If I I had to choose my favorite sweet breakfast to eat over and over again for the rest of mi life, french toast would be my choice. French toast is just so incredibly easy, flavorful, and with that soggy, eggy, syrupy texture, you can't go wrong. I have a variety of different french toasts on my website, but this apple cinnamon brioche french toast casserole recipe wins each and every time. Plus, it's a great overnight option for breakfast, too!
Combining fruit with a french toast casserole is not a novel idea, but it's an excellent option for a Sunday brunch, a meal prep for the busy week, or even to bring to a new mom or a friend to cheer them up!
Just like my pear french toast bake, tiramisu french toast, and my croissant french toast version, this recipe calls for simple ingredients and will satisfy anyone who indulges in it.
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What are the ingredients for this recipe?
This recipe calls on very standard french toast recipe ingredients such as brioche, eggs, milk, vanilla, with the addition of sautéed apples.
- Brioche - Brioche is just such a great vessel for soaking up and egg and milk mixture.
- Eggs
- Milk - you can also use almond milk!
- Vanilla Extract
- Cinnamon - we're adding cinnamon to the egg mixture and to the apples
- Apples - I like to use RubyFrost Apples, or if you can't find those in stores, Gala works well too!
- Butter
- Brown Sugar
See the recipe card below for specific information about quantities.
How do I make this recipe?
To make this recipe, follow these easy steps and you'll be enjoying one of the best french toast breakfast recipes you've had in a while! Plus, see below for how to make this accessible as an overnight prep.
For the Apples: Slice, then dice the apples into smaller diced pieces then add to a pan with melted butter on medium heat. Let the apples cook for a few minutes (3-4 minutes), then add in the brown sugar and cinnamon. Toss to combine and bring the flame to low. Continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes, then set aside.
For the French Toast: In a medium mixing bowl or in a large measuring cup, combine together the eggs, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon using a whisk, then set aside.
Dice the brioche into cubes and toss into an oven safe baking dish. Then, pour the egg mixture all over the brioche, making sure all of the bread has been soaked and covered with the egg.
Top the brioche with the sautéed apples and bake at 375º for 20 minutes.
HINT: The french toast should be eggy and wet when it bakes, so be sure to cover all of the bread to make sure that the end result yields a moist and egg texture rather than drying out.
Recipe Swaps and Substitutions
If you're looking for ways to create this recipe, but need to tailor to dietary needs to preferences, here are some of the ways this can be done:
- Bread: If you don't like brioche, you can swap for any type of bread including challah or a gluten-free bread of your choosing.
- Milk: Opt for almond, oat, or another type of milk that you're used to consuming.
- Sugar: You don't have to use the brown sugar if you'd prefer this recipe to be lower in sugar. However, you could use coconut sugar as the sugar adds flavor and helps the apples render down.
Recipe Variations and Serving Suggestions:
For varying the ingredients or potentially any add ons to this recipe, and for ways to serve it, here's what I recommend!
- Overnight: You can prepare this recipe as an overnight prep and bake in the oven the next day but preparing the bread beforehand, pouring the egg mixture onto the bread then covering with plastic wrap and setting in the fridge. I would not recommend sautéing the apples ahead of time as they won't be as fresh the next day. You will want to make the apples the morning of, which does not take very long, and add to the bread then bake the same day.
- Nuts: If you want some added crunch, you can add some candied walnuts, pecans, almonds into the batter and pour on top, or add to the top of the bread before it's baked.
- Chocolate: You can drizzle some hazelnut spread on top after it bakes or even some melted chocolate!
Serve this recipe for a brunch, meal prep breakfast (my favorite!), or for an after-practice for kids on the weekend.
Kitchen Equipment and Tools
This recipe is done in two stages: prepping the bake itself, and cooking the apples that are poured on top of the egg-soaked brioche. The few items you would need from your kitchen in order to prep and bake this would be:
- A large mixing bowl - to whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon
- A large baking dish - for the actual bake itself.
- A whisk
- Measuring spoons and cups
- Frying pan - to caramelize the apples.
How do I store this recipe?
This french toast bake will do well in the fridge for up to 4 days in a tightly sealed tupperware container. If you would like to place this in the freezer, I highly recommend you do so in the dish it was baked in, wrapped with plastic wrap with a label on it, indicating the date the dish was baked. Consume within one month.
Hungry for More?
Check out these other incredible breakfast recipes, perfect for your weekly rotation!
Apple Cinnamon Brioche French Toast Casserole Recipe
Equipment
- oven safe baking dish
- measuring cups and spoons
- whisk
- large frying pan
- cutting board
- mixing bowl or large measuring cup
Ingredients
For the Apples
- 2-3 large apples diced, then sliced
- 2 tablespoon butter
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
For the French Toast
- 4 large eggs
- 1 ½ cups milk or half and half
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 loaf brioche bread cubed
Instructions
For the Apples:
- Slice, then dice the apples into smaller diced pieces then add to a pan with melted butter on medium heat. Let the apples cook for a few minutes (3-4 minutes), then add in the brown sugar and cinnamon.
- Toss to combine and bring the flame to low. Continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes, then set aside.
For the French Toast:
- In a medium mixing bowl or in a large measuring cup, combine together the eggs, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon using a whisk, then set aside.
- Dice the brioche into cubes and toss into an oven safe baking dish. Then, pour the egg mixture all over the brioche, making sure all of the bread has been soaked and covered with the egg.
- Top the brioche with the sautéed apples and bake at 375º for 20 minutes.
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