Cinnamon Brown Butter French Toast Casserole
Cinnamon Brown Butter French Toast Casserole
On a Saturday morning, the best gift to your family or yourself is a hearty, homemade brunch. My Cinnamon Brown Butter French Toast Casserole is a sweet and spiced dish that combines rich brown butter, cinnamon, and challah bread that gets baked in the oven until crisp and golden!
Did you know that baked french toast is essentially bread pudding?
And who doesn't want dessert for breakfast on the weekends? That's why I created this decadent Cinnamon Brown Butter French Toast Casserole. It combines all of my favorite flavors of brunch into one simple recipe!
If you have not made browned butter before, this is the perfect chance to learn a new culinary skill. Browned butter can be used on both sweet and savory dishes. It adds an element of toasty smokiness to any dish that you pair it with.
Read on to learn how to make this fabulous bread pudding casserole!
How to Brown Butter
Once you get the hang of browning butter, the process becomes second nature. At first, however, it might be a challenge to perfect the technique on your first try. Butter can burn quickly and easily, so you cannot step away during this process!
First, melt your butter in a skillet over medium to medium-low heat.
Once the butter has melted completely, allow it to begin bubbling. If the butter spatters, the heat source is too hot!
Allow the butter to cook for 3-4 minutes until you begin to see toasted bits at the bottom. This is the milk solids browning!
Once a rich brown color has been achieved and the butter smells nutty, it is ready. Remove the butter from the heat immediately.
Allow to cool and store in the fridge. Or, use it right away!
Ingredients in Cinnamon Brown Butter French Toast Casserole
For the Casserole:
- 1 loaf challah, brioche, or sourdough bread; cubed (best if the bread is a day old!)
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup almond milk
- 6 large organic eggs
- ½ cup pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Optional Toppings:
- Organic powdered sugar
- Whipped cream
- Your favorite fresh berries
How to Make Cinnamon Brown Butter French Toast Casserole
Lightly grease a large baking dish (9 x 13″) with butter or oil and pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
To Make the Browned Butter:
In a medium 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter, stirring occasionally and letting it cook for 3-4 minutes, until dark bits begin to form and the entire butter becomes fragrant and darker. Set aside and let cool.
To Make the Casserole:
- Whisk together all the ingredients including the cooled brown butter (except for the bread) into a large bowl and set aside so that everything marries together and activates, about 5 minutes.
- Next, add the chopped bread into the prepared baking dish and spread it around evenly.
- Pour the liquid mixture atop cubed bread, generously covering all pieces.
- Bake casserole for 35-40 minutes or until fully cooked through (less 'jiggly') and edges and tops are golden brown (or slightly dark brown, if preferred).
- Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes or so before topping it with the powdered sugar, whipped cream, and fresh berries.
- To serve, cut into desired-sized square pieces. Drizzle with maple syrup. Bon Appetit!
Other Recipes You'll Love
If you love breakfast as much as I do, check out these amazing recipes!
- Apple Spice Cornmeal Waffles
- Baked Pumpkin French Toast Casserole
- Raspberry Pecan Vegan Waffles
- Fluffy Vegan Banana Chocolate Chip Pancakes
- Easy Spinach Blueberry Smoothie
Cinnamon Brown Butter French Toast Casserole
Ingredients
FRENCH TOAST:
- 1 loaf challah, brioche, or sourdough bread; cubed (Best if bread is a day old!)
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup Almond milk (You can use your fave plant-based milk!)
- 6 large organic eggs
- ½ cup pure maple syrup
- 2 tsps vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
TOPPINGS:
- Organic powdered sugar
- Whipped cream
- Your favorite fresh berries
Instructions
- Lightly grease a large baking dish (9 x 13″) with butter or oil and pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
TO MAKE THE BROWN BUTTER:
TO MAKE THE CASSEROLE:
- Whisk together all the ingredients including the cooled brown butter (except for the bread) into a large bowl and set aside so that everything marries together and activates, about 5 minutes.
- Next, add the chopped bread into the prepared baking dish and spread around evenly.
- Pour the liquid mixture atop cubed bread, generously covering all pieces.
- Bake casserole for 35-40 minutes or until fully cooked through (less 'jiggly') and edges and tops are golden brown (or slightly dark brown, if preferred).
- Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes or so before topping it with the powdered sugar, whipped cream, and fresh berries. To serve, cut into desired sized squares pieces. Drizzle with maple syrup!
- Bon Appetit!
Tips & Tricks
- STORAGE: Any leftovers can be kept in a tightly sealed container and refrigerated for up to 1-2 days.
- MAKE AHEAD | OVERNIGHT: If you want to prep this recipe for the next day, simply pour all the ingredients in the baking dish (following the steps), covering it tightly, and keeping it refrigerated for 24 hours. Remove from the fridge and let sit at room temp for about 30 minutes to 1 hour. Bake when ready to eat.
Nutrition
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