There are dozens of recipes for french toast. Some are french toast "casseroles"; casseroles are good for when you're feeding several people and usually have the advantage of make-ahead the night before. Here's a collection:
This is my go-to recipe when I'm simply making french toast on my own. It is outstanding.
Why this recipe works:
To come up with a French toast recipe that would be crisp on the outside and soft on the inside, with rich custardlike flavor, we dried good-quality challah or hearty white sandwich bread in the oven before dunking it in a yolks-only soaking liquid enriched with melted butter. Drying out the bread gave our French toast recipe the pillowy interior we were looking for; eliminating egg whites (which contain sulfur compounds that make eggs taste eggy) gave it richness without a scrambled egg flavor; and adding melted butter gave the French toast recipe a delicious, nutty flavor.
For best results, choose a good challah or a firm, high-quality sandwich bread, such as Arnold Country Classics White or Pepperidge Farm Farmhouse Hearty White. Thomas’ English Muffin Toasting Bread also works well. If you purchase an unsliced loaf, cut the bread into 1/2-inch-thick slices. To prevent the butter from clumping during mixing, warm the milk in a microwave or small saucepan until warm to the touch (about 80 degrees). The French toast can be cooked all at once on an electric griddle, but may take an extra 2 to 3 minutes per side. Set the griddle temperature to 350 degrees and use the entire amount of butter for cooking
Ingredients
8 large slices hearty white sandwich bread or good-quality challah (see note)
1 ½ cups whole milk, warmed (see note)
3 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus 2 tablespoons for cooking
¼ teaspoon table salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
maple syrup
Instructions
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Place bread on wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet. Bake bread until almost dry throughout (center should remain slightly moist), about 16 minutes, flipping slices halfway through cooking. Remove bread from rack and let cool 5 minutes. Return baking sheet with wire rack to oven and reduce temperature to 200 degrees.
2. Whisk milk, yolks, sugar, cinnamon, 2 tablespoons melted butter, salt, and vanilla in large bowl until well blended. Transfer mixture to 13- by 9-inch baking pan.
3. Soak bread in milk mixture until saturated but not falling apart, 20 seconds per side. Using firm slotted spatula, pick up bread slice and allow excess milk mixture to drip off; repeat with remaining slices. Place soaked bread on another baking sheet or platter.
4. Heat ½ tablespoon butter in 12-inch skillet over medium-low heat. When foaming subsides, use slotted spatula to transfer 2 slices soaked bread to skillet and cook until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip and continue to cook until second side is golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes longer. (If toast is cooking too quickly, reduce temperature slightly.) Transfer to baking sheet in oven. Wipe out skillet with paper towels. Repeat cooking with remaining bread, 2 pieces at a time, adding ½ tablespoon of butter for each batch. Serve warm, passing maple syrup separately. STEP-BY-STEP
This is a make-ahead recipe, you can asssemble it 12 hours ahead of time. It's a PDF
Click here for the Serious Eats French Toast Casserole
Another make-ahead casserole, using apples and topped with chopped pecans.
Click here for the Apple-Cinnamon Baked French Toast Casserole.
Here's their writeup:
Why this recipe works:
Making French toast can be easy, but if you’re trying to make it for more than four people, someone is guaranteed to get cold, soggy French toast. We fixed that by translating the concept of French toast into a casserole. We layered potato bread (which held up better than regular sandwich bread) with a gooey brown sugar–cinnamon mixture and butter and then poured a creamy custard over the top. We finished by sprinkling the casserole with sliced almonds. The result? A 13 by 9-inch dish filled with layers of tender, sweet French toast—ready all at once.
NOTE: We developed this recipe using Martin’s Potato Bread, which has 16 slices per loaf, so you’ll need to buy two loaves. With other brands, it may also be necessary to trim the slices to fit six in a single layer.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened, plus 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup packed (5 1/4 ounces) brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt
18 slices potato sandwich bread
2 1/2 cups whole milk
6 large eggs
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
Confectioners' sugar
Instructions
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 13 by 9-inch baking dish with softened butter. Mix brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt together in bowl.
2. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons brown sugar mixture evenly over bottom of prepared dish. Place 6 bread slices (use bread heels here) in even layer in bottom of dish. Brush bread with 1 1/2 tablespoons melted butter and sprinkle with 3 tablespoons sugar mixture.
3. Place 6 bread slices in single layer over first layer, brush with 1 1/2 tablespoons melted butter, then sprinkle with 3 tablespoons sugar mixture. Place remaining 6 bread slices over previous layer and brush with 1 1/2 tablespoons melted butter.
4. In separate bowl, whisk milk and eggs together until well combined. Pour milk mixture over bread and press lightly to submerge. Sprinkle with almonds and remaining heaping 3 tablespoons sugar mixture.
5. Bake until casserole is slightly puffed and golden brown and bubbling around edges, about 30 minutes. Transfer casserole to wire rack, brush with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons melted butter, and let cool for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar and serve.
TO MAKE AHEAD: The assembled casserole, minus almonds and remaining heaping 3 tablespoons sugar mixture, can be covered and refrigerated for up to 12 hours. When ready to cook, sprinkle with almonds and sugar mixture and bake as directed in step 5.
From "Paula's Home Cooking" on Food TV. I haven't tried it as of this writing.
