This buttery, rich brioche French toast casserole is the perfect way to start your morning. It’s also an easy and delicious way to serve a crowd!
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Pin RecipeYou can never go wrong with Baked French Toast Casserole, but this brioche version puts a whole new spin on the original because it uses irresistible slices of buttery brioche!
Brioche French toast casserole is made with very simple ingredients, but the flavor of the sweet breakfast is out of this world. The hint of molasses from brown sugar combined with the maple syrup and warm vanilla flavors are all baked into every bite of French toast. You don’t need any extra toppings with this breakfast casserole—it’s already delicious enough!
Easy Brioche Casserole Recipe
Besides the fact that it’s bursting with flavor, I love this brioche French toast because it is so easy to make. All you need to do is line up your thick brioche slices in a pan, pour the sweet milk and egg mixture over the bread, and then bake! Anyone can make this breakfast casserole and be the hero of the morning.
Oh, and the best part is that one French toast casserole is enough to serve about 12 people. That means you can make a big, hearty breakfast for your entire extended family in just 10 minutes. Pop some bacon in the oven to bake next to the French toast casserole or make a nice fruit salsa as a side dish. Some whipped cream too? Why not! Breakfast really doesn’t get any better than this!
Ingredients
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
- Melted butter – I always use unsalted butter when baking, especially since there is salt added to the recipe later on. If you only have salted butter on hand, omit the rest of the salt in the casserole recipe.
- Brown sugar – Light or dark brown sugar will work. I like dark brown sugar for the extra rich, molasses taste.
- Brioche bread – You should be able to find brioche bread in most grocery stores. Check both the bakery section and the freezer section.
- Eggs
- Whole milk – Whole milk makes the French toast truly decadent but really, any kind of milk will work. Coconut milk and almond milk will both add interesting flavors to the French toast casserole.
- Maple syrup – Be sure to use real maple syrup rather than pancake syrup. There is a big difference!
- Vanilla extract
- Ground cinnamon
- Salt
Variations
- Use challah in place of brioche. Challah is another type of tasty, buttery bread that makes wonderful French toast.
- Skip the maple syrup in the recipe and use double the amount of brown sugar. Your French toast will be just as sweet and flavorful.
- Add whipped cream, chocolate chips, extra maple syrup or some sliced fruit to the top of the French toast. Not only will it look amazing, but it will add even more great flavor to your breakfast plate.
How to Make Brioche French Toast
- Prep the pan: Start by pouring the melted butter into the casserole dish and sprinkling brown sugar in the bottom of the pan. This will give your brioche French toast a sugary crust that is irresistible.
- Line up the bread: Line up the slices of brioche in the casserole dish. You can overlap the bread in the pan; just make it look pretty and get all the bread in!
- Make the egg mixture: In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, syrup, vanilla, cinnamon and salt. Pour this mixture over all the brioche in the pan. You want to cover all the bread evenly in the sweetened egg custard.
- Let the casserole sit: While you can pop the French toast casserole right into the oven at this point, it is best to let it sit for about 30 minutes. This gives the brioche time to absorb that delicious milk mix and make the bread tender and moist. While your brioche casserole is resting, preheat your oven to 350ºF.
- Bake the French toast casserole: Loosely cover your casserole dish with foil and then pop it in the preheated oven. Bake the casserole for 20 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes. Slice up the brioche French toast casserole and enjoy it right away!
Quick Tip
This recipe also works as an overnight French toast casserole. Assemble, cover the pan with foil, and store it in the fridge overnight. In the morning, all you need to do is bake the French toast and breakfast is ready!
How to Store
This brioche French toast casserole is pretty big so there is a good chance you have leftovers. You can keep any extra French toast casserole in the casserole dish and wrap the whole pan in plastic wrap. Keep the casserole in the fridge for up to one week.
Anytime you want a piece of brioche French toast, you can scoop a slice onto a microwave safe plate and reheat it for about one to two minutes until it is warm. The brioche French toast casserole reheats beautifully and will taste as fresh as the day it was made.
FAQs
Stale brioche will hold up better and slice more easily when baked. So, stale brioche is really good for this French toast casserole recipe. If your brioche is fresh, it will just bake into a softer French toast casserole and be very scoopable rather than making clean slices.
Brioche is much different than French bread. French bread is a very simple, white bread that is made with just flour, water, yeast, and salt. Brioche is made with eggs and also lots of butter blended into the dough. Brioche is much richer and heartier than French bread.
I do not like to toast my bread before making French toast. I find that as long as your French toast is baked correctly, it will hold its shape, absorb lots of the egg mixture, and taste great without toasting,
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Brioche French Toast Casserole
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons melted butter
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 16 ounce loaf of brioche bread, sliced
- 9 eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Pour the melted butter into the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Sprinkle the brown sugar over the bottom of the dish.
- Cut the slices of brioche in half and then arrange the bread slices in the casserole pan. It is okay if they overlap a little bit. I like to try to line then up, laying one slightly on top of the next.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, maple syrup, vanilla extract, cinnamon and salt.
- Pour the egg mix over the bread in the casserole dish. Try to pour the egg mix over every piece of bread.
- Let the brioche French toast casserole sit for about 30 minutes. This will let it really soak up the eggs, milk and delicious flavor.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Cover the casserole loosely with foil then bake the casserole in the hot oven for 20 minutes. Remove the foil from the pan and bake for another 10 minutes.
- Remove the casserole from the oven, slice and serve while warm.
If I make this as overnight french bread casserole how long do I bake it for after letting it sit about 30 min at room temp? Thanks