Overnight French Toast Casserole {Make Ahead Recipe}

Today I'm posting a recipe for a Overnight French Toast Casserole. We made this for for our Valentines Day Breakfast. I've had a few people on face book asking about when I was going to post the recipe. It's been so crazy around our house so I apologize for not getting this post up sooner. This dish is very easy to throw together and perfect if you have overnight guests.

We had a pretty big day planned out, so I didn't want to be stuck in the kitchen trying to get breakfast together.  I thought a overnight casserole would work out best. Mackenzie helped me assemble the casserole the night before, so this is a fun recipe to get your kids involved in the kitchen. Mackenzie did everything except the baking part. You can use just about any type of bread to make this recipe. 

Plus it is a great way to use up any leftover bread you have hanging around. I have tried other recipes for overnight french toast and have been disappointed with the end result. We always have hamburger and hot dog buns left over from a meal so they work perfect as well.
 

Usually from any given dinner meal we always have leftover bread.This is the first recipe I found that isn't really soggy inside.  Now it is soft inside since the bread is soaked up with the yummy milk and egg mixture over night. But it wasn't a runny soggy mess.

This french toast casserole turned out perfect and was so crispy on top. Some people still might have a problem with the middle being a little soft. You have to keep in mind that it's an overnight casserole.

Overnight French Toast Casserole

Ingredients: 
1 – stick butter (1/2 cup) melted
12 - slices Texas toast or any leftover bread, cut into pieces
1 - cup brown sugar
1 - teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 - teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 - cup chopped pecans, optional
1 - teaspoon vanilla extract
3 - eggs, beaten
1 1/2 - cups milk

Directions: 

Melt butter and pour in a 9 x 13 . Mix the  brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and nuts if you are using them. 

Whisk beaten eggs, milk and vanilla together. Layer bottom of pan with half the bread pieces Sprinkle half brown sugar mix over the bread. 

Layer second half of bread. Pour egg mixture over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly. Sprinkle remaining brown sugar on top.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.

In the morning, remove from the refrigerator and cover with a new piece of foil. Preheat oven to 350 bake the casserole for 30 minutes. 

Bake uncovered for 15 more minutes the French toast bake should be browned and set.

Optional: Pour a little bit of maple syrup on top of casserole. Place back in the oven and using your ovens broiler, broil for about 5-7 minutes to caramelize the top. 

Cook's Note: This french toast casserole is moist in the center and crunchy on top.