If you’re looking for an easy breakfast for company, this Overnight French Toast Casserole with crumb topping recipe is it. It’s a little sweet (more if you add maple syrup), the crumb topping steals the show, and it feeds a crowd. We use a La Brea Bakery French baguette in it, which absorbs the custard so well.
For more ideas of what to make, check out all of our recipes.
Having company is so much fun. The house is full, there are so many people to hang out with, and you get to catch up.
Cooking for company is less fun. It’s more work than you’re used to and you would rather be hanging out, catching up, than flipping dozens of pancakes.
And holiday breakfast is even more hectic because you don’t want to spend so much of the morning in the kitchen making breakfast and then so much of the rest of the day cooking dinner. That’s why this Easter, you need to make our Overnight French Toast Casserole With Crumb Topping.
You spend just a handful of minutes assembling it (cutting bread and making a custard that’s similar to what you use for bread pudding) then let it hang out in the fridge overnight. The next morning, you bake it in the oven for a little less than an hour. And that’s it.
This breakfast casserole uses really simple ingredients that you probably already have in your fridge. So, if you end up with unexpected guests this holiday, you can still whip up a batch.
If you love French toast and that’s how you ended up on this recipe, be sure to try our Freezer Challah Bread French Toast Sticks too.
Overnight French Toast Casserole With Crumb Topping Recipe
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Overnight French Toast Casserole With Crumb Topping Ingredients:
For the French Toast Casserole:
- 1 (12 oz.) La Brea Bakery French baguette
- 6 eggs
- 1.5 cups milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla (or vanilla extract)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
For the Crumb Topping:
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 1.5 cups all purpose or cake flour
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
How To Make An Overnight French Toast Casserole With Crumb Topping:
Cube the French baguette into 1-inch cubes. Put the bread in a large bowl and let it sit out for a couple hours until it starts to harden just a little.
Grease the bottom of a large casserole dish. I use butter, but you could use a non-stick cooking spray too.
Add the cubed bread.
In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, milk, heavy cream, vanilla, sugar, and cinnamon until its combined.
Pour that custard mixture on top of the bread cubes.
Stir everything with a large spoon until all the bread cubes are soaked.
Put the lid on top of the casserole pan and put it in the fridge overnight.
Cut the butter into small cubes. Add it to a bag with the flour and brown sugar.
Mix the three ingredients together until all the ingredients are combined and a crumble topping starts to form.
You really want to make sure you incorporate all the butter into the mixture and not leave any butter chunks. This actually gets easier as you work it because the cold butter will warm up and incorporate easier.
Put the bag of crumble topping overnight in the fridge as well.
The next day, preheat the oven to 350 F and take everything out of the fridge.
Break apart any large chunks of crumble topping, leaving the small chunks as is. Pour the crumble topping on top of the casserole.
Spread out the crumb topping into an even layer, pushing any extra topping down around the edge of the casserole pan.
Bake for 55 minutes until the crumb topping is a golden brown color.
The bread will expand and the top of the casserole will inflate as it cooks. As it cools, that will fall back down.
Let the casserole cool for about five minutes before you scoop out individual servings.
We love adding a drizzle of pure maple syrup on top to add a little extra sweetness because this baked French toast casserole isn’t actually that sweet.
Overnight French Toast Casserole: Frequently Asked Questions
Wait until the casserole has cooled down to room temperature. Transfer it to an airtight container and keep it in the fridge for five to seven days.
Scoop a serving onto a microwave-safe plate and microwave it for 30 seconds, then add a drizzle of maple syrup.
Honestly, the brown sugar crumble topping is the best part of this casserole. It adds such a good texture to the recipe and it’s delicious. It’s the same crumb topping that I use for homemade coffee cake. And if you grew up in the Northeast, you know that classic flavor.
The French toast casserole isn’t that sweet and the crumb topping adds a sweetness, so it’s a really good balance. Without the crumb topping, the casserole will be a little underwhelming.
I had a boss who used to bring French toast casserole to every company potluck. It was delicious (and a flavor that I thought of when I made my own French toast casserole recipe). Instead of cubing the bread, she would cut it into slices, then put those slices in a casserole pan and pour her egg mixture on top.
