With the recent celebration of my niece’s wedding, we welcomed the family home for a fun-filled weekend. Shabbat passed in a blur of delicious food and the joy of watching cousins and siblings reunite. On Sunday morning the pace picked up as more family members flew in to attend the nuptials taking place that evening. Serving brunch to a revolving door of guests can be challenging but this French toast casserole by culinary guru Bonnie Stern, published in her cookbook, Friday Night Dinners, made my meal planning a breeze.
French Toast Casserole
Assembled the night before from a simple list of ingredients, French toast casserole is the ultimate hands-off dish, made for entertaining. In this easily prepared recipe, challah is cut into one-inch cubes and soaked in a custard mixture of milk and eggs. Drizzled with melted butter, brown sugar, and maple syrup, right before popping it into the oven, the top of the casserole bakes to a caramelized, crispy, golden finish, while the inside remains moist and tender. It’s the perfect dish to serve when you would much rather be spending time with your guests than standing and frying French toast. This casserole is sweet enough on its own, but feel free to dress it up with a sprinkling of powdered sugar, a drizzle of maple syrup, and a few fresh berries.
Assemble your ingredients. I have tried this recipe with different breads but unsliced challah, whether homemade or from the supermarket, works best.
Cut the challah into 1-inch cubes. I like to leave on the crust. It adds texture and helps the challah cubes keep their shape better. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the milk and vanilla. Add the challah cubes and using a spoon, turn the challah cubes over gently so that they are soaked through with the egg custard mixture. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate it overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spray or butter a 9X13-inch baking dish, or a 1.8 liter (8-cup) casserole for a loftier presentation. Transfer the challah that has been soaking overnight to the prepared baking dish. Whisk the melted butter with the brown sugar and maple syrup until the mixture is smooth. Drizzle it over the top of the soaked challah. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 50 minutes until the top of the casserole is puffed and golden. Cool the French toast casserole for 5 minutes before serving. (It will deflate slightly)
French Toast Casserole
A golden French toast casserole with a crunchy caramelized crust and moist and tender interior.
Ingredients
- 7 eggs
- 2½ cups milk
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 loaf unsliced challah (about 1 pound), cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces, about 8 cups
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
Instructions
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the milk and vanilla. Add the challah cubes and using a spoon, turn the challah cubes over gently so that they are all soaked with the egg custard mixture. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate it overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spray or butter a 9X13-inch baking dish, or a 1.8 liter (8-cup) casserole for a loftier presentation. Transfer the challah that has been soaking overnight to the prepared baking dish.
Whisk the melted butter with the brown sugar and maple syrup until the mixture is smooth. Drizzle it over the top of the soaked challah.
Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 50 minutes until the top of the casserole is puffed and golden. Cool the French toast casserole for 5 minutes before serving. (It will deflate slightly)
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