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French toast is one of my favorite special breakfasts. I love frying up slices on the stovetop for my little family of three on a lazy weekend. But when it comes to making something for a large brunch crowd, I don’t want to be stuck at the stove, dipping and flipping slice after slice of toast.
That’s where this casserole-style French toast comes in. It can be quickly assembled in the morning, or even the night before, before being baked off and served by the slice
This version has a punch of lemon zest in the rich custard and lots of bright blueberries throughout. Use fresh blueberries in the summer when they’re in season, but other times of year (like right now!), frozen berries are a fine swap. (Don’t thaw frozen berries; adding them while still frozen helps prevent them from coloring the casserole too much.)
A sprinkle of sugar and dots of butter on top mimic look, feel, and flavor crispy pan-fried French toast, while the casserole underneath is all about that irresistible creamy custard center.
MORE BRUNCH RECIPES FOR A CROWD
Baked Blueberry French Toast Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound loaf rustic bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 10 cups of cubes)
- 1 1/2 (or 2) cups blueberries, frozen or fresh
- 5 large eggs
- 2 cups milk (whole or 2%)
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 8 tablespoons sugar, divided
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced
Method
1 Assemble the dry ingredients: Butter a 9x13 (or other 3-quart) baking dish. Spread half of the bread cubes in an even layer in the prepared pan. Top with 2/3 of the blueberries, followed by the remaining bread cubes and blueberries.
If using frozen blueberries, add them to the casserole while still frozen (do not thaw). This helps prevent the berries from coloring the casserole too much.
2 Whisk the liquids: Beat the eggs, milk, cream, vanilla, 6 tablespoons of the sugar, lemon zest, and the salt together. Pour the mixture over the bread cubes, pressing down gently (so you don’t burst the berries) to make sure the egg mixture is absorbed.
3 Soak at least 30 minutes, or overnight: If soaking overnight, cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
4 Preheat the oven to 350°F about 15 minutes before you plan to bake the casserole.
5 Bake the casserole: Just before baking, sprinkle the top of the casserole with the remaining sugar and dot with the diced butter. Bake for 45 minutes, until slightly puffed and golden brown. (Casserole that chilled overnight might take a few minutes longer.)
6 Serve: Let the casserole cool for about 10 minutes before cutting. Serve with a dusting of powdered sugar over top or a drizzle of maple syrup.
Leftovers will keep, refrigerated, for about a week and can be reheated in the microwave.
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Cindy Rahe is the recipe maker and picture taker behind Hungry Girl por Vida. She loves to bake from scratch and make things that taste as good as they look. Cindy was born near Seoul but grew up in California and Nevada. She believes strongly in homemade birthday cakes, creamy coffee, and making room for dessert.
Baked Blueberry French Toast Casserole
Easy to “tweak” flavors in French toast. This is delicious as is.
xxxxxyyyyy
This was delicious, but I almost always tweak a recipe. I used more heavy cream than milk, added cinnamon, used less sugar in the wet ingredients, and added turbinato sugar to the top when taking the cover off.
Compliments all around at our Sunday brunch.
xxxxxyyyyy
Breakfast blueberry bread pudding. Family loved it. Used sweet Hawaiian rolls and it turned out fantastic.
xxxxxyyyyy
This was awesome! The kids and hubby loved it so much they keep asking for it again and again. This is perfect for when we have to get up early for a travel hockey tournament.
I did make some tweaks to the recipe. I’ve used cinnamon swirl or cinnamon raisin bread. I cut down the sugar to just 6 tbs and the butter to just 1 tbs but finely chopped so its easier to spread. And for extra fiber and omegas I added 1 tablespoon of ground chia seeds and 2 tbs of Decadent Blend (ground chia and flax seed, with unsweetened ground coconut and cocoa). My kids love sweets but why not make it healthier, too ?
xxxxxyyyyy
Oooh, love the cinnamon swirl bread idea! I bet the chia + flax + etc. blend added some good texture and flavor, too.
It did! I meant to add it to the batter but forgot so just sprinkled it on top. And to my delight, everything on top was crispy, like toast, when it came ut of the oven even though I made sure to press everything into the mixture.
Fantastic! Made this for Christmas morning and it was delicious! This will be a new Christmas tradition in our home.
xxxxxyyyyy