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Apple Cinnamon French Toast Casserole

Recipe Level: Easy

Here's a simple make ahead overnight French toast casserole loaded with apples and cinnamon. Enjoy hot out of the oven for brunch with all the work done the night before. In the morning just pop the casserole in the oven and enjoy with maple syrup!

Baked by Alie Romano

Professional Baker and Recipe Developer

* For best results, read the entire article. Every step matters, and I’ll provide helpful tips along the way!

Apple Cinnamon French Toast Casserole

If you’ve been following the blog for a while then you’ll know I hate to waste food! A lot of recipes here are inspired by food that I needed to use up instead of throwing out, and that’s exactly how this apple cinnamon French toast casserole came about!

With Covid in full force and being stuck inside I’ve been in the kitchen testing recipes, one being hamburger buns that I was very excited to test. They looked absolutely perfect except each bun weighed about 5 pounds each!  They weren’t light and fluffy like you want a burger bun to be. I was left with 8 ginormous buns that weighed like bricks. I didn’t have the heart to throw them out but I didn’t want to eat them either. And Voila, the perfect solution to use up extra bread was born – a French toast casserole!

Apple Cinnamon French Toast Casserole
Apple Cinnamon French Toast Casserole

Ingredients

A French toast casserole is the perfect way to use up stale bread and you’ll most likely have all the ingredients in the house. Or it’s the perfect recipe to whip up with whatever you have on hand (add nuts, and frozen berries if you like).

  • Stale bread
  • Granny Smith apples
  • Eggs
  • Full milk
  • Whipping cream
  • Brown sugar
  • Pure vanilla extract
  • Ground cinnamon
  • Unsalted butter
Apple Cinnamon French Toast Casserole
Apple Cinnamon French Toast Casserole

Overnight Casserole

It doesn’t get much easier than this! This casserole is prepped the day before then popped in the fridge overnight. The next morning all you have to do is bake it in the oven and enjoy a bowl full of hot, cinnamony French toast!

What do I love about this Apple Cinnamon French Toast Casserole? Other than how simple it is.  It’s absolutely perfect to bring for a weekend at the cottage to share with friends!

Do you Have to Bake it Overnight?

Absolutely not! If you’re ready to bake the same day, just make sure you give the batter enough time to soak into the bread. You don’t want any extra batter sitting at the bottom of the casserole dish.

How To Make Apple Cinnamon French Toast Casserole

Step One: Make your batter and set aside. Cut stale bread and apples into one inch thick pieces. Add the bread and apples to a casserole dish and pour the batter overtop. Make sure the mixture covers all of the bread and apples by giving it a little stir. Cover and place the casserole in the refrigerator overnight.

Step Two: In the morning take out the casserole, preheat the oven and give the casserole a good mix. Bake and enjoy, fresh hot out of the oven French toast!

Apple Cinnamon French Toast Casserole
Apple Cinnamon French Toast Casserole

P.S. I made a fun little video showing how quick and easy this recipe is. Check it out over on instagram!

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Apple Cinnamon French Toast Casserole

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A simple make ahead overnight French toast casserole loaded with apples and cinnamon. Enjoy hot out of the oven for brunch with all the work done the night before. In the morning just pop the casserole in the oven and enjoy with maple syrup.

  • Author: Alie Romano
  • Prep Time: 20 mins
  • Cook Time: 40 mins
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 9x12 pan 1x
  • Category: Brunch
  • Cuisine: French

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • Approx. 810 cups stale bread, cut into 1 inch cubes
  • 2 small Granny Smith apples, cored and de-seeded, chopped in bite sizes
  • 7 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups full milk
  • 1/2 cup whipping cream
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter

Instructions

  1. Cut bread into 1 inch cubes. You can leave the crust on or cut it off, depends on the crust. If it’s thick and tough, I’d trim the crust off.
  2. Chop apples in bite sizes. I leave the apple skins on.
  3. In a 9 x 12 baking dish layer the bread and apples, making two additions of each, the last layer apples. Set aside.
  4. In a large bowl add eggs, milk and cream. Whisk together until well incorporated. Add brown sugar, vanilla and cinnamon. Mix together.
  5. Pour egg mixture over the bread and apples making sure to cover all of the bread. I like to use my hands to make sure everything is soaked together.
  6. Cover in plastic and refrigerate overnight.
  7. In the morning preheat oven to 350ËšF. Using a large spoon, gently fold casserole making sure all the liquid is incorporated into the bread.
  8. Add dollops of butter on top and cover casserole with foil.
  9. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 10-15 minutes or until top is browned and the middle is set.

Notes

Make sure to use stale or crusty bread. If you use bread that’s too soft you’ll end up with a soggy casserole. If your bread is too soft, leave bread unwrapped on the counter for a day or overnight.

You can cut back on the sugar if you’d like to make the casserole less sweet.

I like to leave my apple skins on, you can peel your apples if you’d like.

Toasted walnuts would be a great addition, make sure to add nuts the morning of. If you leave them in the mixture overnight they will get soft and soggy.

If not using a nonstick 9×12 baking dish, you can butter the dish to prevent sticking. I have not had any problems with my dishes in the past, but it doesn’t hurt, plus more butter!!!

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 serving of 10
  • Calories: 211
  • Sugar: 11.4g
  • Sodium: 269mg
  • Fat: 8.2g
  • Saturated Fat: 3.6g
  • Unsaturated Fat: 0
  • Trans Fat: 0
  • Carbohydrates: 26.6g
  • Fiber: 2g
  • Protein: 8g
  • Cholesterol: 143mg

Did you make this recipe?

Write a review and let me know!

Share a photo and tag me on Instagram @bakingforfriends_

I can’t wait to see what you’ve made! xo alie

FAQ’s

What is the best bread to use for a French toast casserole?

You can use any bread you’d like to make a French toast casserole. The best tip is to make sure the bread is stale. It’s a great way to use up that stale bread in your bread box. Otherwise old croissants, brioche bread and French bread are the top choices.

Why is my French toast casserole soggy?

The main reason for a soggy French toast casserole is using fresh bread. When the bread is fresh it doesn’t absorb the egg as well. Also, make sure to cut nice big thick pieces of bread so there is lots of room for the bread to absorb the egg mixture. Lastly, don’t overdo the egg mixture – it may have just been too much liquid for your bread to absorb!

How do I dry out bread for a French toast casserole?

To dry out bread for a French toast casserole cut bread into 1-inch squares and lay the bread out in a single layer on a baking sheet. Make sure there is space between each piece of bread as you want the air to circulate around the entire surface of each piece of bread. If time allows, let the bread sit out overnight. If not, bake bread at 350ËšF for approx. 15 minutes, turning halfway through.

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Alie Romano

Meet

Alie

I'm a professional baker, recipe developer & photographer behind Baking For Friends. I specialize in classic & comforting baking. I hope you enjoy the recipes & find inspiration of your own to bring your family & friends together over home-cooked food!

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