Creme Brulee French Toast Casserole

Creme Brulee French Toast Casserole

This Creme Brulee French Toast Casserole makes for a fantastic breakfast or brunch treat. Especially because all the prep work is done the night before and you just have to pop it in the oven in the morning.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 large loaf of French bread
• 8 large eggs
• 2 1/4 cups milk
• 1 cup plus 4-5 T sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 T vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 3 T unsalted butter

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine eggs, milk, 1 cup sugar, salt, 1 tsp cinnamon, vanilla, orange juice, and 2 T melted butter in a large bowl. Whisk together until well incorporated. Use remaining butter to heavily butter a 9x13 baking pan. Slice bread into 1/2" thick slices and then cut slices into cubes. Combine remaining cinnamon and 1 T sugar. Add bread cubes to the pan and toss with cinnamon sugar mixture. Pour custard mixture over bread cubes, pressing cubes down with a spoon to thoroughly soak the bread. Cover with foil and refrigerate at least one hour or overnight.
2. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Bake approximately 40-50 minutes until golden brown and set. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the remaining 3-4 T of sugar over the top of the casserole in an even, heavy layer. Set broiler on high and return to oven or use a kitchen torch to caramelize the sugar. The sugar will turn brown and liquefy and then harden as it cools. Serve warm with maple syrup if desired