Upgrade your baked French toast casserole with one made of challah soaked in a creamy egg custard topped with a buttery cinnamon sugar and sliced almond streusel. This overnight French toast casserole wins brunch!
Why this recipe works
- The egg custard is rich and silky, not soggy or rubbery
- Assembling the French toast casserole the night before brunch lets the bread slices soak up the egg custard so there's no dry spots
- Bake the next morning for no mess, no stress morning!
Doesn't brunch make any day special? Whether it's Mother's Day, Father's Day, Christmas mornings, Sunday mornings, bridal and baby showers, or any other let's-have-a-leisurely-morning, brunch invites lingering over the meal with extra special foods.
Quiches (with and without a crust), cinnamon rolls, and babka are obvious choices for a brunch meal, but the granddaddy of them all is French toast. And while you can soak a piece of bread in egg and slap it on a griddle, making a baked French toast casserole allows for more creativity, especially when you make an overnight French toast that you just pop into the oven the next morning.
So let's make a baked French toast casserole with challah (egg bread), and add a buttery cinnamon sugar and sliced almonds streusel topping to our dish. Friends, Cinnamon Streusel Baked French Toast Casserole wins brunch!
Jump to:
French Toast Casserole is Bread Pudding
A French toast bake is really just another version of baked bread pudding. It's bread soaked in an egg custard (generally with other flavorings), then baked to set the custard. So you'll see this dish called French Toast Bread Pudding, Baked French Toast Casserole, French Toast Bake, or just Bread Pudding. They're all interchangeable.
Speaking of custard, the recipe ratio for a freestanding custard (like that aforementioned quiche), is 2 : 1, that is, 2 parts liquid (in this case milk and cream) to one part beaten eggs by weight. Generally speaking, a large egg can be anywhere from about 1½ to 2 ounces (about 45 to 57 grams). It's important to weigh your eggs when possible so you'll know how much liquid to use (having a kitchen scale helps). This ratio gives you enough body for the custard to hold up the fillings with a silky mouthfeel that isn't rubbery or stiff.
Without a scale, if 5 large eggs are assumed to be about 1½ ounces (45 grams), using 2 cups of liquid should be about right.
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What you need
You can use any type of milk you'd like in the custard. Dairy milk (from fat free to whole milk), almond milk, soy milk, oat milk...you name it, it's fine.
Want to reduce or omit the amount of heavy cream in the custard? Just increase the milk (or milk alternative) you're using by the same amount. The only difference will be in the custard's richness.
You can choose the bread to use, usually challah, brioche, or even babka. French toast bread pudding is a great way to use up stale bread, so that's a win.
The rest of the ingredients are whatever flavorings and toppings you like. In this instance, I'm flavoring the custard with sugar, vanilla, nutmeg, and salt. The streusel topping is a simple mixture of brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon with sliced almonds folded in.
How to Make Baked French Toast Casserole
Step 1: Slice the bread
While you can use a store bought challah or brioche, this is the best recipe for homemade challah around, especially if you make it as a 4- or 6-strand braid (or even 8-strand!). If possible, make it two days before you plan to bake the bread pudding to give it a chance to stale for a day.
Cut the bread across into eight ¾-inch slices. If you are not using a braided challah bread, cut the slices into two triangles each. Arrange the bread slices in a generously buttered 8- x 8-inch baking pan in a side-to-side pattern (like scallops), leaning and overlapping them (photo 1).
Step 2: Make the custard
The trick to making custard is to beat the eggs until they're nice and frothy. Beating the eggs well adds air, leading to a puffier soufflé with a lighter texture.
In a medium bowl (preferably one with a spout for easy pouring), use a hand mixer to beat the eggs on high until light golden and slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Beat in the cream, milk, granulated sugar, vanilla, salt, and nutmeg (photo 2).
Pour the custard over the bread in the dish, lifting the bread up slightly to pour between the slices and letting the custard soak in (photo 3). It may seem like you have too much, but go slowly to allow the bread time to absorb the custard.
Step 3: Make the streusel topping
Using a pastry blender or two knives, combine the brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon to form a loose mixture. Fold in the almond slices (photo 4).
Use your hands to spread the streusel mixture over the top of the soaked challah and in between the slices (photo 5). Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight to allow the bread to soak up the custard.
Step 4: Bake the casserole
If chilling overnight, remove the pan from the refrigerator an hour before baking to allow the eggs to come to room temperature. Remove the plastic wrap and drizzle the maple syrup over the top.
To make a water bath, place the baking pan in the center of a 9- x 13-inch baking pan. Pour about 4 cups of water into the pan. It should reach about 1-inch up the side of the smaller baking pan (photo 6). Remove the smaller pan and carefully transfer the larger pan to the oven. The water will warm in the larger baking pan as the oven preheats.
When the oven is ready, carefully place the casserole into the water bath (be careful opening the oven because you can get a blast of steam in your face). Bake the French toast at 350°F until the custard is puffy and golden brown, about 30 to 35 minutes (photo 7). The top should be spongy (not dry or crusty), and not too brown.
Serve the French toast piping hot, right out of the oven. Dust with powdered sugar, if desired.
Questions asked and answered
Here are some questions you might have...
