Overnight French Toast Casserole Recipe

Ash Tyrrell

Overnight French Toast Casserole Recipe

I just pulled this Overnight French Toast Casserole Recipe out of the oven and I couldn’t wait to share it with you. There’s something extra cozy about waking up to the smell of cinnamon-brown sugar and bread soaked in eggs and milk — it’s the kind of breakfast I look forward to all week. I prepped it the night before, slept soundly, and in the morning all I had to do was pop it in the oven.

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 45

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

1 loaf about 16-18 oz French bread, challah or brioche — I recommend using slightly stale bread (one day old) so it absorbs the custard well without turning mushy.
6 large eggs — the backbone of the custard; they set the bread and give structure.
2 cups milk — richer milk means a creamier texture; don’t use ultra-lean milk or you’ll lose some of that custard feel.
½ cup granulated sugar — just the right sweetness to balance the richer elements.
1 tsp vanilla extract — for warm aromatic depth.
1 tsp ground cinnamon — this gives that quintessential “French toast” flavour.
¼ tsp ground nutmeg — subtle spice that pairs beautifully with cinnamon.
¼ tsp salt — enhances all the other flavours even in sweet dishes it matters.
½ cup all-purpose flour — gives structure and bulk to the crumble.
½ cup packed brown sugar — adds caramel-like richness and moisture.
1 tsp ground cinnamon — echoes the cinnamon in the custard for cohesion.
¼ tsp ground nutmeg — adds that spice continuity.
⅛ tsp salt — balances the sweetness in the topping.
½ cup cold butter cut into small cubes — essential for a good crumble texture; don’t use melted butter.

Method

First, tear or cut the bread into roughly one-inch pieces and spread it evenly in the greased baking dish. I prefer using slightly stale bread so it absorbs the liquid well without falling apart.
In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt until thoroughly combined. Pour this mixture evenly over the bread, pressing down some pieces to ensure they’re submerged. Cover the dish and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, ideally overnight, to allow the flavours to meld and the bread to fully soak up the custard.
While the bread soaks, prepare the topping: in a medium bowl whisk flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Use a pastry cutter (or two forks) to cut the cold butter into the mixture until you have pea-sized clumps. When ready to bake, pre-heat the oven to 350 °F, sprinkle the crumble evenly over the soaked bread, and bake for about 45 minutes or until the top is golden and the centre is set. Let it rest for a few minutes before slicing and serving.

Notes

I found that drying the bread for a few hours (or using day-old bread) made a big difference in avoiding a soggy bottom.
I like flipping a few bread pieces mid-soak so the bottom layer doesn’t stay dry or become overly mushy.
If the topping starts getting too dark while the centre still looks underdone, I cover the dish loosely with foil for the last 10 minutes of baking.
I always let it cool for 5-10 minutes post-bake — that short rest time helped it set properly and made slicing cleaner.
I experiment by adding a sprinkle of coarse sea salt on top just before serving — the sweet-salt contrast lifts the whole dish for me.