Creme Brulee French Toast

My most requested recipe! Overnight French toast flavored with a touch of orange liqueur that’s baked casserole style on a bed of homemade caramel sauce.

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About Creme Brulee French Toast

Out of all the recipes I have ever made, this creme brulee french toast casserole recipe is the most requested one by far.

Because not only is it easy to make, but it’s also an overnight french toast, which means it gets even better if the French bread is allowed to soak for about eight hours.

And if you don’t have that kind of time, that’s okay, too – I’ve made this creme brulee french toast from start to finish in a single morning and it still tasted wonderful.

What is creme brulee french toast?

While there are many different recipes and methods for this dish, you can usually spot creme brulee french toast by three main characteristics:

• A delicately crunchy top, typically from bread that peeks out above the rest of the french toast.
• A center that’s softer than the top, typically from the bread being saturated by an egg mixture or a sweet under layer (or both!)
• In many cases, this dish is baked as opposed to fried in a pan. Frying this french toast would require flipping, which would ultimately mix the bottom and top layers. To create the creme brulee effect, these two layers should have different flavors and consistencies (as explained above).

How long does creme brulee french toast last?

Once prepared, this french toast casserole can be stored in the refrigerator in a sealed container for up to five days.

Can you freeze creme brulee french toast?

Yes, you totally can!

Once prepared, allow the french toast to cool completely, then wrap individual portions in plastic wrap (this can be individual pieces of bread or whatever you consider a serving size). Then, transfer the pieces of french toast to a sealed container or freezer bag.

Once frozen, this french toast can be frozen for up to one to two months.

How to reheat french toast

There’s great news here, guys – french toast is perfect for reheating! And for one very important reason:

You can reheat it while it’s still frozen. Yep, that’s right – there’s no need to allow the french toast to thaw overnight in the refrigerator (although if you’d like to still do that, that’s okay, too.)

And for best results, I highly recommend reheating this french toast in the microwave. It’s a simple and effective way to heat up your dish and you don’t need to worry about the bread drying out or losing too much of that trademark french toast gooeyness.

Can this french toast casserole be made in advance?

Yes, it totally can!

In fact, this recipe is designed to be an overnight french toast, so all of the ingredients are mixed the day before, then covered and chilled overnight before baking the next morning.

However, this step is totally optional. There have been plenty of times when I’ve made this creme brulee french toast from start to finish, with no resting overnight, and it still turned out delicious.

notes & tips for the overnight french toast

• I highly recommend using Jimmy John’s French bread for this recipe (whether it’s fresh or day old), but if you don’t have a location near you, any French bread you can get your hands on will work just as well.
• For the orange liqueur, I’ve used both Grand Marnier and Cointreau. Both were delicious!

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How to make creme brulee french toast

This next part is only a photo tutorial of the recipe steps. If you’re looking for the full recipe measurements and instructions, scroll down to Recipe Details.

Step 1 – If you have not already, make sure your bread is ready to add to the casserole dish. Whichever bread you decide to use, make sure that each piece would rest about 2 inches high in the baking dish. I like using day-old Jimmy John’s bread for this.

Step 2 – In a large bowl, add the eggs, half and half, vanilla, orange liqueur, and salt, then whisk together well.

Step 3 – In a small saucepan, melt the butter, then add the brown sugar and corn syrup. Cook & whisk constantly until the brown sugar has melted and the butter is absorbed. TIP: check the sides of the pan for an oily film-like line along the top of the sauce. Keep cooking and mixing until that film is almost gone.

Step 4 – Slowly drizzle the prepared caramel sauce in the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish, coating it completely.

Step 5 – Place the sliced bread on top of the caramel sauce layer.

Step 6 – Drizzle the egg mixture over top of the bread, saturating each piece as much as possible. If needed, spoon the egg mixture out of corners and gaps to help cover the top of the bread.

Step 7 – Cover the dish and let the french toast casserole chill in the refrigerator for at least four hours (or ideally overnight).

Step 8 – Bake!

Step 9 – Serve with powdered sugar and enjoy!