French Toast Casserole

5 from 2 votes

French Toast Casserole makes the perfect holiday breakfast for a large crowd! Easy to prep in advance and topped with a crunchy Cinnamon Pecan Streusel this baked French toast recipe saves you time in the morning and tastes so delicious.

Prep Time20

Cook Time40

Total Time1

Course: Breakfast, Brunch

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Author: Julia Foerster

Ingredients

For the French Toast:

1 loaf French bread DRY, cut into 1-inch thick slices
8 eggs
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon

For the Topping:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar firmly packed
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter cold

Cups - Metric

Instructions

Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with butter and arrange the dry bread slices in the baking dish in two rows.
In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, heavy cream, brown sugar, and vanilla extract. Pour evenly over the bread.
Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap or a lid and refrigerate overnight.
To make the topping, mix flour, brown sugar, pecans, cinnamon, and salt together in a bowl. Grate the cold butter on top and mix until crumbly. Store in a plastic bag or container in the fridge until ready to use.
On the next morning, remove the casserole from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
Sprinkle the topping over the French toast and bake, uncovered, for 40–45 minutes until browned and set but soft in the middle. If it browns too fast, cover it with aluminum foil. (If you like your French Toast Casserole more set, bake for a few more minutes.)
Serve warm, drizzled with maple syrup.

Notes

Use stale bread to make French toast. Otherwise, you'll end up with mushy, soggy slices. Cut the loaf into slices the day before and let them dry out on the counter, or put the sliced bread on a wire rack and put them in a 300°F oven for 8 minutes.
Don't use soft bread for this recipe! A crusty french bread cut into slices and dried out overnight works best in my experience.
Using half cream and half milk gives the baked French toast a rich and custardy interior.
You can assemble the streusel topping the night before or while you're pre-heating the oven if you refrigerate the casserole overnight.
Use quality ingredients! This recipe uses 8 eggs, for the best flavor, use free-range or organic eggs.
As a proud Canadian resident, it's my duty to tell you that you have to use pure Maple Syrup!

Nutrition