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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This is so so so good! I used Brioche bread, and didn’t use the orange zest (not a fan) other then that it is a very Cozy meal!
OmG….I make french toast all the time, but this recipe is totaly out of this world fabulous….made it for out of town visitors….the platter was empty in no time…with lots of mmmm-good comments….this is another winner rerecipe !
Oh, the first time I made this I use Amoretto instead….and it was ddddelicious!!
Ok…I need everyone to know that this recipe is out of this world amazing!! I’m not exaggerating. I quickly put it together the night before, in the morning I slid it in the oven, put a few slices of bacon on a baking sheet along side it and poored my husband a coffee and myself a tea……and we were able to spend time with our two little girls!!! Now that’s a great recipe!
This was a big hit at our brunch this morning. Mine didn’t puff out quite like the one in your picture did, but it sure was yummy. I’m glad we had some salty bacon on the side to counteract the sweetness of the french toast; it made a great counterpoint. This is a keeper.
I know I’m a little later than the rest of the commenters but I had to pop in and thank you for this recipe! I took this dish to a ladies’ breakfast at church and it was a HIT! Several ladies asked for the recipe and I referred them all to this site. Also, I thought I’d share how I squeezed a dessert out of it: I saved the crusts that I’d cut off the challah bread and let them sit out overnight to go stale. Then I used them to make my family’s favorite bread pudding but I added a layer of this recipe’s caramel on the bottom and added orange zest and Grand Marnier to the custard mixture. FABU! I have a feeling I’ll be making Drunken Caramel Bread Pudding whenever I make the French Toast. And I have a feeling that will be OFTEN!
OMG!!!
I’m a caramel addict already and you just gave me another fix!
Our family makes the rounds at Christmas & everyone starts out here. I make something very similar, without the caramel, . Everyone asks for the French Toast casserole.
****Wait until they try THIS recipe! ****
Good recipe but I made it a little better by mixing a little cinnamon and sugar together and right before it goes in the over, sprinkle it on the top and dot with a small amount of butter.
We had family in town this weekend and I made this to serve for breakfast – it was a hit! Everyone loved it, even the picky ones!
Made this as a birthday party breakfast and everyone loved it.