Overnight Cinnamon Apple French Toast Bake
Overnight Cinnamon Apple French Toast Bake
This Apple French Toast Bake is absolutely delicious with a creamy sweet bread pudding, layered with bites of cinnamon baked apples and cream cheese. Can be made a day ahead or even same day. Perfect for weekend brunch and holiday brunch like Christmas morning!
An absolutely delicious brunch recipe!
This dish is perfect for brunch or even dessert! For breakfast, pop it in the oven first thing in the morning, start a pot of coffee, and before you know it, it’s time to eat. There’s just something so fabulous about waking up and knowing that you’ve already got breakfast ready to go! Serve with a drizzle of maple syrup, a fruit salad and sausages or bacon.
Or make it for dessert.
For dessert, take this dish to the next level by serving it with a homemade caramel sauce! A rich, creamy, delicious caramel sauce that is the perfect match for this apple dish. Or serve for brunch with the caramel sauce…I’m not judging 😉
Cinnamon Apple French Toast Bake Recipe Tips
- APPLES: You can use any type of fresh apples you like. I like to use either McIntosh or Granny Smith apples, I find tart apples have the most flavour.
- APPLE OPTION: You can also use about 2 cups of canned apple pie filling instead of the fresh apple mixture.
- BREAD: I use challah bread for this toast, but you can use brioche bread or any firm, sturdy, dry bread like French bread.
- MILK: This recipe uses Half + Half cream. You can also use whole milk, or if you want it extra rich use heavy cream.
- VANILLA BEAN OPTION: Adding vanilla bean is optional for this recipe. If you add it, note that it can be hard to whisk into the milk as it tends to want to stay in a clump. I use a hand blender to mix it up.
- LEFTOVERS: Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Bake Now or Later!
This breakfast casserole can be made the night before you wish to serve it, or the same day. For meal prep ease assemble the dish the evening before, cover and let rest in the fridge. Then place into a cold oven, then proceed with baking. If you want to make and serve it the same day, allow the dish to rest for at least 10 minutes so the bread has time to soak up the milk mixture.
Overnight Cinnamon Apple French Toast Bake
Ingredients
Bread Pudding:
- 5 cups cubed Challah bread
- 1 8 ounce package of cream cheese (cut into small pieces)
Apple Mixture
- 2 apples peeled cored and cut into small cubes
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
Milk Mixture:
- 4 large eggs
- 2 cups half and half cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- seeds from 1/2 of 1 vanilla bean (optional)
- 2 tbsp melted butter
- 1/3 cup raisins (optional)
Caramel Sauce:
- 1 cup butter
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup half and half cream
Instructions
Apples French Toast:
- Prepare a 9 x 13 glass baking dish (casserole dish) by lightly rubbing with butter, or use a cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a skillet melt 2 tbsp butter, then add the 2 chopped apples.2 apples
- Sauté for about 3 – 4 minutes, until the apples are soft but not browned.
- Stir in the cinnamon and cook for about 1 minute. Set aside.1 tsp ground cinnamon
- In a separate bowl whisk together the custard mixture: eggs, cream, vanilla and melted butter.4 large eggs, 2 cups half and half cream, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 2 tbsp melted butter
Putting it all together:
- To the prepared baking dish add the bread cubes, then the sautéed apples, making sure to scrape out all the delicious sugary cinnamon mix.5 cups cubed Challah bread
- Stir in the chunks of cream cheese and raisins (if you're adding them.)1 8 ounce package of cream cheese (cut into small pieces), 1/3 cup raisins
- Then pour the milk mixture over the bread and apples, and gently stir to ensure that all the ingredients are evenly distributed, and the bread is covered in the milk mixture.
- Sprinkle the top of the casserole with cinnamon and sugar.
- At this point you can put the dish in the fridge overnight. Just cover it with aluminum foil. Then in the morning remove the foil, place into a cold oven, then turn on the oven to 350 degrees F.
- If you want to bake it right away, let the dish sit for about 10 minutes so that the bread has a chance to absorb the milk/egg mixture.
- When it's time to bake, set the oven to 350 degrees F, and bake the toast uncovered for about 1 hour. The pudding is done when it is golden brown, puffed up and firm in the centre.
Caramel Sauce: (optional)
- While the french toast is baking, you can make the caramel sauce that you will drizzle all over this delicious dish.
- In a sauce pan melt the butter, then add the brown sugar and cream.1 cup butter, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup half and half cream
- Stir over low heat until the sauce thickens.
- Set aside to cool slightly.
- Serve and enjoy!
More Delicious French Toast Recipes to try!
I hope you love this apple french toast casserole as much as we do! Have a delicious day!
Can you imagine grocs for a year? Oh yes I can!
I was poking around your recipes looking for something new to add to this week’s menu and found your perogi casserole. We’re going to try it this week!
Cheers,
Elizabeth
Excellent! I hope you it works out for you!
Jo-Anna
OMG! When are the going to make an invention that hooks up to your computer that automatically makes and delivers recipes you see online to you in an instant! I need that invention posthaste! This looks delish! I am adding this to the must try list!!!
Shirley
OMG – that looks good! I’m going to try this on the weekend for sure!
I hope you love it! 🙂
How many people does this serve?
Hi Cathy! I would say it would easily serve 6!
COULD I USE A DIFFERENT BREAD IN THIS? LIKE CHALLAH OR A HAWAIIAN LOAF?
Absolutely! Both would be delicious!