This Brioche French Toast Casserole makes an easy breakfast that can be prepared ahead and baked right before serving. It is custardy and mildly sweet, with layers of cream cheese and berries. If you’re looking for a breakfast casserole to please the entire family on the weekends or for the holidays, then this is for you!
Looking for a scrumptious breakfast for the holidays or simply for the weekend? Well, this is the right dish for you!
This can be made as an overnight French Toast Casserole or not, depending on your preference. You can either let it sit for at least 30 minutes (so that the bread soaks up the custard) and then bake right away, or you can prepare it the night before, chill, and bake in the morning.
It is simple yet elegant… almost like having dessert for breakfast!
Table of Contents
- 1 What Is Brioche?
- 2 What Type of Bread to Use
- 3 How to toast the bread
- 4 French Toast Custard
- 5 Soaking Time
- 6 To Bake the best Brioche French Toast
- 7 Make it ahead of time
- 8 When is it ready?
- 9 Add-ons for French Toast Casserole with Cream Cheese
- 10 How To Make Brioche French Toast Casserole
- 11 Can you Freeze French Toast Casserole?
- 12 Storage
- 13 Other breakfast recipes to try:
- 14 Brioche French Toast Casserole
What Is Brioche?
Brioche is a French bread. It is made the same way as many other breads but has the richer profile of a pastry due to the extra addition of eggs, butter, and milk.
Its surface is dark, golden, and flaky but inside it is soft, tender, and rich.
It is perfect for this brioche French toast bake because it is light and airy, absorbing the custard mixture well.
What Type of Bread to Use
A yeasted bread like brioche makes a richer, denser brioche French toast bake since some sugar and eggs are added to the dough. But a crusty French bread or sourdough are also good options, and make for a less sweet casserole with crispy edges.
Cutting the bread into smaller pieces allows it to soak up more of the custard. The key is to use stale bread so that the casserole won’t turn soggy. Of course, if you bought fresh bread and did not have time to let it sit out overnight, here's a secret. You can simply cut it into cubes, spread it onto a baking sheet in a single layer, and toast it in the oven at 375 F for about 10 minutes or until crispy. This will help prevent your baked French toast casserole from ending up with a soggy bottom.
The bottom line is, you can use any of the following breads:
- Brioche
- Challah
- French bread
- Texas Toast
- another bread of your choice
For other ingredient substitutions-- to make it vegan or keto, for example-- check out our baking substitutions.
How to toast the bread
To stale the bread quickly, just toast it in the oven instead of waiting for the loaves to dry out overnight. Speed up the process by cutting it into 1-inch cubes and then baking them on a sheet pan in a single layer. The dry heat will extract most of the moisture from the bread, making it firmer and crispy.
This process prevents the brioche French toast casserole from becoming soggy. Instead, the inside is tender, moist, and custardy.
French Toast Custard
The best ratio of eggs and dairy depends on how long you plan to allow the bread to soak up the custard, and also the final texture you want for the casserole. If overnight, you may need a little more dairy (about an additional ½ cup of dairy). Yet the result will be firmer and less moist than if the soaking time were shorter. But if you plan on letting the bread absorb the custard for about 30 minutes before baking, use a ratio of 8-10 eggs to 2 cups of dairy. You may use whole milk, half-and-half, or heavy whipping cream. The greater the fat content, the more custardy will be the casserole!
Soaking Time
It depends on how soon you want to serve the casserole. The ideal soaking time will be 4 hours to overnight. But if you are in a hurry, allow the stale bread to soak in the custard and flavorings for at least 30-60 minutes.
It will feel a little mushy when poked, with some residual liquid on the edges, but this helps to moisten and puff up the casserole during baking.
To Bake the best Brioche French Toast
Moderate oven temperatures (350 F or 180 C) ensure that the custard mixture sets. The eggs slowly firm up, making the surface puff up after about 45-50 minutes. Just as for any other custard, make sure not to overcook it! Allow the baked brioche French toast to cool slightly before serving so that slices won’t wind up collapsing on the serving plate.
Make it ahead of time
You can make this brioche French toast casserole recipe one day ahead and bake it the next morning. But it will also reheat well a few days later in the microwave for about 1-2 minutes, depending on the portion size. The larger the slice, the longer the reheating time will be needed. Moreover, the longer the casserole is chilled, the tastier, making for a great meal prep dish!
When is it ready?
It is ready when the custard has set and the center is slightly jiggly when shaken. Or you can use a thermometer instead to check the internal temperature. Custards are usually ready to eat at 175ºF (80ºC).
Add-ons for French Toast Casserole with Cream Cheese
The options are endless. I added layers of cream cheese and berries – almost like making a berry and cream dish. But you can vary this easy French toast casserole recipe by adding other things. For example, add pumpkin purée (1 cup) to your custard and flavor the cream cheese mixture with pumpkin pie spice, or replace the berries with chocolate chips. Be creative! To make pumpkin purée from scratch, find out how to cut and peel pumpkin.
