Easy brioche French toast casserole with cinnamon and pecans. Made overnight or baked the morning of, it's the perfect recipe for breakfast, brunch, or holidays.
I've had a lot of readers tell me that they love to make my regular French toast casserole with brioche bread. Of course, I love when readers share these sorts of ideas because it always gets my wheels turning, thinking of new breakfast recipes.
If you've never had brioche, you're in for a real treat with this recipe. This brioche French toast bake is hands down my kids' favorite French toast casserole I've made to date.
You can usually find brioche bread in the bakery section of your local grocery store, and it comes already sliced. I don't chop it up for this casserole; instead I use whole slices to make it a little bit easier.
I do like to add raisins and pecans because it's kinda like one big sticky bun by the time this casserole bakes. But of course, these are optional, and you don't have to add them (but I still highly recommend them; it just wouldn't be the same without them).
The egg mixture contains vanilla, maple syrup, cinnamon, and nutmeg, giving this baked brioche French toast incredible flavor.
Top it all off with a sprinkling of powdered sugar or a drizzle of maple syrup, and oh my goodness, my mouth is watering. Who's ready for breakfast?
Another easy casserole I love to make is Crock Pot French toast casserole. Throw everything in the slow cooker, and wait for it to cook. My kinda meal.
WHERE CAN I FIND THE ACTUAL RECIPE CARD?
If you’d rather skip all of my cooking tips, important cooking info for this recipe, and similar recipe ideas – and get straight to the brioche French toast casserole recipe – just scroll down to the bottom, where you’ll find a printable recipe card.
INGREDIENTS YOU'LL NEED:
- Salted butter, melted
- Real maple syrup – the real stuff, NOT table syrup
- Light brown sugar
- Cinnamon
- Brioche bread, sliced into thick slices
- Raisins
- Chopped pecans
- Large eggs
- Milk
- Vanilla extract
- Salt
- Nutmeg
Remember, all of the ingredient amounts you’ll need are in the printable recipe card below.
KITCHEN TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT YOU'LL NEED:
Mixing Bowl or Large Glass Measuring Cup – I love using my Pyrex measuring cups for whisking any kind of egg mixture up, because I can pour it right from that cup. Makes it so easy.
Aluminum Foil – to cover the casserole while baking.
WHAT IS BRIOCHE BREAD?
Brioche is a French bread that's very similar to the kind of pastry used for danishes. You can usually find it in loaves, braids, or rolls.
It has a very high egg and butter content, making it very soft and very rich. It can sometimes have a slight sweetness to it, as well.
Sometimes it'll even have different flavors. For instance, I've seen different flavors like vanilla cream and chocolate chip at Aldi.
There are so many things you can do with brioche. You can make this casserole, make a delicious grilled cheese sandwich, enjoy a burger on a brioche bun, and on and on. It really is a very versatile type of bread.
Brioche makes a very good bread for French toast because of its texture, the richness of its flavor, and the fact that it's not overly crumbly or tough. It also doesn't hurt that it's a beautiful bread, making it very appetizing, as well.
HOW TO MAKE BRIOCHE FRENCH TOAST CASSEROLE
Before you get started compiling your sweet breakfast casserole, you need to grease a 9″x13″ baking dish with cooking spray. If you're baking it now without chilling, you'll also need to preheat your oven to 350° F.
- In a small mixing bowl, mix together the melted butter, maple syrup, brown sugar, and cinnamon.
- Spread this mixture on the bottom of your greased baking dish.
- Place 2 rows of the brioche bread slices in the pan, sprinkling raisins and half of the pecans in between each slice.
- Then sprinkle the rest of the pecans on top.
- In a separate mixing bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the eggs, milk, maple syrup, vanilla extract, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- Pour the egg mixture over the bread in the pan.
Now at this point you can either cover and chill the casserole overnight, or you can go ahead and bake it. It's totally up to you.
When you're ready to bake the casserole, you'll need to cover the dish with foil, and bake it at 350° F for about 30 minutes. Then uncover and bake an additional 15 to 20 minutes.
BEST TOPPINGS FOR FRENCH TOAST
You may want to add certain kinds of toppings to your French toast. I like to keep it simple and just give our French toast a sprinkling of powdered sugar or a generous drizzle of real maple syrup. It's so, so good!
Of course, you could also top it off with all sorts of other things, including…
- Butter
- Fresh berries and fruit – blueberries, raspberries, or strawberries
- Fruit syrup or sauce – like raspberry sauce or strawberry sauce
- Whipped cream
- Shredded coconut
- Nutella or a similar spread
- Cooked cinnamon apples
HOW TO KEEP FRENCH TOAST CASSEROLE FROM GETTING SOGGY
Once your casserole is baked, it should be soft in the middle but slightly crispy on top. It should come to an internal temperature of 160° F with a food thermometer.
