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Overnight Cinnamon Apple Baked French Toast Casserole is the perfect recipe for holidays or any time you want a fun breakfast without a ton of work. This easy breakfast casserole loaded with fresh apples and a delicious streusel topping!
Overnight French Toast Makes Breakfast Easy
The past few days, I’ve been spending time with some awesome bloggers in San Francisco. I’m home now, but I had a blast with everyone. It was a super relaxed trip. There was a general agenda of some fun things to do to explore the city but no pressure or strict schedule. I finally got to see the Golden Gate Bridge too! The last time I was in San Fran with the hubs, there was so much fog you’d have thought the bridge wasn’t real. This time we had amazing weather every day. And since Dorothy (from Crazy for Crust) grew up there, she was the perfect guide!
To give you an idea of the relaxed nature of the trip, one morning when I walked into the suite at the hotel that acted as our gathering space and “home base”, I asked if there was coffee creamer when I made coffee. The response I got was, “There’s Baileys!” Oh, how I love Lisa (from Wine and Glue)! 🙂 And I did have Baileys. I mean, that’s what vacation – and friends – are for, right? The weekend was full of just the right mix of blogging talk and relaxing with friends.
One of the great things about this french toast casserole is that because it’s so easy to prepare, you can totally enjoy time with your family rather than spend a bunch of time making breakfast. Particularly at the holidays, with so much going on and so much food being prepared, it allows you to get some prep work done ahead so you can spend the morning with your family. That’s how I like it. Not to mention that it’s cinnamon apple, which I love.
How to Make Overnight French Toast Casserole
Preparing this breakfast casserole is quite easy and uses pretty standard ingredients, which I’m into. You’ll want a nice sized loaf of bread, about 1 pound. I personally am a big fan of sourdough bread in all things, so it’s what I use in this casserole. Feel free to use another kind of bread, but I wouldn’t suggest regular sandwich bread. That would be a little soft and wouldn’t bake quick as nicely. Add some chopped apples to the bread and add it to a casserole dish.
The egg and milk mixture that’s poured over the bread is all mixed together in a big bowl. Easy, right? You’ll combine eggs, milk, cream, sugars and some flavorings. I like to use a mix of 2% milk and heavy cream to get some good fat in there and keep this casserole soft and moist. I also love using a mix of regular and brown sugars. The brown sugar adds some nice flavor to compliment the cinnamon and apples. For additional flavor, we’ve got some vanilla and cinnamon.
I like to try to be sure when I pour the mixture over the bread that I get all the bread on top a little wet. It’ll moisten and soak up the liquid overnight, but that’ll help make sure that nothing gets too dry when it bakes later. On top of the casserole is some cinnamon streusel – which is basically like magic when sprinkled over anything.
How Long Does French Toast Casserole Need To Cook?
The casserole should be baked for about 35-40 minutes. It’ll depend a bit on your preference – some people like a little moister center and some like it a little more cooked. One way to test the doneness is to stick a knife in the middle and see how much moisture comes out on it.
I like to serve the french toast casserole with some maple syrup, but powdered sugar and even caramel sauce could make fun additions. You know me – always finding a way to satisfy that sweet tooth. 😉
Your Whole Family Will Love This Easy Breakfast Casserole
This breakfast casserole was a big hit! The cinnamon and apples are such a great flavor for breakfast. The apples soften while baking, but they aren’t soggy. The inside is soft and moist, the top is just crunchy enough. I can’t wait to make it again when the holidays roll around. 🙂
More French Toast Recipes You Might Like:
Pumpkin Bread French Toast
Overnight Baked Banana French Toast Casserole
Overnight Funfetti Cake Batter French Toast Casserole
Overnight Pumpkin Spice Baked French Toast Casserole
Berry French Toast Casserole
Bailey’s Spiked French Toast
Overnight Cinnamon Apple Baked French Toast Casserole
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 12
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
Overnight Cinnamon Apple Baked French Toast Casserole is the perfect easy recipe for holidays or any time you want a fun breakfast without a ton of work. It’s loaded with fresh apples and a delicious streusel topping!
Ingredients
Casserole
- 1 lb loaf Sourdough Or French Bread, cut into chunks
- 3 cups (326g) chopped apples (2 large apples)
- 8 large eggs
- 2 cups (480ml) milk (whole or 2%)
- 1/2 cup (120ml) heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup (104g) sugar
- 1/4 cup (36g) light brown sugar, unpacked
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Streusel Topping and Additional Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (98g) all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup (169g) firmly packed brown sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 1/2 tsp apple pie spice
- 1/2 cup (112g) salted butter, cut into pieces
- Additional toppings such as maple syrup, powdered sugar, whipped cream or caramel sauce, optional
Instructions
- Grease a 9×13 inch casserole dish.
