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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Can I substitute maple syrup for corn syrup?
Hi Jane, Maple syrup wouldn’t work here, but you could use Lyle’s Golden Syrup instead.
Great recipe, glad i found it.
However I added cinnamon and nutmeg in batter and drizzled caramel and sprinkled powdered sugar before serving and daughter made a compote to topping
Hi Jenn: Would I be able to halve this recipe and bake it in an 8 x 8 ” pan?
Yep, that should work fine Kathy. Enjoy!
This recipe is amazing! It was extremely easy and straight forward to make, and I loved that I could do it all ahead of time, leading to very little clean up after serving it. I was originally concerned as my challah had gotten squished in the grocery bag, but it wound up being fine. Overall, the dish was a little on the sweet/rich side, but I loved it. Could even be served as a dessert bread pudding! Can’t wait to make this again!
I did this again for guests over Thanksgiving weekend minus the alcohol and each time, it’s always a big hit.
I used the Trader Joe’s challah rolls
http://www.traderjoesfan.com/component/mtree/products/bakery/handbraided-challah and baked them in my http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/le-creuset-heritage-stoneware-rectangular-covered-casserole/?pkey=e%7Cle%2Bcreuset%7C145%7Cbest%7C0%7C1%7C24%7C%7C22&cm_src=PRODUCTSEARCH
It was perfect.
The bread I got was big enough to feed a crowd, sliced it thicker so it fits in the rectangular baker = perfection!!!
hi! making this on saturday, but I just want to confirm that an overnight soak won’t make it too soggy. My guests are coming at noon on saturday and I am afraid if i do this around 8pm the night before it will be. thoughts?
No Casey, It shouldn’t be soggy; the soaking allows the bread to fully absorb the egg mixture. Hope everyone enjoys!
Awesome! Just prepped it (my gosh it looks amazing!)! Can’t wait to pop this in the oven tomorrow! Thank you!
MASSIVE hit.
One of my guests: ‘this is literally the best French toast I have ever had in my life!’
🙂
A friend made this for my daughter’s post wedding brunch and it was a big hit. Now it’s a Christmas morning must have. We used whole wheat croissants cut in half instead of challah bread and it was perfect!
Hi Jen-
This was yummy but it didn’t puff up at all. So it tasted better that it looked. What did I do wrong? Thanks!
Hi Lisa, Try cooking it a bit longer next time. I find it puffs up right at the very end.
Hi Jenn! I’m making your drunken caramel French toast for tomorrow’s Easter brunch. Your recipe says you make it the night before. Can I make it this morning or will it become too soggy in the refrigerator for that long? By the way, I have made so many of you recipes and everyone loves them! Your site is beautiful and so well organized. You make each recipe foolproof! Thank you!
Hi Patti, I think it should be fine to make it this morning. So glad you’re enjoying all the recipes and Happy Easter!
Hi! I’m making the Drunken Caramel French Toast and the Spinach and Cheese Strata. Can the French Toast be baked at 325 like the strata? You mention that the reason for the lower temp is to add creaminess, so I don’t want to lose this. How much longer for the French Toast at 325? Thanks!
Hi Iesa, I’d give it an extra 15 minutes or so.