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5 from 1 vote

French Bread Casserole with Rum Chata

Print Recipe
A wonderful sweet breakfast with French toast goodness.
Prep Time:30 minutes
Cook Time:1 hour
Resting Time:8 hours

Equipment

  • 9 x 13 casserole dish
  • Spatula
  • Extra bowls
  • Whisk

Ingredients

  • 1 Brioche bread Can use brioche bread or challah. Depending on the bread you may need to adjust the sugar

Bread Custard Ingredient

  • 5 Large Eggs
  • 2 Cups Whole Milk Another milk is permissible but you need the fatness of the whole milk
  • 1/2 Cups Whipping Cream
  • 1 Tablespoon Vanilla extract
  • 1/4 Cup White Sugar You may need to adjust the sugar up or down depending on the bread base that you use.
  • 1 Pinch Salt
  • 1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
  • 2 Tablespoons Maple Syrup
  • 2 Tablespoons Rum Chata (Optional)

Bread Topping

  • 1/2 Cup of Brown Sugar
  • 1/4 Cup White Flour
  • 1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
  • 3 Tablespoons Butter (Cold butter)

Instructions

Phase 1

  • Take the loaf or (loaves) of bread and cut/break apart into small manageable pieces
  • Spray casserole dish with cooking spray and add the bread pieces
  • In a separate bowl, Whisk eggs, milk, whipping cream, syrup, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and sugar. As a matter of course I add the Rum Chata at the end.
  • Whisk all of the mixture together it will resemble yellow cream
  • Slowly and carefully pour over the top of the bread pieces. The bread will almost immediately begin to soak up the mixture. Take a spatula and ensure the bread is covered by the custard.
  • Cover with Saran Wrap and refrigerate. I suggest at least overnight but at a minimum 2-3 hours to ensure that the bread soaks up the mixture.

Phase 2

  • Remove the mixture from the refrigerator and take off the Saran Wrap. You should see that the bread has almost completely soaked up the mixture and there pieces of bread surrounded by the custard. It should also be solid. Set aside.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  • In a separate bowl whisk the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon. The bread will be brown and white.
  • Cut in the cold butter. The mixture will become crumbly.
  • Add the crumbles on the TOP of the bread mix. Do not mix. Just gently “pat” over the top.
  • Cover the casserole with aluminum foil and place in the oven for 20-25 min
  • At the 20-25 min mark (the mixture should be bubbling and solid) uncover the aluminum foil and bake for another 25-30 min. The goal is for the outside to be crusty and the inside to be soft but solid. The toothpick test can work.
  • Take out and allow to cool. It will be bubbling when done.
    Showing the solid of the French toast casserole and the softness of the casserole on the inside.

Notes

This is a breakfast item but can easily be a “breakfast” for dessert. 
Course: Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: breakfast casserole, french toast, french toast casserole
Servings: 6