The answer lies with the custard's recipe ratio of liquid to eggs. That 2 : 1 liquid to egg ratio (two parts liquid to one part beaten eggs) is by weight. Generally speaking, a large egg can be anywhere from about 1½ to 2 ounces (about 45 to 57 grams). It's important to weigh your eggs when possible so you'll know how much liquid to use (having a kitchen scale helps). Without a scale, if 5 large eggs are assumed to be about 1½ ounces (45 grams), using 2 cups of liquid should be about right.
If the French toast casserole is soggy, that probably means you had too much liquid in the custard mixture for the amount of eggs used. You can try baking the casserole a little longer to see if that helps the custard to set.
Like with the soggy casserole, a rubbery custard means that you have too much egg in the custard mixture for the amount of liquid used. If your large eggs are closer to 2 ounces (57 grams), then for 5 eggs you'd need 2¼ cups (280 grams) of liquid.
To solve this problem, reduce the amount of eggs used next time, and make sure not to over-bake the casserole. Take the pan out of the oven just when the custard is just set and jiggles slightly in the middle.
That's a good question. The answer is...it depends. Strictly speaking, a water bath is helpful, but not required.
What is the water bath for then, you might ask? It protects the custard from over-baking on the outside while the inside sets so it cooks evenly. You can skip the water bath and have good results, just keep a careful eye that the custard isn't overcooking and the middle is set.
I recommend measuring the water into your larger pan with the smaller pan placed inside using room temperature tap water. The water should come about one-inch below the top of the smaller pan. Remove the smaller pan and place the water bath in the oven just before you preheat it. The preheating oven warms the water. Just be careful...you'll get a face full of steam when you open the oven door.
Pro Tip: Make a little or make a lot
This French toast bread pudding recipe makes eight good-sized portions. You can double the recipe using 9- x 13-inch baking pan and add about 5 to 10 minutes onto the baking time. It’s best if you have a larger pan available for the water bath.
Otherwise, place a large roasting pan filled halfway with water on the rack beneath your casserole dish like I did when making this cheesecake recipe.
A perfect dish for a stress-free brunch
Cinnamon Streusel Baked French Toast Casserole is incredible! The custard has a rich taste and silky mouthfeel. The bread is light and crunchy from the streusel and almonds, but not overly sweet. It's pretty to boot.
Being able to to most of the work the night before really pays off. Just heat the oven and bake. No mess or stress right before serving!
This French toast bake wins brunch, whatever the occasion your brunch is for!
Slainté! L’chaim! Cheers!
Tammy
Related Recipes
Custards come in many forms, but the method is similar across the board. Luckily, the technique is easy to master, and you'll be able to make a whole range of treats!
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Recipe
Cinnamon Streusel Baked French Toast Casserole
Equipment
- hand mixer
Ingredients
- ½ recipe homemade challah dough, or store bought, see Recipe Notes
For the custard
- 5 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup heavy cream, at room temperature, see Recipe Notes
- 1 cup milk, at room temperature, see Recipe Notes
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
For the streusel topping
- ⅓ cup dark brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅓ cup almonds, sliced
To finish
- 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup, for drizzling
- powdered sugar, for dusting (optional)
Instructions
- Generously butter a 8- x 8-inch baking pan. Set aside.
- Cut the bread across into eight ¾-inch slices. If you are not using a braided challah bread, cut the slices into two triangles each.
- Arrange the bread slices in the pan in a side-to-side pattern (like scallops), leaning and overlapping them.
- Make the custard: In a medium bowl (preferably one with a spout for easy pouring), use a hand mixer to beat the eggs on high until light golden and slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. The trick to making custard is to beat the eggs until they're nice and frothy. Beating the eggs well adds air, leading to a puffier soufflé with a lighter texture.
- Beat in the cream, milk, granulated sugar, vanilla, salt, and nutmeg.
- Pour the custard over the bread in the dish, lifting the bread up slightly to pour between the slices and letting the custard soak in. It may seem like you have too much, but go slowly to allow the bread time to absorb the custard.
- Make the streusel topping: Using a pastry blender or two knives, combine the brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon to form a loose mixture. Fold in the almond slices.
- Use your hands to spread the streusel mixture over the top of the soaked challah and in between the slices. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight to allow the bread to soak up the custard.
- If chilling overnight, remove the pan from the refrigerator an hour before baking to allow the eggs to come to room temperature. Remove the plastic wrap and drizzle the maple syrup over the top.
- Prepare the water bath: Place the baking pan in the center of a 9- x 13-inch baking pan. Pour about 4 cups of water into the pan. It should reach about 1-inch up the side of the smaller baking pan. Remove the smaller pan and carefully transfer the larger pan to the oven. The water will warm in the baking dish as the oven preheats.
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Allow the oven to heat 15 to 30 minutes past the point it indicates it’s preheated (this eliminates hot spots and helps even baking).
- Carefully place the casserole into the water bath. Bake until the custard is puffy and golden brown, about 30 to 35 minutes. The top should be spongy (not dry or crusty), and not too brown.
- Serve the French toast piping hot, right out of the oven. Dust with powdered sugar, if desired.
- You can double the recipe using 9- x 13-inch baking pan and add about 5 to 10 minutes onto the baking time. It’s best if you have a larger pan available for the water bath.
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