There are a few things you can do to ensure that your French toast casserole is not soggy.
- Instead of pouring the egg mixture right over the bread in the pan, you can soak the bread in a separate dish instead. Then carefully place each slice in the pan.
- On a related note, if you are pouring the egg mixture over the bread, each piece of bread really needs to be completely soaked, so it firms up as it bakes. Try not to leave liquid just sitting in the pan; make sure it's all soaked up.
- Use a more shallow baking dish or baking pan, something like a sheet cake pan or baking sheet with sides. This helps all that liquid to spread out instead of just sitting on your bread. Of course, you may need to adjust your cooking time if changing the size of your pan.
- Be sure to follow the recipe to a t. Don't add any extra liquid or change the type of liquid used. If you do make changes, it will alter the recipe, and it could lead to soggy French toast.
CAN YOU FREEZE A FRENCH TOAST BAKE?
Yes, you can freeze French toast casserole before or after baking. Just be sure it's either in an airtight container or covered with plastic wrap and aluminum foil to prevent freezer burn.
Also, be sure to allow enough time for thawing in the refrigerator before baking. Bake time will vary, depending on whether or not your casserole was already baked before freezing.
Re-heating after freezing…
Allow time for the casserole to thaw in the fridge. Then cover with aluminum foil, and re-heat in a 350° F oven for about half an hour, or until it's warmed through.
Re-heating after refrigerating…
You can re-heat it in the oven or microwave. If you're in a hurry, it's easier and quicker to re-heat it in the microwave in 30-second intervals until it's heated through.
MORE BREAKFAST RECIPES:
- Classic Cinnamon French Toast
- Blueberry Cream Cheese French Toast Casserole
- Apple Cinnamon French Toast Casserole
- Brioche French Toast – if you'd rather have actual French toast instead of a casserole
- Chocolate Chip Pancakes
- Butterbeer Pancakes – for all my fellow Potterheads
- Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes
- Apple Cinnamon Pancakes
- Coffee Streusel Cake
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Brioche French Toast Casserole
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup salted butter melted
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 12 slices brioche bread
- 1/2 cup raisins optional
- 1 cup chopped pecans optional
- 8 large eggs
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Grease a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray; if you're baking it now without chilling, preheat the oven to 350° F.
- In a small mixing bowl, mix together the melted butter, maple syrup, brown sugar, and cinnamon.
- Spread this mixture on the bottom of the greased baking dish.
- Place 2 rows of brioche bread slices in the pan, sprinkling raisins and half of the pecans in between each slice.
- Sprinkle the rest of the pecans on top.
- In a separate mixing bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, maple syrup, vanilla extract, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- Pour the egg mixture over the bread in the pan.
- At this point, cover and chill the casserole overnight, or go ahead and bake it.
- When you're ready to bake the casserole, cover the dish with aluminum foil, and bake it at 350° F for about 30 minutes. Then uncover and bake an additional 15 to 20 minutes.
- Once the casserole is baked, it should be soft in the middle but slightly crispy on top. It should come to an internal temperature of 160° F with a meat thermometer.
- Serve with a dusting of powdered sugar or a generous drizzle of real maple syrup.
Notes
- Instead of pouring the egg mixture right over the bread in the pan, you can soak the bread in a separate dish instead. Then carefully place each slice in the pan.
- On a related note, if you are pouring the egg mixture over the bread, each piece of bread really needs to be completely soaked, so it firms up as it bakes. Try not to leave liquid just sitting in the pan; make sure it's all soaked up.
- Use a more shallow baking dish or baking pan, something like a sheet cake pan or baking sheet with sides. This helps all that liquid to spread out instead of just sitting on your bread. Of course, you may need to adjust your cooking time if changing the size of your pan.
- Be sure to follow the recipe to a t. Don't add any extra liquid or change the type of liquid used. If you do make changes, it will alter the recipe, and it could lead to soggy French toast.
- Butter
- Fresh berries and fruit – blueberries, raspberries, or strawberries
- Fruit syrup or sauce – like raspberry sauce or strawberry sauce
- Whipped cream
- Shredded coconut
- Nutella or a similar spread
- Cooked cinnamon apples
Perfect to a tee! Thanks for the recipe. Will definitely make again!
That is so awesome, Mary! I’m so glad you liked it.
I just made it for Christmas breakfast it was good!!