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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I was looking for a recipe that would provide an alternative to the traditional French toast. This hit the mark. I made this for Christmas breakfast and it was a huge hit with everyone. I would definitely make this again, even if just for the hubby and I. I loved the flavor. I didn’t use the Grand Marnier, so I added in fresh orange juice. It added such a great flavor. Thumbs up!
The whole family was at our home this Christmas. I was looking for something I could make ahead for breakfast on the day after Christmas. Made this and everyone LOVED it. Following suggestions, I served it with lots of bacon and a big bowl of creamy scrambled eggs. Will definitely make again.
It was sooo perfect – served it for breakfast on the 1st of January – everyone loved it. It tastes like a homemade luxurious pastry coming right from the oven and it is so easy to make. And no fuss in the morning. Jenn, thanks a lot. I adore your site and this recipe is again a triumph. Happy holidays and all the best to you and your loved ones!
This had all the makings of another excellent recipe from you.
I baked in a glass pyrex dish and am wondering if this would cause the caramel to burn? The top was perfect but the bottom burnt and stuck to pan. Thanks for your input as I would like to try again,
Sorry you had trouble, Cheryl. Happy to help troubleshoot – was the caramel actually burnt or just hard?
Hi Jenn,
Thanks so much for the quick reply. I would say it was both burnt and hard. We do want to try again as everything we have made here has been a consistent five star.
Cheryl, Next time try lowering the heat to 325°F and check for doneness at 35-40 minutes; also, be sure to serve hot while the caramel is still soft. Hope that solves the issue. Please let me know how it turns out if you try it again.
Jenn,
Thank you so much for your suggestion! Doing that and adding two T of maple syrup as another person suggested resulted in perfection.
to make sure the caramel didn’t set too hard I just added a Couple of tablespoons of real vermont maple Syrup to the caramel mixture before adding to the bottom of the dish. Seconds were no problem!!!
Hi Jenn, I’m pulling out your winning recipes that have become standard Christmas fare for breakfast and dinner in our home. Please remind me why I need to remove crust from Challah bread in your drunken French toast recipe. Best season greetings to you and your family. Cathy
Hi Cathy, If you’d prefer not to have the crust on the bread, you can simply slice it off. Hope you enjoy!
Oops, sorry Cathy, I misunderstood! I prefer to remove the crust for a more delicate texture throughout but it’s not absolutely necessary.
Would it be possible to eliminate the caramel bottom – to decrease the sugar content?
While the caramel adds a lot to the recipe, I do think you could eliminate it.
I’ve made various forms of baked French toast over the years & none have wowed me until this one. It’s just the right combo of flavors & I would never have thought I would like the orange in it so much. The challah makes it just the right consistency (not too mushy ). This one is going in the table Christmas morning- thanks!
this sounds like it would taste wonderful…is it as easy to make as it sounds?
Yes Anita, it’s quite easy (and a definite crowd pleaser :).
Just loved it!
And with all the prep done the night before makes for a real easy morning breakfast. One question though, as mentioned by a previous poster, once the caramel mixture cools a little it sets up real hard. Would there be a way to make the sauce so it would not harden.
There’s not really a different way to make the sauce to avoid that. I would just make sure to keep the dish warm while your serving. (Perhaps you could keep it covered and on the warm setting in your oven.)
what is half and half.
Half-and-half is a blend of equal parts whole milk and light cream.