Overnight French Toast Casserole Is The Ideal Holiday Breakfast For A Crowd

One of the most important conversation topics this time of year is what you'll be eating on cozy holiday mornings while surrounded by friends and family. Whether everyone's pitching in or you're carrying the entire meal on your shoulders, it's best to go in with a game plan. Mashed recipe developer Kristen Carli engineered an Overnight French Toast Casserole recipe that takes the decision-making out of the equation.

Traditional French toast is a breakfast classic that comes in infinite variations. Soft bread gets soaked in a mixture of egg, milk, sugar, and cinnamon and is fried in hot butter until it develops a crispy outer layer over a fluffy interior. On top, you can enjoy fruit, chocolate, butter, and maple syrup. Some people even experiment with savory versions that receive a serving of vegetables and herbs.

The best thing about Carli's Overnight French Toast Casserole is that it's ready to go in the oven when you wake up, saving you time and effort during morning gathering time.

A supreme privilege of the holiday season is the time spent in the morning sipping coffee with loved ones — ideally in front of a fire — while bonding. Thanks to Kristen Carli's recipe, you can swap time in the kitchen for time on the couch.

This French toast casserole recipe does require some planning. You need to assemble the dish the night before. Cube some white bread and place it in the bottom of a casserole dish. Then, combine the wet ingredients and add them to the bread. That arrangement goes into the fridge overnight, where the bread soaks up all the liquid. This saves you the time-consuming process of individually dipping and frying servings of French toast for your guests.

When you wake up, all that's left to do is whip up a cinnamon, brown sugar, and butter topping. Sprinkle that over the casserole, and pop it in the oven. This casserole serves eight, and the topping possibilities are endless. Since you saved time on prep, you might even have a few extra minutes to arrange a French toast station with numerous topping options for your guests. Strawberries, maple syrup, and powdered sugar perfectly complement this classic dish.