EATS: French Toast Casserole Recipe
When I create a brunch menu I like to create a sweet dish—like this French Toast Casserole—and a savory dish—like a nice frittata—that taste great and are easy to serve. French toast is a brunch favorite, but if you have a gathering of several people you don’t want to be stuck over stove flipping pieces of French toast. This is where the French toast casserole shines. The preparation is simple, you can enjoy mimosas with your friends while the French toast casserole bakes and fills the air with the spices of the crumble topping. When it’s time to serve you just place the dish on your banquet for self serve and you’re good to go.
For this recipe I used challah bread. In my area, there are a lot of bakeries that make really excellent challah bread. Take any opportunity you can in your cooking to use local ingredients to take any dish, and in this case the the French toast casserole, to the next level. I like challah because it has a great, airy texture that absorbs the liquid and gives the casserole a nice bounce after it is baked. If you do not have challah you can substitute with sourdough bread, a French baguette, or brioche. Just make sure you use a hearty loaf of bread that can withstand the liquid and baking process.
French Toast Casserole Crumb Topping Recipe
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 c butter, cold and cut into pieces
French Toast Casserole Recipe
1 loaf Challah cut into cubes (sourdough, brioche, or baguette are good substitutes if you don’t have challah)
2 cups milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
8 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons vanilla
French Toast Casserole Instructions
Spray a 9x13 pan with non-stick cooking spray. Place all the challah cubes in pan.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine eggs with heavy cream, milk, sugar, and vanilla.
Pour the mixture into the pan over the challah.
In another medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt mixing until all ingredients are well incorporated. Last, add the cut butter into the crumb topping.
Top the French toast casserole with the crumb mix evenly over the top
Bake at 350 for 45 minutes
Serve with maple syrup and fresh fruit
