Most of our mornings are spent outside lately, especially on the weekends. I don’t have a lot of time to spend making breakfast, but still like to occasionally make something special. This Strawberries and Cream French Toast Casserole is prepared the night before and refrigerated, so in the morning I only have to put it in the oven and it is ready in less than an hour.
Day old, slightly stale bread is best. I used homemade french bread. With the peak of strawberry season, this would make a great breakfast for the upcoming July 4th holiday (Updated photos on May 10, 2017: It would also be perfect for Mother’s Day brunch!).
A reader brought up the delicious idea of mixing in cubes of cream cheese.
Strawberries and Cream French Toast Casserole
Adapted from Pink Parsley
Serves 4-6
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar + 1 tablespoon, divided
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
5 cups cubed day old French bread
1 1/2 cup sliced strawberries, divided
Lightly grease a 9 inch round or square baking dish.
In a large bowl, add eggs, milk, cream, 1/4 cup sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla. Whisk until well combined. Fold in the bread and 1 cup of the sliced strawberries. Pour into the greased baking dish, cover, and refrigerate 8 hours to overnight.
Remove casserole from refrigerator and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Place remaining 1/2 cup strawberries evenly over top of casserole.
Bake in preheated oven until set and top begins to turn golden, 35-45 minutes. During the last 10 minutes in oven, sprinkle the top with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.
Let sit 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Betsy Walters says
Sounds delicious!
Tara says
Thanks!
Vanessa says
I prepared this dish last night and had it this morning. We loved it. Thank you!
Cait says
Do you have to refrigerate the night before or can you bake it immediately after preparing it?
Tara says
The only issue I would see with baking it immediately is the texture. You want to give the bread time to soak in the cream and egg mixture. Also the baking time may differ a bit since the casserole won’t be chilled. I haven’t personally tried it, so don’t know exact times.
Diana Geske says
This dish is yummy as is but I would add some cream cheese cubes for a strawberry and cream effect.
Tara says
Sounds delicious!
Anjali says
I like how you turned french toast into a casserole…great for large parties!
Janette@CulinaryGinger.com says
One of my favorite summer treats is strawberries and cream and now I can have it for breakfast. Delicious!
Bintu - Recipes From A Pantry says
What an interesting recipe, you have turned French toast into something equally delicious with a slightly different texture being baked
Veena Azmanov says
I love when you can prepare something the night before and just bake it off when you need it. This would be an amazing treat for my mother’s day get together.
Linda @ signorinaspaghetti says
This is an amazing way to eat strawberries! And what a twist for a french toast…I am really looking forward to try it!
Karly says
Uh, amazing. Obsessed with french toast bakes, but throw in the stawberry shortacke element and I am head over heels. Cannot wait to try this one!