Overnight French Toast Casserole

Today I am posting a recipe for a Overnight French Toast Casserole. We made this for breakfast on Valentines Day. I have had a few people on face book asking about when I was going to post this recipe. It has been so crazy around our house so I apologize for not getting this post up sooner. This dish is very easy to throw together and perfect if you have overnight guests.

We had a pretty big day planned out, so I didn't want to be stuck in the kitchen trying to get breakfast together. So I thought a overnight casserole would work out best. Mackenzie helped me assemble the casserole the night before, so this is a fun recipe to get your kids involved in the kitchen. Mackenzie did everything except the baking part. You can use just about any type of bread to make this recipe. I used leftover Texas Toast and some day old bread slices that needed to be used. Really any type of breads can be used for this recipe.

We always have hamburger and hot dog buns left over from a meal so they work perfect as well. Usually from any given dinner meal we always have leftover bread. So what I like to do is slice it up and place the pieces in a large zip lock bag. Then just toss the bag in the freezer. This way the next time I want to make this french toast bake I already have bread on hand and there is no need to go out and by some. Plus it is a great way to use up any leftover bread you have hanging around.

I have tried other recipes for overnight french toast and have been disappointed with the end result. This is the first recipe I found that isn't really soggy inside. Now it is soft inside since the bread is soaked up with the yummy milk and egg mixture over night. But it wasn't a runny soggy mess. It turned out perfect and was so crispy on top. Some people still might have a problem with the middle being a little soft. The only way I can see to prevent this problem is to assemble the casserole a bit different. See the note and additional photo at the end of this post for directiona.

What is your favorite breakfast dish to make for overnight guests?

I cut my slices of Texas Toast into strips. Layer all of your ingredients. For the rest of the directions I filmed it on my flip video. That way you could see what it looks like from fridge to finished product. Just click play to see the rest of the prep work.




* These are the directions from the video*

Cover the French Toast Casserole with foil and place in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning remove from the refrigerator. Preheat you oven to 350 degrees and cover the casserole with foil again and bake for 30 minutes covered. Then remove the foil and bake uncovered for 15 more minutes. I like to drizzle a bit of maple syrup to the top and return the casserole to the over for about 5-7 minutes so the syrup can caramelize bit. You can use the broiler but watch it carefully.

Image courtesy of google images

The only other way I can see to avoid the casserole being to soft in the middle is to assemble and bake the casserole a bit differently. You can use thick cut french bread like pictured above or just leave the Texas Toast Slices whole instead of in strips or pieces. You can add about 1/4 cup flour to the egg and milk mixture and then dip each slice into the batter and layer into you baking dish. Proceed with casserole directions. Other than that when you remove the casserole from the refrigerator you can take out each slice and lay them on a baking sheet and bake them in a flat layer, turning over once. You wont get all the yummy brown sugar mixture if you choose this manner, but it should bake up crispy.

Overnight French Toast Casserole

1/2 cup butter, melted (1 stick)
12 - slices Texas toast or any leftover bread
1 - cup brown sugar
1 - tsp cinnamon
1/4 - tsp nutmeg
1/2 - cup chopped pecans (optional)
1 - tsp vanilla extract
5 - eggs
1 1/2 - cups milk

Melt butter and pour in a 9x 13 . Mix together brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and if nuts if you are using them. Whisk eggs, milk & vanilla together. Layer bottom of pan with half the bread pieces Sprinkle half brown sugar mix over the bread. Layer second half of bread. Pour egg mixture over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly. Sprinkle remaining brown sugar on top. Cover and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, remove from the refrigerator and cover with a new piece of foil. Preheat oven to 350 bake the casserole for 30 minutes. Then uncover and bake 15 more minutes french toast bake should be browned and set. I like to remove mine from the oven and pour some maple syrup on top and place back in the oven to caramelize for about 5-7 minutes.

Recipe adapted from: Frugalupstate.com

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Printable Recipe

Tina, The Mom in Mommy's Kitchen