It’s good that way. But when you serve it, you’re serving slices of French toast and need a knife and fork to eat it. With cubed bread, you can scoop it and eat it with a spoon. So that’s less utensils to wash after. And, it just makes this feel like a more fun, special occasions type of meal.
Listen. The name is French toast. So I’m gonna really suggest a French baguette or French bread for this recipe.
If you can’t find those, a sourdough bread is a little more dense and would work. I wouldn’t suggest sandwich bread. That would be too soggy. If that’s the only type of bread all you have, then you want to leave it out overnight. Stale bread (or at the very least day-old bread) will help with the bread’s integrity.
More About La Brea Bakery:
La Brea Bakery is one of the largest artisan bread sellers in the United States. Look in the bakery section of your grocery store for the red, branded packages. This French baguette is fully cooked although there is a take and bake version, which means you would buy it in store and then finish baking it at home.
The La Brea Bakery French baguette is the best bread for this breakfast casserole because it’s soft, but still a crusty bread, so it can really absorb the custard mixture but won’t lose it’s shape or texture. If you choose a soft bread, the bread will turn to mush while it’s in the fridge overnight. You need something with a bit of integrity and the La Brea Bakery bread has that.
La Brea Bakery makes more than baguettes. It makes delicious loaves of bread, which you can get (sliced or whole) in your grocery store. We use La Brea Bakery New York Rye in our Corned Beef Grilled Cheese and it really does make such a difference in the sandwich.
Overnight French Toast Casserole With Crumb Topping
If you’re looking for an easy breakfast for company, this Overnight French Toast Casserole with crumb topping recipe is it. It’s a little sweet (more if you add maple syrup), the crumb topping steals the show, and it feeds a crowd.
Ingredients
For the French Toast Casserole
- 1 (12 oz.) La Brea Bakery French baguette
- 6 eggs
- 1.5 cups milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla (or vanilla extract)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
For the Crumb Topping:
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 1.5 cups all purpose or cake flour
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
Instructions
- Cube the French baguette into 1-inch cubes. Put the bread in a large bowl and let it sit out for a couple hours until it starts to harden just a little.
- Grease the bottom of a large casserole dish. I use butter, but you could use a non-stick cooking spray too.
- Add the cubed bread.
- In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, milk, heavy cream, vanilla, sugar, and cinnamon until its combined.
- Pour that custard mixture on top of the bread cubes. Stir everything with a large spoon until all the bread cubes are soaked.
- Put the lid on top of the casserole pan and put it in the fridge overnight.
- Cut the butter into small cubes. Add it to a bag with the flour and brown sugar.
- Mix the three ingredients together until all the ingredients are combined and a crumble topping starts to form.
- Put the bag of crumble topping overnight in the fridge as well.
- The next day, preheat the oven to 350 F and take everything out of the fridge.
- Break apart any large chunks of crumble topping, leaving the small chunks as is. Pour the crumble topping on top of the casserole.
- Spread out the crumb topping into an even layer, pushing any extra topping down around the edge of the casserole pan.
- Bake for 55 minutes until the crumb topping is a golden brown color.
Notes
We love adding a drizzle of pure maple syrup on top.
Nutrition Information
Yield
10Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 398Total Fat 18gSaturated Fat 10gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 7gCholesterol 152mgSodium 262mgCarbohydrates 49gFiber 1gSugar 23gProtein 10g
Have you made this Overnight French Toast Casserole With Crumb Topping? Let us know how it went in the comments.
Paula Short
Sunday 28th of April 2024
Oh my, this sounds wonderful! Pinned 📌. Thanks bunches for sharing this recipe with Sweet Tea & Friends this month dear friend.
Joanne
Thursday 4th of April 2024
This sounds incredible! I just added it to our menu for the month. Thanks for the idea.
EsmeSalon
Wednesday 3rd of April 2024
Love a easy meal and by preparing the night before, this is outstanding and a huge time saver.
Jennifer Wise
Tuesday 2nd of April 2024
This sounds yummy, and--like you--I am always up for some simplicity and time-saving tricks when it comes to either a special occasion (which is usually a lot of work anyway) and having company.