Cozy Baked French Toast Casserole
A comforting and easy baked French toast casserole featuring cinnamon, vanilla, and buttery bread, perfect for cozy breakfasts and brunches.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Scale
- 8 cups day-old French bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (brioche or challah preferred)
- 8 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 ½ cups whole milk (or 2% milk or dairy-free milk like almond or oat)
- ½ cup heavy cream (can be swapped with extra milk)
- ½ cup granulated sugar (or coconut sugar)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup (optional but recommended)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with butter or non-stick spray.
- Cube the bread into 1-inch pieces. If not stale, toast cubes lightly in the oven for 5 minutes to dry them out.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, whole milk, heavy cream, sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, salt, and maple syrup until smooth.
- Place bread cubes into the greased baking dish. Pour custard mixture evenly over the bread, pressing down gently to help absorption. Let sit for 10 minutes.
- Drizzle melted butter evenly over the soaked bread mixture.
- Bake uncovered for 45-55 minutes until the top is golden brown and custard is set (not jiggly). Tent with foil if top browns too fast.
- Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Use day-old bread for best custard absorption without sogginess. You can prep the casserole the night before and refrigerate. If the top browns too quickly, cover loosely with foil. For gluten-free or vegan versions, swap bread and dairy/eggs accordingly.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/8 of casserole
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 15
- Sodium: 250
- Fat: 15
- Saturated Fat: 7
- Carbohydrates: 40
- Fiber: 2
- Protein: 10
Keywords: baked French toast casserole, breakfast casserole, cinnamon French toast, easy breakfast, brunch recipe, cozy breakfast