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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
Turned out great.i used Hawaiian sweet rolls and dried them overnight. Perfect without being too sweet.
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Megan thank you for trying the french toast casserole with gluten free bread! Now I will
try making it for my grandson, who cannot have gluten.
I loved how easy this casserole came together. I prepped it the evening before and put it in the oven while I was getting ready to head it
In England we call this bread & butter pudding made with raisins and some candied peel for variety at Christmas. A single measure of brandy for adults is yummy!
Do you think a good gluten free bread would work?
Hi, Susan! Emma here, managing editor for Simply Recipes. We haven’t tried this with gluten-free bread, and my gut instinct would be that GF bright might have a tendency to fall apart and become soggy. If you have a brand of GF bread that you really love and think behaves similarly to regular breath, however, I’d say it’s worth a try! Let us know if you try it!
I tried made this recipe with Gluten Free bread last weekend. I used the same amount of bread, but I found a honey white variety to use. I cut the bread into cubes and let them air out the night before to get a stale. Then I assembled the casserole in the morning, let soak about 30 mins and cooked it. It was delicious!