Description
An easy, make-ahead holiday breakfast casserole featuring day-old bread soaked in a rich custard with fresh blueberries, topped with a crunchy crumble. Perfect for feeding a crowd with zero morning stress.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 loaf day-old bread (brioche or challah), cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups (300g) fresh blueberries
- 1 teaspoon flour (for tossing blueberries)
- 8 large eggs
- 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream
- 1 cup (240ml) whole milk
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated white sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- For the topping: 2 tablespoons flour
- For the topping: 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- For the topping: 2 tablespoons cold butter, cubed
- For the topping: 1/2 cup extra blueberries
Instructions
- Cut bread into 1-inch cubes and spread them out to dry overnight (or toast at 300°F for 10 minutes if short on time).
- Grease a 9×13 inch baking dish with the softened butter.
- Toss fresh blueberries with 1 teaspoon of flour.
- Layer half of the dried bread cubes in the bottom of the dish, sprinkle with half the blueberries, then add remaining bread and blueberries.
- In a large bowl, whisk eggs, heavy cream, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until smooth.
- Pour custard evenly over the bread and berries, gently pressing down to ensure all bread is soaked.
- Cover tightly with plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours.
- In a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons flour, 3 tablespoons brown sugar, and 2 tablespoons cold cubed butter until it resembles coarse crumbs.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Let casserole sit at room temperature for 15 minutes.
- Sprinkle crumble topping and extra blueberries over the casserole.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes until golden brown and center is set. Cover with foil if top browns too quickly.
- Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Use day-old bread to prevent sogginess. If using frozen blueberries, do not thaw them first and toss in flour to absorb moisture. For a lighter version, substitute half-and-half for heavy cream. The casserole can be assembled up to 24 hours in advance.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes (plus overnight soaking)
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice of casserole
- Calories: 380
- Sugar: 20
- Sodium: 350
- Fat: 18
- Saturated Fat: 10
- Carbohydrates: 45
- Fiber: 2
- Protein: 12
Keywords: overnight french toast, blueberry casserole, holiday breakfast, make ahead brunch, easy breakfast recipe, christmas morning breakfast