Challah Bread French Toast Casserole

 

If you’re looking for a rich and sweet breakfast recipe to build a spring morning tradition around, this Challah Bread French Toast Casserole is just the ticket!

Make your day extra special with this delicious Challah Bread French Toast Casserole. It has everything you already enjoy about traditional French Toast, and bread pudding, all in one!

This Challah Bread French Toast Casserole, can be served as breakfast, brunch or even dessert! Everyone will absolutely love it and you can use any fruit that you desire instead of blueberries.

This recipe will be on my Easter table, and it’s the perfect flavor for spring!

While you can use mainly any type of bread in this recipe, I love using challah bread, for the extra sweetness.

Imagine pillowy slices of rich Challah Bread soaked overnight in a cinnamon-vanilla custard, then baked to perfection until the edges turn crisp and caramelized while the center stays irresistibly soft and creamy.

This isn't your typical French toast — it's cozy comfort in casserole form, with each bite.

The Challah gives it a tender, buttery texture that absorbs every bit of flavor, creating a breakfast dish that feels nostalgic. 

It was so simple to throw together, and now it’s like my favorite dish to make.

Challah bread is perfect for French Toast casserole and pudding, because of it’s many benefits:

Richness and Flavor: Challah bread is naturally enriched with eggs and oil, giving it a richer flavor and a more tender crumb than French bread. This translates to a more flavorful and decadent French toast casserole.   

Texture: Challah bread has a slightly denser and more substantial texture than French bread, which holds up better in the soaking process and results in a more satisfying bite in the finished casserole.

Egg Absorption: The egg-enriched nature of challah bread allows it to absorb the custard mixture more readily and evenly, leading to a more evenly cooked and flavorful casserole.   

Visual Appeal: The golden color and braided or twisted shape of challah bread create a visually appealing presentation for the casserole

Items that will come in handy for this recipe:

A good serrated bread knife: This is necessary for cutting through the bread to make the perfect bite.

A casserole dish: I use an 8x8. A glass dish is perfect for this recipe.

Mixing Bowls: Having a great set is always essential.

A whisk: I love using a good quality whisk for mixing everything together.

Ingredients

6 eggs

2 cups of heavy cream

1 cup half and half

4 cups of cubed challah bread

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup of brown sugar

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

Dash of nutmeg

3 oz chopped walnuts

1/2 cup of blueberries

Instructions

Add 4 cups of cubed Challah Bread, evenly spread out into the baking dish, set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, add the eggs, heavy cream, half and half, brown sugar, vanilla extract, walnuts, cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix well to combine.

Pour mixture over the cubed Challah bread, and mix in the baking dish, making sure the bread cubes are evenly coated.

Cover baking dish with plastic wrap and let chill in refrigerator for at least 3 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Remove plastic wrap from baking dish.

Add blueberries evenly over top of casserole.

Bake in oven for 40 minutes.

Remove casserole from oven and let cool 10 minutes before sprinkling with powdered sugar and a dollop of whipped cream before serving.

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