Overnight Challah French Toast Casserole
Prepare the casserole the night before and then bake it in the morning for a delicious, crowd-pleasing dish.
Equipment
- 9x13-inch casserole dish
Ingredients
- 1 loaf challah bread with or without raisins, approximately 1 pound loaf
- 6 eggs
- 1 ¼ cups milk
- 1 cup half-and-half cream
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ cup unsalted butter plus more to grease the dish
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- 3 tbsp light corn syrup
Instructions
The Night Before
- Butter the bottom and sides of a 9 by 13-ich casserole dish.
- Slice the challah bread into 1 inch thick slices using a serrated bread knife. Arrange them in the casserole dish using a shingle pattern to overlap the slices slightly.1 loaf challah bread
- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs. Add in the milk, half-and-half, vanilla extract and cinnamon, and whisk to combine.6 eggs, 1 ¼ cups milk, 1 cup half-and-half cream, 2 tsp vanilla extract, ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- Pour the liquid mixture over the sliced bread in the casserole dish. Try to coat each slice.
- Cover the dish and refrigerate overnight.
In the Morning
- Approximataely one hour before you want to serve the casserole, preheat the oven to 350°F.
- While the oven is preheating, melt the stick of butter on medium heat in a small saucepan. Add in the brown sugar and corn syrup. Stir frequently until the mixture is bubbling.½ cup unsalted butter, 1 cup light brown sugar, 3 tbsp light corn syrup
- Flip the slices of bread from front to back. Pour the butter and brown sugar mixture over the bread. Make sure to coat the exposed edges of the bread.
- Bake in the oven uncovered for 40 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- One loaf of oblong challah bread will yield 12-14 one-inch-thick slices. Plan on a serving size of 1 slice per person if you are serving other entrees, or 2 slices per person if the French toast is the only entree.
- You do not need to "stale the bread" the way you do with traditional French toast made on a griddle. Instead, you can use fresh or slightly stale bread.
- Cut the baked casserole with a spatula.
- Store leftovers in a covered dish in the refrigerator.
- Reheat leftovers in the microwave for one minute on high for one serving.