Blueberry French Toast Casserole is great for the morning after you’ve hosted a gathering and hungry people will be waking up at different times. This casserole is all about ease – you assemble it the night before, then all you have to do in the morning is shove it in the oven and pour yourself a cup of coffee. How easy is that? (Yes, I’m channeling Ina.) And you can rest assured that everyone will be happy because everyone loves French toast.
I know, I know – there are no absolutes, but there are ways to modify French Toast Casserole to please different palates. I wouldn’t mess with the basics – sourdough bread, lost of farm-fresh eggs, sugar and spice, and you know, everything nice. Don’t you dare omit the blueberries! But the baking time does make a difference. I’ve specified 45 minutes to an hour. This range is the sweet spot, depending on your preference – a more custardy casserole on the low end, and a crunchier French Toast Casserole at the hour mark.
And that’s not the only decision to be made. My recipe calls for showering the French Toast Casserole with powdered sugar after it comes out of the oven, even knowing that most people will drench their French toast in maple syrup. Regardless, the powdered sugar is important, especially for those of us who don’t really care for sopping our French Toast through a puddle of even more confection, those of us who like our French Toast unadorned except for a bit of powdered sugar, with a sprinkling of Maldon salt, perhaps. However, if you must drown your French Toast in maple syrup, make sure that it’s good maple syrup. (Oops, there I go again.)
French Toast Casserole
Equipment
- 9 X 13 baking dish
Ingredients
- 1 loaf sourdough bread, ideally a day old (one-pound loaf)
- 8 eggs
- 2 cups milk
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 2 T vanilla extract
- 1½ t ground cinnamon
- 1 pinch ground nutmeg
- 1 T butter (for buttering the baking dish)
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
Instructions
THE NIGHT BEFORE
- Prep the bread – Cut or tear the bread into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.
- Whisk the eggs – In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, cream, sugars, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add the bread to this mixture and toss gently to coat evenly.
- Sleep – Cover the bowl with foil or plastic wrap, and stash it in the fridge.
THE MORNING OF
- Bring the custard to room temp – Pull the bowl out of the fridge and let it rest on the counter for at least an hour before baking, to let it come to room temperature. Stir often to ensure that all of the bread is saturated with the custard. Near the end of the resting period, preheat the oven to 350℉. While the oven is preheating, butter the inside of the baking dish.
- Bake – Pour the bread and egg mixture into your baking dish and spread it evenly. Scatter the blueberries across the casserole, poking some down into the custard. Bake, uncovered for 45-60 minutes.
- Finish and serve – Sprinkle the French toast with powdered sugar after it comes out of the oven and serve.
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