My French toast casserole recipe includes a caramelized brown sugar cinnamon topping for insanely flavorful results. You won't even need a drizzle of maple syrup on top! Don't miss the make-ahead instructions--perfect for holiday brunches. Recipe includes a how-to video!
Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C) and generously grease a 9x13 casserole dish (see note) with butter.
Evenly layer Challah pieces into a deep 9x13 casserole dish. Set aside.
1 14oz loaf Challah bread, cut into 1" cubes
Combine melted butter, maple syrup, vanilla extract, ground cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl and whisk until well-combined.
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, ¼ cup maple syrup, 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract, 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon, ¾ teaspoon table salt
Add sugars and eggs and whisk well.
¼ cup sugar, ¼ cup light brown sugar, 7 large eggs
Add milk and heavy cream and whisk until all ingredients are well-combined.
2 cups whole milk, ½ cup heavy cream
Pour mixture evenly over Challah pieces in casserole dish and use a spatula to stir gently so all pieces of bread are able to absorb the custard. Set aside while you prepare your topping.
TOPPING
Combine flour, brown sugar, and ground cinnamon in the canister of a food processor and pulse briefly to combine (if you don't have a food processor, just stir together in a medium-sized bowl)
⅓ cup all-purpose flour, ½ cup light brown sugar, 2 ¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon
Scatter butter pieces evenly over flour mixture and pulse until sandy crumbs form (if no food processor -- use a pastry cutter or fork and knife to cut butter into mixture until coarse crumbs form).
8 Tablespoons salted butter
Assemble & Bake
Let the casserole sit for 15-20 minutes or longer, until the bread has absorbed most of the custard. (See note if you would like to store the casserole to bake another day).
Sprinkle casserole evenly with topping then place on a foil-lined baking sheet and transfer to center rack of 375°F (190°C) preheated oven. Bake for 50 minutes, until browned and mostly set, but center is still slightly jiggly when jostled.
Serve warm, topped with additional maple syrup or whipped cream, if desired.
Video
Notes
Bread optionsWhile this casserole can alternatively be made with French or Italian bread, I've found that Challah bread creates a casserole with the best taste (by far!). How to make fresh bread "stale" (so you don't end up with a soggy casserole!). If I have a fresh loaf of bread I'd like to use, I'll usually just leave it out on my counter, unwrapped, for a day or two, before using it, or I'll cut it into pieces and leave it uncovered for several hours. If I don't have that kind of time to spare, I'll expedite the process with my oven. To do so, preheat your oven to 300F (150C), cut your bread as indicated, and scatter it over a baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes, stirring halfway through. You don't want to toast it, you just want it to feel firm on the outside. Let it cool before using in the recipe.Baking dishThe bread puffs quite a bit in the oven. Because of this I recommend using a deep casserole dish and make sure you place a foil-lined pan beneath the casserole while baking, just in case of any spills (will make clean-up so much easier!).How to make in advanceAfter pouring the egg mixture over the bread, cover your casserole dish tightly with plastic wrap or foil and place your crumble topping in a separate airtight container. Place both in the refrigerator.The next morning, remove your casserole dish and topping from the refrigerator. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C), uncover casserole dish, sprinkle topping evenly overtop (you may need to give the container a good shake if the topping has settled and started to stick together), and let dish sit while the oven fully preheats. Once preheated, bake for 50 minutes, allow to cool for several minutes before serving. Serve topped with maple syrup, if desired.StoringCover tightly with foil or plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Warm before enjoying leftovers.