- Then chop the bread into bite-sized chunks with a serrated knife and place the chunks in a large bowl.
- Chop the apples into small chunks. (The skin can be peeled off or left on according to personal preference.) Add the apples to the bowl with the bread and stir gently to combine.
- Lay the bread chunks and chopped apples in an even layer in the bottom of the dish.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, cream, sugars, cinnamon and vanilla. Pour evenly over bread, making sure the top is saturated.
- Cover the casserole and store in the fridge overnight.
- When ready to bake the casserole, preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C).
- Bake the casserole uncovered for about 35-40 minutes.
- While the casserole bakes, combine the dry ingredients for the streusel in a small bowl. Add the butter and mash it into the dry mixture until it becomes crumbly.
- Remove the casserole from the oven and sprinkle the streusel over the top of the casserole.
- Continue baking casserole for about 5 minutes, or until the streusel is melted and crisp.
- Allow the casserole to cool slightly. Serve warm with syrup or other desired toppings.
- Store in the fridge. Tastes best when eaten within 4 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Slice
- Calories: 457
- Sugar: 30.4 g
- Sodium: 405.4 mg
- Fat: 17.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 60.8 g
- Protein: 14.7 g
- Cholesterol: 161.7 mg
Filed Under:
Enjoy!
Do I have to use heavy whipping cream? Will regular milk work?
I haven’t tried using regular milk, but it would probably be fine.
I used milk and it was totally fine. 🙂
Oh my! This is so good, even better the next day. I prefer it cold. Made minor adjustments. I added “craisins”, only used about 3/4 amount of the streusel and used Granny Smith apples. Baked at 355 degrees F for about 45 min, added the topping and baked for 5 more minutes.
So glad you enjoyed it!
This looks so good! Do you think it would work if I made it on a Friday afternoon to then. Be baked on Sunday morning? Thanks!
Hmm I haven’t let it sit that long before. As long as the bread doesn’t start to break down too much while sitting, that should be fine. Maybe just use a heartier bread.
Very tasty. I had to bake it an extra 20 minutes but that just made the topping extra tasty.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Made for church brunch. Was a big hit. Used brioche bread and drizzled caramel on top. Will make again.
I’m glad it was a hit! The caramel on top sounds amazing!
Can I bake this with the topping on initially? Unfortunately I have assembled the strata with the topping on, to put in the refrigerator overnight. Hoping to get an answer soon!
That should be fine.
Can you add raisins and pecans?
Sure!
Can I use cinnamon roll dough instead of bread??
I’m not sure. I believe casseroles that use the cinnamon rolls typically have less liquid in them. It’s hard for me to say since I haven’t tested that.
This turned out fantastic. Hard to stop eating it. I used French bread and cut the sugar in the custard a bit, used a half cup of brown and omitted the white. I also added some nutmeg and cardamom into the custard bc to me it’s not French toast without nutmeg. I mixed it up a bit before topping to make sure everything got hit with the custard. I put the streusel on before I put it in the oven because I like mine crisp rather than melted. Anyway it was a hit and so nice to not have to make individual toasts for breakfast. I’ll definitely make it again.
Would challah bread work?
I haven’t tried it before. Since it’s not as dense as some bread, I don’t know if it would soak up all the moisture as well and end up kind of soggy. I’m not sure.
It’s the perfect combination of crunchy and moist pure deliciousness! Just do it! The only change I did was reducing the apple pie spice to 1 tsp. just my personal preference. But to me it was perfect! 😋😋😋
So glad you enjoyed it!
Made this for my niece’s 21st brunch! Everyone loved it. I made it gluten free by using 12 oz package of Schaur gluten free baguette bread cut into cubes. Substituted all purpose gluten free flour. Was awesome! Even being gluten free the “normal” people loved it too!
So glad it was a hit!
I love anything Apple you hit it on the mark when you used sourdough my Nana did this type of casserole on the first day of autumn kinda tradition thanks for the recipe I never knew it just knew it was yummiest plus it`makes the house smell great on windy fall mornings.
fabulous!!! Only negative thing I can say was it didn’t fit in my 9×13 pan. I had to use a deeper casserole dish. I believe if you are going to review a recipe you should make It as written and I did but then it wanted butter so I had to oblige it.
So glad you enjoyed it!
Great flavor but is there a trick to not being so soggy
It sounds like you just needed to bake it longer. All ovens vary so baking time can vary. Try sticking a knife down in the middle of the casserole and take a look to see if it’s done.
Easy and Delicious! Everyone enjoyed:)