Overnight French Toast Casserole is simple and comforting in a stay-in-your-PJs-for-most-of-the-day kind of way. Plus it is the ultimate way to use leftover bread.
[Recipe updated 11/23/2019, Originally posted 11/30/2016]: I love this recipe especially when I have guests, like today!!! What I normally do is collect bread ends or for a month or so. Basically loafs of bread we do not finish that I through in the freezer.
I left the 1/4 loafs out to thaw yesterday and whipped up the Overnight French Toast Casserole last night. Now it’t early, my guests are sleeping and I am excited to pop breakfast in the oven. But first… a good pot of coffee 🤗
I am a total nerd about using leftovers and not wasting food. As in, I will get literally giddy with excitement when I use up leftovers mashed potatoes to make mashed potato waffles (yes that’s a thing and its good!) Or when I successfully use up all the produce the fridge to make awesomely nutritious and cohesive dinners all week! There is not greater feeling of satisfaction for me.
It’s like my own little version of Chopped every day, using my fridge ingredients and pantry. Although in my nightly version of chopped it’s just me vs the judges. The hubs and baby decide if I win or lose.
I think I just love the feeling of re-using, avoiding waste and transforming. Especially when I try to keep my grocery trips to 1 per week (sometimes 2 if I forget something). This way I save a lot more money, buy less unnecessary things and use up everything I have on a weekly basis thus wasting less food.
Today my Chopped ingredient is OLD STALE BREAD. Dun dun dunnnnn! Leftover bread is the best! Why? French toast all the way! Classic Overnight French toast to be exact.
This is a classic breakfast that takes about 5 minutes to prep before going to bed the night before. Then you wake up, let it rest on the counter while you make coffee and shower, throw it in the oven while you enjoy your first cup of coffee, and eat it with family and your second cup of coffee. This is the kind of lazy Sunday morning recipe I live for!
Perfect for when guests stay over or for brunch or for giving to friends that just had a baby. Truly multipurpose. Traditionally I make it with leftover stale French bread, but old baguette or challah bread is incredible too! Lately I’ve been collecting sandwich bread butts in the freezer (since we never eat them) and then adding them to this french toast casserole!
Eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon and bread. That is all that’s needed to create the most soft and custardy inside and caramelized sugary topping. Add a light drizzle of maple syrup and oh my gawd! Watch me NOT get out of my PJs all day long.
Simple comfort food at its finest with the added benefit of using leftover bread. #momwin #foodnerd #toddlerlovesittoo!
Serves 8
Ingredients
- 1 large loaf good-quality French loaf, peasant loaf, sourdough, ciabatta, or challah (roughly 10 cups of chunks of bread)
- 5 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
- Powdered sugar
- Maple syrup
Instructions
- Slice the bread into 1-inch slices and then cut them into roughly 1-inch cubes. You can also tear the bread apart with your hands. This doesn’t have to be perfect. Also don’t be afraid to use day old bread.
- Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray or butter. Put all the bread chunks in a large bowl.
- In a small bowl or large measuring cup wtih a spout, whisk the eggs together. Add the milk, sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and mix well. Pour the egg and milk mixture evenly over all the bread chunks and mix with a spatula.
- Pour all of the bread/egg mixture into the prepared baking dish.
- At this point, the casserole can be baked right away, or covered and refrigerated overnight.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375F. Place an oven rack in the center position.
- For the drizzle, mix the melted butter with the brown sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and a pinch of salt into a small bowl. Using a spoon, drizzle the mixture evenly over all the bread chunks.
- Bake the casserole for 35 to 45 minutes. Leave the casserole in the oven longer if you want the top of the casserole to get more brown and slightly crunchy.
- Remove the casserole from the oven and let it cool for about 10 minutes before serving. Dust powdered sugar on top, if you like. Serve with maple syrup.
Notes
The easy way to make this recipe is by buying and using 1 loaf of bread such as French bread, baguette, bagels, peasant, challah, or sourdough. Leave it out over night to stale. I love collecting random sandwich bread butts in the freezer and then adding them to this recipe. This is the perfect recipe for all your old bread! Save casserole in the fridge for 3 days. Freeze it wrapped in foil and store in a freezer safe Ziploc. To eat frozen leftovers place frozen French toast in a single layer on a baking sheet and cover with foil. Bake at 375°F for 8 to 10 minutes, or until hot.
Slightly adapted from Simply Recipes.
Originally posted 2019-11-23 06:12:00.
Leave a Reply