The Colton Family’s French Toast Casserole is special to them because they make it for Easter Brunch every year, as well as the first and last day of school. Read more recipes from the Wildwood Family Cookbook here. Bon Appetit!
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The Colton Family’s French Toast Casserole
- Total Time: 8 hours 45 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Description
The Colton Family’s French Toast Casserole is special to them because they make it for Easter Brunch every…
Ingredients
- 1 cup (240 ml) brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) butter
- 1 (8-10 oz) loaf of crusty French bread cut into bite size pieces
- 2 cups (480 ml) milk
- 6 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- Sprinkle of cinnamon
- 1 tbsp brown sugar or as needed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Grease a 9×12-inch baking dish.
- Stir 1 cup brown sugar and butter together in a saucepan over medium-low heat until butter melts and sugar dissolves into butter, 2 to 4 minutes.
Make sure it’s really combined! Pour into prepared baking dish and spread a 1 1/2 to 2 inch layer of bread pieces over the top. - Beat milk, eggs and vanilla extract together in a bowl. Pour milk mixture over bread into the baking dish and move bread as necessary to ensure all bread is absorbing liquid. Sprinkle cinnamon over the top. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate, 8 hours to overnight.
- In the morning, remove and discard plastic wrap from baking dish and sprinkle remaining brown sugar over the top of the bread mixture.
- Bake in the preheated oven until browned and bubbling, about 30 minutes.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 380
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does this casserole need to refrigerate overnight before baking?
After the egg-milk-vanilla mixture is poured over the bread chunks, the recipe instructs covering the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerating for 8 hours to overnight. This extended soak lets the crusty French bread fully absorb the 2-cup milk custard — bread that hasn’t soaked long enough will bake up dry in the center rather than custardy throughout.
What is the caramel-like layer on the bottom of the casserole?
Before the bread goes in, 1 cup brown sugar is stirred with 1/2 cup butter in a saucepan until the butter melts and the sugar fully dissolves, then poured into the greased baking dish. The bread layers on top, so during the 30-minute bake at 450°F the sugar mixture bubbles up through the bread and sets into a caramel-like syrup on the bottom.
What type of bread works best for this recipe?
The recipe calls for an 8–10 oz loaf of crusty French bread cut into bite-size pieces. The crusty exterior helps the bread hold its structure during the overnight soak rather than turning to mush, while the soft interior soaks up the egg-and-milk custard.
