Make Ahead Meal: 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 baked 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.

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 breakfast
–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 hang out over a stovetop all morning, 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.

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

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.

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

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.

High fat = high flavor in this French toast game!

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 cinnamon French toast casserole into my mouth while nursing my tiny human.

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

Pass the syrup, eh?

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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

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Recipe Author Lynn April

Servings: 10 servings

Ingredients

• 10-12 ounces (283-340g) stale¹ challah, brioche, or other crusty bread cut into large cubes (about 8-9 cups of bread)
• ¼ cup (57g) unsalted butter melted
• ⅔ cup (67g) firmly packed brown sugar
• 8 large eggs
• 2 cups (480mL) milk any, but I prefer whole cow
• 2 Tablespoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Instructions

• Spray a 2 quart casserole or 9" x 13" baking dish² 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 (177ºC). 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

1. Stale bread: 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.
2. Baking dish: 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!

Want a cream cheese French toast casserole/blueberry French toast casserole? I have that, too!