Boozy Caramel French Toast Casserole
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This boozy French toast casserole with a caramel bottom makes the perfect company-for-brunch dish.
Part booze, part French toast, part bread pudding — how could you go wrong? In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if you already had the recipe because such things (i.e., amazingly good, crowd pleasing, make-ahead, easy recipes) tend to get around. I got it from my friend Gayle, who got it from her friend Karen, who got it from…you get the idea.
This French toast casserole makes a perfect company-for-brunch dish because you can assemble it the night before, let it sit in the fridge overnight, and then just pop it in the oven in the morning when you’re ready to eat. Don’t worry if you forget to plan ahead; it can be baked soon after assembling if need be.
Ingredients For Boozy Caramel French Toast Casserole
I use broiche bread to make my French toast casserole. Brioche is a lightly sweetened yeast bread enriched with lots of butter and eggs. You can find it in the bakery of most large supermarkets; if for some reason you can’t find it, challah makes an excellent substitute.
Grand Marnier is an orange-flavored liqueur. It adds depth of flavor and subtle orange flavor that pairs nicely with the orange zest and caramel. If you’d like to omit the booze, go ahead and replace it with more half and half.
How To Make Boozy Caramel French Toast Casserole
Begin with the caramel. In a small saucepan, combine the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, and one tablespoon of water.
Melt over medium heat, stirring until smooth.
Pour the caramel into a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
Remove the crust on the brioche and into 1½-in slices. Arrange the bread on top of caramel, making sure entire base is well covered.
In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, half-and-half, vanilla, Grand Marnier, orange zest and salt until well combined.
Pour evenly over bread. Let sit for at least 15 minutes or cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator overnight.
When you’re ready to eat, bake the French toast casserole, uncovered, until puffed and golden, 40-50 minutes.
Let cool a few minutes (it will deflate) and then serve immediately. The caramel will harden up as it cools, so it’s important to serve this dish hot.
More French Toast Recipes
Boozy Caramel French Toast Casserole
This boozy French toast casserole with a caramel bottom makes the perfect company-for-brunch dish.
Ingredients
- 1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the pan
- ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
- 1⅓ lbs brioche (you'll likely need two loaves but you won't use it all)
- 5 large eggs
- 1½ cups half-and-half
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons Grand Marnier
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with butter.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter with the brown sugar, corn syrup, and one tablespoon of water, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Pour into the prepared pan.
- Slice off the crusts from the brioche (it doesn't need to be perfect). Cut the bread into 1½-in thick slices. Arrange the bread slices on top of caramel, making sure the entire base of the pan is covered.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, half-and-half, vanilla, Grand Marnier, orange zest and salt until well combined. Pour evenly over bread. Cover with plastic wrap and chill at least 20 minutes or overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position.
- Bake, uncovered, in the middle of the oven until puffed and golden, 40-50 minutes. Let cool a few minutes (it will deflate), then serve immediately. The caramel base hardens up as it cools, so it's important to serve hot.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 705
- Fat: 32 g
- Saturated fat: 17 g
- Carbohydrates: 84 g
- Sugar: 37 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 17 g
- Sodium: 578 mg
- Cholesterol: 269 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Comments
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Hi Jenn, Thinking of making this for Fathers day. Is this ok for children or is the Grand Marnier flavor strong? Thanks for your help.
Hi Maria, I don’t think it’s too strong — my kids have always loved it. 🙂
I had this recipe planned for Easter brunch, however with all my preparations the day before, I never got around to getting it done so it could sit overnight. I ended up making it in the morning and we had it as dessert after Easter dinner. With a scoop of vanilla ice cream it was fantastic!! I used a combination of challah and bread; making two layers worked very well. Next time, I might even try adding some diced apple to it. Thanks once again, Jenn.
I can’t find challah in Hawai’i. Would it be possible to substitute brioche bread or any other type of bread?
Hi Su, yes, brioche or a Hawiaan loaf would work nicely here too. Enjoy!
Hi Jenn- you are so inspiring! Thank you for sharing your skills, recipes and beautiful website. I appreciate your visual recipes very much. Fabu news-every recipe I have tried has been a win and for me, sincere accolades. YAS. I give you all the credit 🙂
We have a dairy-free friend visiting for brunch this weekend. Any substitutions you could recommend? Or more suited dishes to prepare? (Maybe create an elimination filter to your vast recipe bank?) Dairy is the only restriction. sad. xo proud cheesehead from Lk Michigan. thx in advance from PNW rains
Hi Tanja, so glad you enjoy the recipes and the website! While I think the half and half could be replaced with a non-dairy milk, I’m concerned that the caramel will not have the right consistency with a butter substitute. You may want to consider this French Toast and replace the cream and milk with a nut or soy milk and the butter with margarine or a dairy-free butter substitute. This Baked Oatmeal is also a crowd pleaser and you could still get good results with non-dairy milk and a butter substitute. Hope that helps!
I was wondering do you think I could makes these into individual servings like in a muffin?
Hi Erica, I think it would work (sounds good)! Hope you enjoy 🙂
I made this for a holiday brunch, following the recipe exactly. It sat on a warning tray during the brunch, which kept the caramel fluid so it didn’t get hard as other reviewers mentioned. This my most-requested breakfast food item when we have overnight company. It’s delicious, beautiful, and unexpected. Hands-down, one of my favorite recipes from my favorite chef! Thanks, Jen!
WARMING tray, not “warning” tray
Ha! What a great idea for serving. Glad it was a hit! 🙂
please provide the nutrition information for this dish.
Done!
First, please accept my compliments for your expertise and generosity! Every single recipe I tried resulted in delicious food. Thank you.
I was wondering if this is possible to bake stovetop in a covered pan instead of in the oven, and if yes – for how long? Your response would be very appreciated.
Hi Sim, Thank you – so glad you’re enjoying the recipes! Unfortunately, this dish can’t be cooked on the stovetop. Sorry!
We made this for visiting family and it was really enjoyed by all, including our gourmet chef who asked for the recipe (I shared your web site, of course!). Added 1 T maple syrup to prevent the caramel from hardening, otherwise made as directed. Thanks very for this terrific recipe and Happy New Year!
Just one layer of bread slices…correct?
Hi Cynthia, Generally yes but it doesn’t really matter how many layers, just use all the bread and fit it in. Hope that helps!