Ingredients
1 loaf French bread (13 to 16 ounces)
8 large eggs
2 cups half-and-half
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Dash salt
Praline Topping
Maple syrup
Praline Topping
1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
1. Slice French bread into 20 slices, 1-inch each. (Use any extra bread for garlic toast or bread crumbs). Arrange slices in a generously buttered 9 by 13-inch flat baking dish in 2 rows, overlapping the slices. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half-and-half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and beat with a rotary beater or whisk until blended but not too bubbly. Pour mixture over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. Spoon some of the mixture in between the slices. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.
2. The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. For the Praline Topping, combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and blend well. Spread Praline Topping evenly over the bread and bake for 40 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden. Serve with maple syrup.
I'm not sure where this one came from, here's the description:
A scrumptious overnight French toast casserole with a custardy blueberry filling. We made this with cream cheese and lemon for additional creaminess and brightness. The perfect no-stress dish for feeding a crowd and impressing the masses.
Ingredients
Butter, for greasing
6 large eggs
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
One 16-ounce loaf challah bread, torn or cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
2 1/2 cups blueberries
Powdered sugar and maple syrup, for serving
Instructions
1. Butter a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, milk, cream, cream cheese, sugar, lemon zest, vanilla and salt. The batter will be slightly lumpy from the cream cheese.
2. Add bread to the buttered baking dish and pour egg mixture over the top. Press the bread down to make sure it’s fully absorbing the liquid. Stir in the blueberries. Cover with foil. Refrigerate at least two hours or overnight.
3. Remove the casserole from the fridge and sit at room temperature for 25 minutes before baking. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
4. Bake, covered with foil, for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 20 minutes more. Serve sprinkled with powdered sugar and serve with lots of maple syrup.
This is a rather strange one, it's not really "French Toast" but it's a dish extremely similar but is more of a dessert – sort of like thick strips of French Toast with a crunchy caramelized sugar topping served in a pool of custard. Think “French Toast” crossed with “Crème Brule”. Which are two of my favorite things. It sounds like a bit of work but I’m sure I would absolutely love this dish.
Ingredients
11 ounces (320g) pullman or brioche bread (about one-third to one-half of a loaf)
1 1/2 cups (375ml) whole milk
1 cinnamon stick or pinch ground cinnamon
1/2 vanilla bean (2g), split and scraped or 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Two 3- by 1-inch strips orange zest from 1 large orange
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
7 tablespoons (88g) plain or toasted sugar, divided
5 large egg yolks (75g)
2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter
Instructions
Instructions List One:
1. If using fresh bread, adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 225°F (110°C). Set a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet. Using a bread knife, remove crusts from bread, then cut into four rectangular pieces that are 2 inches thick and about 1 1/2 inches wide and 4 inches long (the width and length of the pieces can be determined by the size of your loaf of bread; it's the thickness of the pieces that is most important). Arrange bread pieces on prepared baking sheet, leaving at least 1 inch of space between each piece, and bake, flipping pieces over halfway through, until lightly toasted and dry on their surface, 30 to 45 minutes. Transfer baking sheet to a heatproof surface to cool slightly, and increase oven temperature to 375°F (190°C). If using stale bread, you can skip the toasting step; cut the bread into pieces as described and preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Meanwhile, in a 2-quart saucier or saucepan, combine milk, cinnamon, vanilla, orange zest, and salt. Set over medium-low heat and cook, stirring frequently with a rubber spatula, until milk registers 190°F (88°C) on an instant-read thermometer, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and set aside to steep for 30 minutes.
3. While the milk steeps, whisk together 1/4 cup (50g) sugar and egg yolks in a medium bowl until sugar is dissolved and mixture turns pale yellow, 2 to 3 minutes. Set a fine-mesh strainer over bowl with egg mixture, and slowly pour one-third of milk mixture into yolk mixture to temper, whisking constantly to prevent yolks from curdling. Add remaining milk mixture, whisking constantly until well-combined; set aside but don't clean strainer; wipe out saucepan.
4. Add bread to custard base and soak, turning pieces occasionally to ensure they are coated on all sides, until fully saturated and soft (they should barely hold together, so handle with care), 5 to 6 minutes. Using a small spatula, carefully transfer bread pieces to a plate, allowing excess liquid to drip back into the bowl of custard base; set bread pieces aside.
5. Strain custard base through fine-mesh strainer into now-empty saucier; you should have between 3/4 to 1 cup (175 to 240ml) of liquid. Return to stovetop; once again set aside but don't clean strainer, and wipe out bowl. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to prevent egg yolks from curdling, until mixture registers 175°F (79.5°C) on an instant-read thermometer and thickens slightly so that it coats the back of a spoon, 3 to 5 minutes. Working quickly, remove from heat and pour crème anglaise through fine-mesh strainer back into now-empty bowl. Place piece of plastic wrap directly on surface of crème anglaise to prevent skin from forming, and refrigerate until ready to use.
6. In a medium cast iron skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat until just foaming. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons (25g) sugar in an even layer over butter, then add bread pieces to skillet. Cook, carefully turning pieces occasionally, until lightly browned on all sides, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer skillet to oven, and bake until bread pieces are heated through at the center, about 5 minutes.
7. Remove skillet from oven, and carefully flip bread pieces over so that bottom sides that were in contact with the pan are facing up. Sprinkle remaining 1 tablespoon (13g) sugar evenly over bread pieces. If using a blowtorch, ignite torch and caramelize sugar by sweeping flame 2 inches above bread pieces, until sugar is bubbling and deep golden brown. If not using a blowtorch, simply serve with the sprinkled sugar on top.
8. Divide crème anglaise between individual serving plates, followed by bread pieces. Serve immediately.