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This easy Sourdough French Toast Casserole is a delicious make-ahead breakfast for holidays or weekend brunch. Cubes of cinnamon honey butter sourdough bread soak in a rich vanilla custard and bake into a soft, golden breakfast casserole with crisp edges. It’s a great way to feed a crowd with minimal morning preparation.
Save & Summarize
It’s frustrating when sourdough bread goes stale, but don’t toss it, use it to make this sourdough French toast casserole instead. Day-old bread is actually ideal, as it soaks up the custard better and bakes into the perfect texture. If you love my sourdough cinnamon rolls and sourdough breakfast casserole, this recipe belongs in that same rotation.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Uses up stale bread. Day-old sourdough bread soaks up the custard so well, giving you a soft center and golden edges without wasting a single slice.
- Make-Ahead Friendly – Prep it the night before for an easy overnight breakfast french toast casserole that’s ready to bake in the morning.
- Feeds a Crowd – This sourdough French toast casserole is ideal for holidays, brunch, or hosting, with minimal hands-on time.
- Holiday approved – A delicious recipe for Mother’s Day, Christmas or for a weekend bake.
Ingredients & Substitutions for Sourdough French Toast Casserole
- Sourdough Bread – I recommend using a sweet sourdough loaf like cinnamon honey butter sourdough or white chocolate almond sourdough. You could also go for a plain loaf of my same-day sourdough bread.
- Maple Syrup – I recommend using pure maple syrup but you can use pancake syrup in a pinch.
- Half and Half – I love the richness and creaminess that half and half adds but you could use any type of milk you have on hand. For a dairy-free alternative, I recommend coconut milk.
See the recipe card for the full recipe.
Recipe to make homemade sourdough bread
The very first step is to make a loaf of sourdough bread. After the bread is baked, dice it into 1-inch cubes.
Place the bread cubes on a large pan uncovered, to dry out overnight. Alternatively, you can chop up a loaf and place it in the oven at 300°F for 15-20 minutes or until dry.
Skip this step if your loaf is already stale.
Step 1: In a large bowl, add the eggs, half and half, vanilla, and salt. Whisk together until combined.
Step 2:Mix the batter with the cubed sourdough bread.
Step 3: Add butter, brown sugar, and maple syrup to a small saucepan over medium heat and mix just until the sugar is dissolved.
Step 4: Pour the mixture into the bottom of a 9×9-inch greased pan.
Step 5: Dump the bread and egg mixture on top of the caramel mixture.
Cover with plastic wrap or foil and place in the fridge for 2+ hours, ideally overnight. This allows the bread time to soak up all of the liquid.
Step 6: In the morning, preheat the oven to 350°F. Remove the cover and bake the Sourdough Bread French Toast Casserole in the preheated oven for 50 minutes. It is ready when the edges are golden brown and the center is set.
Dust with powdered sugar.
Recipe Tips
- If the top of the bake is getting too dark, cover with foil and return to the oven.
- Use stale bread as it will soak up the liquids better.
Storage tips
To store, add the leftover Sourdough Bread French Toast Casserole to an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 4 days. To reheat, you can add it back to a 350F oven for 10 minutes or until warmed through. Or you can simply pop it in the microwave until it is warm.
This casserole can be frozen before or after baking for 2-3 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes you can 1.5x this recipe and place it in a 9×13-inch pan. If you want to double the recipe, I recommend an 11 x 14-inch pan.
I like to use artisan sourdough bread, but you could use sourdough sandwich bread or a brioche bread.
I recommend quickly drying out the bread before placing it in the pan by chopping it up and placing it in the oven at 300°F for 15-20 minutes or until dry.
More Sourdough Breakfast recipes
Sourdough Discard Recipes
Fluffy Sourdough Discard Pancakes
Sourdough Bread Recipes
Sourdough Breakfast Casserole
Sourdough Breakfast Recipes
The Best Sourdough Monkey Bread
Sourdough Bread Recipes
Overnight Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
Tried this Sourdough French Toast Casserole or another recipe from the site? I’d love to hear about it! Drop a star rating and share your thoughts in the comments—can’t wait to see what you’re baking!
Sourdough Bread French Toast Casserole
Equipment
Ingredients
- 800 grams sourdough bread , cubed
Sugar mixture
- 114 grams butter, ½ cup
- 220 grams brown sugar, 1 cup
- 30 grams maple syrup, 2 Tablespoons
Egg Mixture
- 6 large eggs, 300 grams
- 360 grams half and half, 1 ½ cups
- 5 grams vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon
- 3 grams salt, ½ teaspoon
Instructions
- Dice a loaf of sourdough bread into 1-inch cubes. I prefer to use a loaf of cinnamon honey butter sourdough bread but you can use a plain loaf or another flavor. 800 grams sourdough bread
- Place the bread cubes on a large pan uncovered, to dry out overnight. Alternatively, you can chop up a loaf and place it in the oven at 300°F for 15-20 minutes or until dry.If your loaf is already dry, you can skip this step.
- In a large bowl, add the eggs, half and half, vanilla, and salt. Whisk together until combined. 6 large eggs, 360 grams half and half, 5 grams vanilla extract, 3 grams salt
- Add the bread cubes to the egg batter and mix until the bread is moistened.
- Add butter, brown sugar, and maple syrup to a small saucepan over medium heat and mix just until the sugar is dissolved. Pour the mixture into the bottom of a 9×9-inch greased pan. 114 grams butter, 220 grams brown sugar, 30 grams maple syrup
- Dump the bread and egg mixture in the pan on top of the sugar mixture.
- Cover with plastic wrap or foil and place in the fridge for 2+ hours. Ideally overnight. This allows the bread time to soak up all of the liquid.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. If using a glass pan, let the pan sit out 20-30 minutes before placing it in the oven. Remove the cover and bake the Sourdough Bread French Toast Casserole in the preheated oven for 50 minutes. It is ready when the edges are golden brown and the center is set.Dust with powdered sugar.
Notes
- If the top of the bake is getting too dark, cover with foil and return to the oven.
- To store, add the leftover Sourdough Bread French Toast Casserole to an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 4 days. To reheat, you can add it back to a 350F oven for 10 minutes or until warmed through. Or you can simply pop it in the microwave until it is warm.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is delicious! My family loves it. It’s such a great way to use Sourdough bread before it goes bad.
So glad you like the recipe, Elizabeth!
Can I use stale sourdough sandwich bread for this French Toast Casserole? It looks amazing!
Yeah that will be perfect!
Absolutely delicious! This was so easy to put together and pop it into the oven!
Thanks Karen! I’m so glad you liked the recipe.