk or cream + a little vanilla. Enjoy!

      Reply
  10. Cindy says

    December 20, 2020 at 9:12 AM

    I’m so excited to try this for Christmas morning. Sounds delicious!

    Reply
    • Lynn says

      December 20, 2020 at 9:26 AM

      Makes life so much easier that morning!!

      Reply
  11. Kate says

    December 25, 2020 at 9:49 AM

    5 stars
    Made it last night to bake for Christmas breakfast and it turned out great. Wonderful way to have French toast without having to man the griddle. Topped it with a dusting of powdered sugar! I was glad to see it could be reheated, not that we had any leftover… but maybe next time.

    Reply
    • Lynn says

      December 25, 2020 at 1:08 PM

      I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Kate!

      Reply
  12. Kim says

    December 25, 2020 at 8:41 PM

    5 stars
    Made this recipe in minutes using a loaf of homemade bread! My whole family devoured this on Christmas morning! I think it will be a start of a holiday tradition. Considering using my homemade craisin cinnamon bread next time.

    Reply
    • Lynn says

      December 26, 2020 at 8:59 AM

      I love that, Kim! Thanks for sharing 🙂

      Reply
  13. Patty G says

    January 1, 2021 at 10:17 AM

    5 stars
    Could you substitute the Milk for Amaretto Coffee Creamer

    Reply
    • Lynn says

      January 1, 2021 at 11:52 AM

      Sure! Just maybe reduce some of the sugar because it will be sweeter than milk.

      Reply

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