Description
This Baked Blueberry French Toast is a delightful breakfast casserole featuring cubed challah bread soaked overnight in a rich mixture of eggs, almond milk, and cream, layered with fresh blueberries, and topped with a buttery cinnamon crumble. Perfect for a special brunch or holiday morning, it combines sweet, fruity flavors with a soft, custardy texture and a crispy crumb topping.
Ingredients
Scale
French Toast Mixture
- 1 Challah bread, cut into one inch cubes
- 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
- 8 eggs
- 2 cups almond milk (or whole milk)
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
Crumble Topping
- 1 stick unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Prepare the baking dish: Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray or butter to prevent sticking.
- Layer bread and blueberries: Cut the challah bread into one-inch cubes. Layer half of the bread cubes along with half of the fresh blueberries in the baking dish.
- Add remaining bread and blueberries: Spread the remaining bread cubes and blueberries evenly over the first layer.
- Mix custard: In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, almond milk, heavy cream, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract until fully combined.
- Soak bread overnight: Pour the custard mixture evenly over the layered bread and blueberries. Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight to allow the bread to absorb the custard.
- Prepare crumble topping: In another medium bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Add the cold butter pieces and cut them into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles crumbs or small pebbles.
- Store crumble: Place the crumble topping mixture in a Ziplock bag and store it in the refrigerator until ready to bake.
- Preheat oven: When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Add crumble topping: Remove the baking dish from the refrigerator and evenly sprinkle the crumble mixture over the top of the French toast.
- Bake: Bake the dish in the preheated oven for 45 minutes for a softer, bread pudding-style texture or 55 minutes to one hour for a firmer texture with less liquid.
- Cool and serve: Let the baked French toast cool for 5-10 minutes before cutting into individual portions.
- Garnish and enjoy: Top each serving with butter and a drizzle of maple syrup if desired for extra richness and sweetness.
Notes
- Using challah bread results in a richer and softer texture, but brioche or thick-cut white bread can be used as substitutes.
- For a dairy-free option, substitute almond milk and coconut cream for heavy cream.
- Be sure to cover and refrigerate overnight to allow the bread to fully soak in the custard mixture for the best texture.
- The crumble topping can be prepared up to 2 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator.
- Adjust baking time depending on your preferred texture; less time yields softer, more custardy French toast, while longer baking produces a firmer dish.
- Serve with fresh fruit, powdered sugar, or nuts for added texture and flavor.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 45-60 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Baked Blueberry French Toast, breakfast casserole, challah French toast, berry French toast bake, overnight French toast, blueberry breakfast casserole
