I’ve always believed that brunch is a way to eat dessert for breakfast. If you love the flavors of creme brulee with its rich custard and crispy crackle sugar crust, this brunch recipe can’t be missed! Plus, we’ll do most of the work the day before and let it soak in the fridge overnight!
Creme Brulee French Toast, overnight method:
After making the custard base, we’ll pour it directly into the dish we will be baking in. Add the bread, flipping to coat, and then cover and place in the fridge at least 8 hours, and up to 12 hours.
This Creme Brulee French Toast Casserole makes the best breakfast in bed!
The overnight soak in the fridge is what helps this dish become more of a casserole instead of slices of French toast. In the morning, just slide it into the oven to bake. Before serving, we’ll sprinkle with regular granulated sugar and use a culinary torch to crisp the top.
Why you’ll love this Creme Brulee French Toast Recipe
We all know creme brulee is the ultimate romantic dessert for two (and I have plenty of flavors for you to choose from: lemon creme brulee, chocolate creme brulee, regular creme brulee, maple creme brulee, and pumpkin creme brulee. But making it for breakfast with bread is so special! This is the ultimate breakfast in bed.
Creme Brulee French Toast Bake Ingredients
French Bread. Eight slices of regular bread or 4 over-sized slices of artisan bread, slightly stale. The slices should be about 1-inch thick. Let them sit out overnight, or warm them in a low oven to dry them out. Use a loaf of French bread for this recipe, not the skinny baguette-shaped bread. Heavy Cream. Because the dessert creme brulee uses heavy cream, that is what we are using in this version too. One cup of full-fat heavy cream. (If you’re the UK: It doesn’t have to be double cream; single cream is fine). Milk. Equal parts whole milk and heavy cream form the base for the custard. Butter. Melting the butter into the custard gives the final dish such a rich flavor. Corn Syrup. We’re using a small amount of corn syrup to help the texture of the custard. Corn syrup prevents seizing and ensures a smooth texture to the custard. This is because it prevents sugar crystallization. Brown Sugar. A small amount of brown sugar for flavor and color. Vanilla Bean. Because real creme brulee has flecks of vanilla bean, so if you can, use one whole vanilla bean here. Slice it open, and scrape the seeds into the custard mixture. If you don’t have a vanilla bean, substitute 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract. It will still be amazing! Eggs. Two large eggs, beaten. Orange Liquor. Using orange liquor (also called Cointreau or Triple Sec) heightens the flavors here and makes this creme brulee French toast even more lux. If you don’t have it, just omit. Granulated Sugar. Just before serving, we will sprinkle sugar on top of the French toast and torch it with a culinary torch for that characteristic crackle topping.
How to make Overnight Creme Brulee French Toast
Have ready a 2-quart oven-safe baking dish, that is roughly 11 x 9-inches. Lay the bread slices in a shingle pattern in the baking dish and set aside.
What bread is best for Creme Brulee French Toast Casserole?
Stale French bread is my first choice for this casserole. Beyond that, slices of brioche bread are lovely. Just toast them in a low oven to make them a bit stale before using.
What to serve with Creme Brulee French Toast
I like to serve this with a fresh fruit salad and maple syrup on the side.
Storing Creme Brulee Baked French Toast
Store any leftovers in the fridge and re-heat in the microwave or oven, and eat within 2 days. Just a note: the crunchy sugar crust will become soggy as it sits. You can sprinkle a bit extra on top and re-torch, if you like.
Reheating Overnight Creme Brulee French Toast
This overnight creme brulee French toast casserole must be baked the oven before serving. You can reheat any leftover slices in the oven and re-torch the sugar for a crisp crust.
