If you enjoy easy and delicious breakfast recipes, then look no further. French toast casseroles are about as easy as the come. And one of the best things about them is that you can prep it the night before and pretty much pop it right into the oven in the morning. In fact, French toast casseroles are BETTER when you prep them the night before because that gives the bread some time to soak up all of the beautiful custard that you pour over it. This Ciabatta French Toast Casserole is no different.
I chose ciabatta because it is one of my favorite kinds of bread. It is crusty, chewy, and does so well at absorbing all of that yummy liquid while still retaining a fantastic texture. One other thing that makes this French toast casserole different from the other recipes (besides my choice of bread) is my addition of Panko breadcrumbs.
The addition of Panko breadcrumbs gives the French toast such a lovely crunch. Seriously, a little bit of crunchy texture really takes this over the top. You could even some chopped pecans (or other nut) to the topping to make it even that more fantastic.
Let me show you how I made this Ciabatta French Toast Casserole 👇🏻
Place 1 (very large) loaf of cubed ciabatta into a buttered 9X13” casserole baking dish and set aside. I bought my ciabatta loaf from Sam’s club. I think that it was like two feet long, something ridiculous like that. You could use 2 regular loaves as well. I believe that it was about 8 cups of cubed ciabatta.
In a large bowl, whisk together 6 large eggs, 2 cups milk, 1/2 cup heavy cream, 1 tbsp Bourbon vanilla extract, 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/3 cup (packed) brown sugar, a pinch of nutmeg, and a pinch of salt until well combined.
About the Bourbon Vanilla Extract… I bought mine from Trader Joe’s. I know that there are other brands at other places. You can even make your own homemade Bourbon vanilla extract. If you don’t have this item, you can simply substitute with Pure Vanilla Extract. Here is what the Trader Joe’s bottle looks like…
Pour the egg mixture over the ciabatta cubes and gently toss the bread until all of the pieces are coated. Cover the casserole dish with foil and put in the refrigerator. Let the bread soak up the wet ingredients for (at least) one hour to overnight. One hour is the very bare MINIMUM for this to soak. I would recommend longer.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees and remove the casserole dish from the refrigerator.
In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup flour, 1/2 cup (packed) brown sugar, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, a pinch of salt, and 1/4 cup breadcrumbs and stir until combined. Dump 1/2 cup of cubed butter pieces into the bowl and use a pastry cutter or fork to cut the butter into the ingredients. You want the topping to be chunky and resemble pebbles.
Note: If you are letting your casserole soak overnight, I would still recommend making the topping fresh the next morning. This topping has Panko breadcrumbs in it to give it a crunchy texture… so you don’t want the breadcrumbs to get soggy.
Remove the foil from the dish and sprinkle on the topping. Place the foil back onto the dish and bake in the oven for 25 minutes.
After 25 minutes, remove the foil and continue to bake. If you prefer a more custard-y (bread pudding type) French toast casserole, bake for another 20 minutes. If you prefer a crispier, more firm French toast casserole, bake for another 35-40 minutes.
I prefer mine on the crispier side 👇🏻
Optional: dust the casserole with confectioner’s sugar and serve with butter and maple syrup. I also like to serve mine with fresh fruit.
Enjoy!!
These are the recommended products that I used to make this delicious recipe! These are not only products that I use, but products that I love.
Ciabatta French Toast Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 Large Loaf of Ciabatta (or 2 regular), cut into cubes
- 6 Large Eggs
- 2 Cups Milk
- 1/2 Cup Heavy Cream
- 1 Tbsp Bourbon Vanilla Extract (May substitute with pure vanilla extract)
- 1/2 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 1/3 Cup Packed Brown Sugar
- Pinch of Ground Nutmeg
- Pinch of Salt
Topping:
- 1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter, cut into cubes
- 1/4 Cup AP Flour
- 1/2 Cup Packed Brown Sugar
- 1/2 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 1/4 Cup Plain Panko Breadcrumbs
- Pinch of Salt
Instructions
- Place the cubed ciabatta into a buttered 9X13” casserole baking dish and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, heavy cream, vanilla extract, cinnamon, brown sugar, nutmeg, and salt until well combined.
- Pour the egg mixture over the ciabatta cubes and gently toss the bread until all of the pieces are coated. Cover the casserole dish with foil and put in the refrigerator. Let the bread soak up the wet ingredients for (at least) one hour to overnight.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees and remove the casserole dish from the refrigerator.
- In a small bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and breadcrumbs and stir until combined. Dump the butter into the bowl and use a pastry cutter or fork to cut the butter into the ingredients. You want the topping to be chunky and resemble pebbles.
- Remove the foil from the dish and sprinkle on the topping. Place the foil back onto the dish and bake in the oven for 25 minutes.
- After 25 minutes, remove the foil and continue to bake. If you prefer a more custard-y (bread pudding type) French toast casserole, bake for another 20 minutes. If you prefer a crispier, more firm French toast casserole, bake for another 35-40 minutes.
- Optional: dust the casserole with confectioner’s sugar and serve with butter and maple syrup. Enjoy!
Welcome to Cupcakes and Sarcasm! My name is Maggie and I am the creator of C & S. I am a wife and mom of two beautiful kiddos. I grew up in Columbus, Ohio and now live in Northeast Ohio with my family. I have been cooking and baking since I was a kid. I decided in 2017 that I wanted to share my passion (and recipes) with all of you! On this site, you’ll find easy and delicious recipes- both savory and sweet. I’ll also sprinkle in some stories of parenting and our adventures along the way.