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A piece of Gingerbread French Toast Casserole on a white ceramic plate. An antique fork has a piece of the french toast on it. The plate is on green tile surrounded by linen napkin, cups and gingerbread cookies.
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Gingerbread French Toast Casserole

Everything there is to love about the classic breakfast in an easy, holiday spiced shareable version! Gingerbread French Toast Casserole is perfect for hosting family or holiday get togethers.
Course Breakfast, Brunch
Cuisine American
Keyword baked french toast casserole, french toast casserole, gingerbread bark, gingerbread french toast, gingerbread pastries
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 12 servings
Calories 357kcal

Equipment

  • 9x13 baking dish

Ingredients

  • 1 loaf challah, sourdough, or brioche
  • 6 large eggs
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 3 tablespoons molasses
  • 1 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Crumble Topping

  • ¼ cup unsalted butter
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup all purpose flour

Glaze

  • ½ cup confectioners sugar
  • 2 to 4 tablespoons heavy cream

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray or grease with butter. Cut the challah bread into bite-sized pieces using a bread knife or by hand tearing.
    1 loaf challah, sourdough, or brioche
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, heavy cream, brown sugar, granulated sugar, molasses, vanilla extract, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.
    6 large eggs, 2 cups whole milk, ½ cup heavy cream, ¼ cup brown sugar, ½ cup granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 3 tablespoons molasses, 1 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • Add the pieces of bread to the french toast batter mixture in the large bowl and gently toss until all the pieces of bread are coated. Transfer to the prepared baking dish.
  • Prepare the crumble topping. In a food processor, pulse the flour, sugar, and butter together. Alternatively, you can use a pastry cutter or your fingers to break the butter into pea size pieces and mix with the flour and sugar. Sprinkle over the top of the prepared casserole.
    ¼ cup unsalted butter, ¼ cup granulated sugar, ¼ cup all purpose flour
  • Bake at 350°F for 45 to 50 minutes. The center will be just a touch jiggly and the edges should be golden brown. Serve warm.
  • While the french toast casserole bakes, prepare the glaze. Mix together confectioners sugar and heavy cream. Using a spoon, drizzle over the french toast casserole.
    ½ cup confectioners sugar, 2 to 4 tablespoons heavy cream

Notes

  • The bread.  Challah loaf yields the best results for me, every time.  It's the perfect amount of bread and the right softness - it's tender but doesn't fall apart.  If using brioche you may need two loaves depending on the size.  Sourdough or french bread is a great option, especially if you want to prep everything the night before and bake in the morning.
  • Skipping the crumble topping: cover the baking dish with foil for about 25 minutes then remove it and finish baking.  The crumble topping will 'protect' the bread from overcooking, but without it the top may brown a little faster.
  • Reheating: To bake in advance and reheat the whole baking dish I would highly recommend cooking it on the shorter side - about 40 minutes - and reheating at 350 for about 10 to 15 minutes.  If reheating a single serving slice in the microwave works perfectly fine (and what we do most often.) For that fresh out of the oven texture, try adding a little maple syrup drizzle before reheating or covering the piece with a damp paper towel before microwaving.

Nutrition

Calories: 357kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 141mg | Sodium: 202mg | Potassium: 238mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin A: 582IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 125mg | Iron: 2mg