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 350˚F for approx. 15 minutes, turning halfway through.

Overnight Apple Cinnamon French Toast Casserole

Name: Apple Cinnamon French Toast Casserole
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: Approx. 8-10 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

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. 8–10 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

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Instructions

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.
Chop apples in bite sizes. I leave the apple skins on.
In a 9 x 12 baking dish layer the bread and apples, making two additions of each, the last layer apples. Set aside.
In a large bowl add eggs, milk and cream. Whisk together until well incorporated. Add brown sugar, vanilla and cinnamon. Mix together.
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.
Cover in plastic and refrigerate overnight.
In the morning preheat oven to 350˚F. Using a large spoon, gently fold casserole making sure all the liquid is incorporated into the bread.
Add dollops of butter on top and cover casserole with foil.
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

Find it online: https://bakingforfriends.com/apple-cinnamon-french-toast-casserole/