This Overnight Brioche Baked French Toast Casserole is a decadent and comforting breakfast dish, perfect for weekend or holiday mornings. It's made with a buttery brioche loaf and soaked in a delicious egg custard.
I love the idea of an indulgent and special breakfast, especially one that can wow a crowd of people. This easy, but delicious Overnight Brioche Baked French Toast Casserole can be prepped in under 10 minutes, rests overnight in the fridge, and then popped in the oven the next morning. It saves you a ton of time the next day, and perfect for a weekend or holiday breakfast or brunch. It's made with a buttery brioche loaf, an egg custard, and then topped with your favorite toppings, like maple syrup, powdered sugar, or even whipped cream.
If you love a special occasion brunch recipe, try these Breakfast Crêpes, Milk Bread Cinnamon Rolls, or Orange Cranberry Brioche Buns.
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♥ Why You'll Love This Recipe
Easy french toast - No standing in front of a stove and flipping each individual slice of french toast. Instead, you prep the baking dish, the custard, and you're truly good to go!
Overnight - Prep the french toast casserole the night before and pop it into the oven the next morning. Very little prep involved, and it's so quick to put together! Makes your mornings stress-free, and you can enjoy doing other things while this bakes in the oven.
Feeds a crowd! - This Baked French Toast casserole feeds a whole crowd. You get get 8 nice-sized pieces, or make them smaller and more people could enjoy.
📝 Ingredient Notes
A full list of ingredients, quantities, and instructions are located in the recipe card at the end of the post.
- Brioche Loaf - I cut up and weigh out exactly 16 oz. of my Brioche Loaf recipe. You could also use store-bought.
- Spices - I use a little cinnamon and nutmeg. You could reduce or add more, if you like.
- Vanilla extract - Feel free to use vanilla extract, vanilla bean paste, or even vanilla bean pods.
See recipe card for quantities.
🍴Special Equipment
Mixing bowls: You'll need a large Mixing Bowl for the custard.
Casserole dish: I suggest a 9x13 casserole dish for the french toast.
⇄ Substitutions
Bread - If you don't like brioche, you could use challah or french bread.
Milk - I like using whole milk for more richness, but you could use any kind.
Heavy cream - If you don't have any, sub for half & half.
✨ Variations
Fruits - You could bake it up with some berries, and it will taste delicious.
Nuts - Add some pecans to give it a nice crunch.
Streusel - A delicious brown sugar streusel would add more texture, sweetness, and even more crunch.
𓎩 Step-by-Step Instructions
A few instruction photos to help you nail this recipe every time.
Step 1
Cut the brioche loaf into cubes. It doesn't have to be precise. About 1 inch cubes. Melt the butter and brush it all over the casserole baking dish, making sure to get all the corners. Line the pieces of brioche in the casserole pan, then set aside.
💡 Hint: Use almost stale bread. This way it will absorb more of the liquid. If you don't have stale bread, you could cut it into pieces and place it on a baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes at 350℉ before placing in the baking dish and pouring the custard on top.
Step 2
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until completely combined, then pour in the milk and heavy cream and whisk until combined.
Step 3
Pour the custard on top of the brioche bread in the casserole dish, making sure to run the mixture on top of all the top pieces of bread (the custard will naturally sink to the bottom). You can stir it a little to try and coat all the top pieces, too.
Wrap the baking dish with saran wrap and refrigerate for 12 hours (or overnight).
Step 4
Remove the french toast from the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature while the oven preheats.
Preheat oven to 375℉ / 190℃
Bake for 40-50 minutes until the top starts to turn a golden brown color and the sides are bubbling a little. If half way through baking the top is browning too much, tint with foil.
💬 FAQ
It's best to let it sit overnight, especially if you want the bread to absorb the liquid and have more flavor. If you're in a hurry, you can try baking it up after 2 hours.
It's possible you used too soft of a bread and it wasn't stale enough, so it didn't absorb enough of the liquid. It's also possible it's under baked. Make sure to bake it for at least 40-50 minutes and you see it visibly become golden brown. You can even use a fork or a knife to check on the doneness of the center.
💡Pro Tips
Mix thoroughly - Make sure when you're whisking the ingredients together, they all mix well. Make sure the brown sugar doesn't have any clumps. This is why I like to start by whisking the eggs before adding in the milk and heavy cream.
Cut brioche evenly - Try to cut the brioche into even-sized cubes so you're not left with too large of pieces.
Cool - Make sure to cool the french toast for at least 10 minutes. This will prevent burning the roof of your mouth or tongue, but it also helps set the french toast.
Toppings - Add whatever toppings you like: nuts, fruits, whipped cream, powdered sugar, honey, or maple syrup.
❄ Storage
Refrigerator - Store any leftovers covered in the fridge for about 3-4 days. To enjoy, reheat in the microwave or the oven at 350℉ until it's warm.
📖 Recipe Card
Brioche Baked French Toast
Equipment
- 1 9x13 casserole dish
- Large mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 1 16 oz. loaf brioche bread* see notes
- 2 tablespoon melted butter (to spread on bottom of baking dish)
- 8 large eggs
- 1½ cups milk (I use whole milk, but you could use any type)
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (50g) brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Cut the brioche loaf into cubes. It doesn't have to be precise. About 1 inch cubes. Melt the butter and brush it all over the casserole baking dish, making sure to get all the corners. Line the pieces of brioche in the casserole pan, then set aside.1 16 oz. loaf brioche bread*, 2 tablespoon melted butter (to spread on bottom of baking dish)
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until completely combined, then pour in the milk and heavy cream and whisk until combined.8 large eggs, 1½ cups milk (I use whole milk, but you could use any type), 1 cup heavy cream, ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar, ¼ cup (50g) brown sugar, packed, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, 1½ teaspoon cinnamon, ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg, ⅛ teaspoon salt
- Pour the custard on top of the brioche bread in the casserole dish, making sure to run the mixture on top of all the top pieces of bread (the custard will naturally sink to the bottom). You can stir it a little to try and coat all the top pieces, too.
- Wrap the baking dish with saran wrap and refrigerate for 12 hours (or overnight).
- When ready to bake: Remove the french toast from the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature while the oven preheats.Preheat oven to 375℉ / 190℃Bake for 40-50 minutes until the top starts to turn a golden brown color and the sides are bubbling a little. If half way through baking the top is browning too much, tint with foil.
- Remove from the oven and let sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes to cool. Enjoy with fruit, maple syrup, or whipped cream.
- Store any leftovers wrapped in the fridge for about 3-4 days.
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