Description
Overnight cinnamon nutmeg french toast casserole brings warmth to weekend breakfast tables with its rich, comforting layers. Bread soaks in creamy custard, creating a delightful morning meal you’ll eagerly anticipate.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 loaf French bread or thick Texas toast
- 8 eggs
- 2 cups (473 ml/16 fl oz) half and half
- ½ cup (118 ml/4 fl oz) milk
- 1 ½ sticks (170 g/6 oz) butter, softened
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 3 tbsps granulated sugar
- 2 tsps ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ tsps pure vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp light corn syrup (optional)
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp salt
Instructions
- Preparation: Grease a 9×13 baking dish thoroughly with butter or cooking spray, creating a non-stick foundation for the French toast casserole.
- Bread Layering: Slice French bread into hearty 1-inch thick pieces, arranging them in a slightly overlapping pattern within the greased dish to create a solid base.
- Custard Creation: Whisk eggs until smooth, then blend with half-and-half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt, forming a luxurious, aromatic custard mixture.
- Flavor Infusion: Pour the custard over bread slices, gently working the liquid between layers to ensure complete saturation and flavor penetration, then refrigerate overnight.
- Temperature Calibration: Remove casserole from refrigerator, gently rotate bread slices to redistribute custard, then allow to rest while preheating oven to 350°F.
- Topping Preparation: Combine butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, cinnamon, and nutmeg to create a rich, indulgent crunch topping that will elevate the dish’s texture and flavor profile.
- Final Assembly: Generously sprinkle the cinnamon crunch mixture over the bread, ensuring even distribution and allowing some to settle between the bread layers.
- Baking Transformation: Bake uncovered for 35-40 minutes until the casserole rises majestically and achieves a golden-brown exterior, signaling a perfectly executed breakfast centerpiece.
Notes
- Maximize Flavor Absorption: Let bread soak overnight to ensure deep, rich taste penetration throughout every slice.
- Prevent Soggy Texture: Rotate bread pieces before baking to distribute custard evenly and maintain ideal bread structure.
- Create Crispy Edges: Use a generously buttered baking dish to help bread develop golden, crispy exterior while keeping interior soft.
- Temperature Precision: Allow casserole to reach room temperature before baking to ensure consistent cooking and perfect texture.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Breakfast, Snacks, Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 9
- Calories: 400
- Sugar: 24 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 13 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
- Trans Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 42 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 10 g
- Cholesterol: 210 mg