Easy Brioche French Toast Casserole (+video)

Brioche French toast casserole is the perfect breakfast to feed a crowd. Soft and fluffy on the inside with a golden brown cinnamon sugar topping. Serve with a blueberry compote and generously drizzle with maple syrup.

Let’s get ready for the long Easter weekend, guys! Whether you are religious or not, there is always a good reason to enjoy one extra holiday around a cozy homemade breakfast. Take this extra time to reconnect with yourself, to be grateful about the simple little pleasures, or simply be. Slow mornings is indeed all you need in the weekend, and in my house it starts with a late breakfast that often turns into a brunch.

We also often have visit, family or friends, and love to share a good meal in great company. Always remember that “Who I eat with matters as much as what you eat”. My idea of a perfect brunch usually consists in enjoying an egg-based dish, such as a shakshuka (a classic one, a green one, or a vegan one – so no eggs), eggs Benedict, or baked eggs, served with homemade no-knead bread, and followed by something sweet.

I have been making pancakes and French toasts a lot over the last years and of course it’s something that always works. Seriously, name someone that doesn’t like pancakes. I’m definitely not one of them; that’s for sure. The thing is, making either pancakes or French toasts requires a little bit of effort for the one in charge, while at the same time every one else is having fun at the table. So frustrating (yes I’m veeery lazy in the weekend)! Anyone relates?

This is why I love making French toast casseroles whenever I expect guests for brunch. It’s so convenient! Once you threw all the ingredients together in a dish and placed it in the oven, you can forget all about it. Yes, it’s that easy. Watch my little video to see by yourself, and I’m pretty sure you will end up making it pretty soon too!

Usually prepared with one-day old bread or more, French toast casserole is indeed a very cheap way to use leftovers and feed a crowd with no effort. Some recipes will advise you to soak the bread in the milk-eggs mixture one day ahead or overnight to ensure it is soft from the inside. Others will tell you that you can prepare everything the same day.

There is no right or wrong, it actually all depends on the type of bread you use. Keep simply in mind that when using artisan bread, the texture is usually thick, crispy and chewy, which takes a longer time for the creamy mixture to be absorbed by the bread. If you go for French white bread however, you have a soft texture that absorbs the liquids very easily. To make the process even quicker, I dice the bread in small pieces, but you can also lay out the entire slices if you would like to.

As you can see, I went for neither or the other, but used butter brioche instead (which could be replaced by challah bread for similar results). It’s actually the only way I always make French toasts, as it brings extra softness, richness and sweetness to the whole dish. Because the brioche is already naturally sweetened, feel free to use less sugar than notified in the egg mixture recipe. You can even go without any added sugar (as I do myself most of the time, see in the video) and keep the sugar-cinnamon topping only.

Serve with a homemade berry compote or fresh fruits of your choice, generously drizzle with maple syrup, and enjoy warm or lukewarm. It’s love at first bite!

Easy Brioche French Toast Casserole

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• Author: Delphine Fortin
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 6 servings 1x
• Category: Breakfast
• Cuisine: American

Brioche French toast casserole is the perfect breakfast to feed a crowd. Soft and fluffy on the inside with a golden brown cinnamon sugar topping. Serve with a blueberry compote and generously drizzle with maple syrup.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 loaf (14-16 ounces) butter brioche or challah bread

For the egg mixture:

• 6 large eggs
• 2 cups (50 cl) milk
• 3/4 cup (20 cl) heavy cream
• 1/2 cup (100g) sugar (optional)*
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For sugar-cinnamon topping:

• 1/2 cup (90g) packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup (30g) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 4 Tablespoons (60g) unsalted butter, diced

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Instructions

For the brioche:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and grease a 9 x 13-inch (23×30 cm) baking pan.
2. Cut brioche into cubes or tear into small pieces. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, heavy cream, sugar if using*, vanilla, and cinnamon. Add the brioche and stir until well combined.
4. Let sit for about 10 minutes, stir again, then pour into the prepared baking dish. Set aside.

For the crisp:

1. In a small bowl combine brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Add the butter cut into small pieces and rub the mixture with your finger tips until it resembles small crumbs.
2. Sprinkle over bread in the pan and bake for about 30 minutes, or until golden on top and cooked through (if it wiggles a lot it’s not done, continue to bake until it cooked through completely).
3. Serve with maple syrup and an additional berry compote if desired.

Notes

* Because the brioche loaf is naturally sweetened, feel free to use less sugar in the egg mixture, or don’t use any at all to keep the sugar-cinnamon topping only. Also, remember that you will serve your French toast casserole with maple syrup.

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Lastly, if you make this Easy Brioche French Toast Casserole, be sure to leave a comment and give this recipe a rating, letting me know how you liked it. And of course, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Thank you and enjoy!