How To Make Brioche French Toast Casserole
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside!
- Cut bread into 1-inch cubes and place half into the bottom of the pan. SEE PIC. 1
- In the bowl of a mixer, mix cream cheese, ½ cup of sugar, and 2 ¼ cups of heavy cream until homogeneous and creamy. SEE PIC. 2 Spoon half of the cream cheese mixture on top of the bread in dollops and spread. Sprinkle with 1 cup of berries. Top with the remaining bread, cream cheese mixture, and 1 cup of berries. SEE PIC. 3
- In a separate bowl, make the custard: Add eggs, 2 cups heavy cream, ⅔ cups sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon. Beat until well mixed (about 1 minute). SEE PIC. 4 Pour egg mixture over bread/cream cheese/berries.
- Make sure to use a spoon to push some of the custard below the top layer of the casserole. SEE PIC. 5 Cover with foil and let sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
- Bake, covered with foil, for 30 minutes. Then remove foil and discard.
- Continue to bake the brioche French toast casserole for 20-25 minutes, or until the top is set and jiggly.
- Remove from oven and let stand while making the berry sauce. To do this, mix mixed berries, sugar, and cornstarch in a microwave-safe bowl until the mixture is homogeneous. SEE PIC. 6 Cook on high for 2 minutes, then mix. If the sauce is not thick, cook for an additional 2 minutes. It should be saucy yet thickened.
- Spoon sauce over the baked French toast casserole and enjoy! SEE PICS. 7 and 8
Can you Freeze French Toast Casserole?
I don’t recommend it! The custard will break apart and the cream cheese mixture may turn gritty.
Storage
You can prepare this casserole one day ahead, cover it, and store it in the fridge to bake the next morning. Leftovers keep well in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Other breakfast recipes to try:
- Rabanadas (Brazilian French Toast)
- How to Make French Toast
- Upside Down Panettone French Toast
- Stuffed Cream Cheese French Toast Casserole
- WW French Toast
PIN & ENJOY!
Brioche French Toast Casserole
Equipment
- Baking pan
- mixer
- spatula
- bowls
Ingredients
For the casserole:
- 16 oz brioche loaf cut into 1-inch cubes
- 12 oz cream cheese softened (or 1 ½ packages)
- ½ cup sugar
- 4 ¼ cups heavy whipping cream divided
- 2 cups mixed berries fresh or frozen
- 10 large eggs
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
For the berry sauce:
- 2 cups mixed berries fresh or frozen
- 2 tablespoon sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon cornstarch
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside!
- Cut bread into 1-inch cubes and place half into the bottom of the pan.
- In the bowl of a mixer, mix cream cheese, ½ cup of sugar, and 2 ¼ cups of heavy cream until homogeneous and creamy. Spoon half of the cream cheese mixture on top of the bread in dollops and spread. Sprinkle on 1 cup of berries. Top with the remaining bread, cream cheese mixture, and 1 cup of berries.
- In a separate bowl, make the custard: Add eggs, 2 cups heavy cream, ⅔ cups sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon. Beat well until well mixed (about 1 minute). Pour egg mixture over bread/cream cheese/berries.
- Make sure to use a spoon to push some of the custard below the top layer of the casserole. Cover with foil and let sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
- Bake, covered with foil, for 30 minutes. Then remove foil and discard.
- Continue to bake the brioche French toast casserole for 20-25 minutes, or until the top is set and jiggly.
- Remove from the oven and let stand while you make the berry sauce. To do this mix mixed berries, sugar, and cornstarch in a microwave-safe bowl until the mixture is homogeneous. Cook on high for 2 minutes, then mix. If the sauce is not thick, cook for an additional 2 minutes. It should be saucy yet thickened.
- Spoon sauce over the baked French toast casserole and enjoy!
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
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Carrie says
How do you recommend re-heating?
Denise Browning says
Hi Carrie! You can reheat the portion you intend to eat in a microwave-safe plate or bowl, covered with a paper towel, until warm. Depending on the potency of your microwave and the size of the portion, it may take about 45 seconds to 2 minutes. Please make sure to serve it immediately.
Katerina says
This is such a festive looking dessert - gorgeous! Merry Christmas!
Denise Browning says
Thank you Katerina! Yes this brioche French Toast Casserole makes a great breakfast or brunch dish that is sure to please both adults and children.
2pots2cook says
Perfect holidays morning treat ! I wish you Merry Christmas !
Michelle | Sift & Simmer says
Love this idea of brioche French toast for a Christmas morning breakfast! Yum!
Dennis Yannakos says
Wow, the topping is so impressive! It makes my mouth water!