Crème Brûlée French Toast casserole is one of the easiest brunch recipes! This make-ahead dish is made with just a few staple ingredients and comes together in minutes. Like Crème Brûlée it's rich and custardy in the center and topped with crunchy caramel flavor.
In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add brown sugar and corn syrup, whisking until smooth. Pour mixture into baking dish.
½ cup butter, 1 cup light brown sugar, 2 tablespoons corn syrup
Place bread slices tightly in baking dish.
1 loaf stale bread
In a medium mixing bowl or stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine eggs, heavy cream, vanilla extract and Grand Marnier. Whisk together until smooth, approximately 2-3 minutes.
5 large eggs, 1½ cups heavy whipping cream, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon Grand Marnier
Pour mixture evenly over bread. Cover and refrigerate 6+ hours or overnight.
Bake
Preheat oven to 350° F. Bring baking dish to room temperature to avoid cracking.
Bake uncovered in the center of pre-heated oven 35 minutes. Flip to serve or continue for crunchier crust.
Broil (for crispy Crème Brûlée crust)
In a broil safe dish (or transfer to a cookie sheet), watching carefully, broil 1 - 1½ minutes until slightly bubbly and golden brown.
Video
Notes
Stale Bread
The day of, remove bread from packaging, slice and expose to air until ready to prepare.Or, pre-heat oven to 300°F and bake on a cookie sheet 5-7 minutes to dry bread.
Substitutions and Variations
Butter - Salted or unsalted.Brown Sugar - Light or Dark.Bread - Challah, French or Brioche are great choices, but any bread will work! Heavy Cream - Or the heaviest milk you have.Vanilla Extract - Substitute with almond extract, orange extract, lemon extract, bourbon, brandy, rum or additional Grand Marnier.Grand Marnier - Alternatively, substitute with any orange flavored liqueur or omit.
How to Store
At Room Temperature - Serve at room temperature up to two hours.Refrigerate - Store in an airtight container and refrigerate up to 3 days.Freeze - Cover in plastic wrap and store in an airtight container or freezer bag up to 3 months.
Reheat
Place in a microwave safe dish and warm in microwave in 30 second increments. For best results, preheat oven to 350° F. Place covered casserole dish in the center of oven and bake 10-15 minutes until completely warm.