Sourdough French Toast Casserole (With Cream Cheese)

This baked sourdough French toast casserole with cream cheese takes breakfast food to a whole other level. With a custard like filling made from sourdough bread, eggs, milk and butter, along with dollops of cream cheese and crumble on the top, breakfast really can taste like a dessert.

We have a running joke in our family on levels of bread failures and their uses when a sourdough loaf does not turn out as anticipated. It gets shunned to the freezer and saved for use in another way. We despise throwing away food!

I save all the bits of bread which do not make a nice sandwich or toast. We are talking –

• the butts of the bread that are just a little too big to toast but too small to cut with a bread knife
• the crusty part of a sourdough loaf (aka the ear) that cuts the roof of your mouth
• and any loaf that has good flavor but the texture might have been an off day (looking at you, half raw loaf!)

And how we use these leftover pieces of bread is ranked from the least dry to the most dry:

• Eat as is (least dry)
• Sourdough French toast (dry)
• Sourdough croutons (more dry)
• Sourdough breadcrumbs (most dry)

Now this ranking system is not because French toast, croutons and breadcrumbs do not have their place. You just know breadcrumbs have likely been baked again and blended because they are not good for much else.

Reasons to Love This Recipe

All jokes aside, we wanted to make sourdough French toast but as apart of our weekly meal prep. I wanted to sleep in on the weekend and have breakfast preparations complete – only having to throw something in the oven. This is just one of the many reasons I love this recipe as a weekend breakfast option.

Plus, this baked cream cheese French toast casserole tastes like it should be difficult to make. But truly, it could not be simpler.

It is the perfect meal for a holiday gathering where people will be sharing dishes to pass. The flavor of this recipe is sweet enough on its own, it is an easy overnight sourdough recipe and the texture is both custard like and moist without being soggy. 

And of course the cream cheese dollops add an extra layer of richness to this breakfast dessert. Not to mention the cluster crumbles on top. 

We love to make this recipe in advance as it just gets better as it sits. Honestly, my mouth is watering just thinking of this dish and I probably should go make it again…

Ingredients 

Sourdough Bread French Toast Casserole

• Sourdough Bread
  • Any type of bread will do. It can be stale bread, a loaf of sourdough bread, fresh homemade sourdough bread, day-old bread, sourdough french bread crusty bread, ends of bread. The odds and end pieces of loaves and baked goods are what make this recipe great. Not to mention no specific size or shape is necessary for this to taste delicious
• Eggs
  • The eggs make this custard like. The bread soaks up the egg and milk mixture to give a plump piece of bread in every bite. We tend to do 1 egg for every 1 cup of bread)
• Milk
  • Of course this can be substituted with your favorite liquid. Whole milk, water, almond milk, fairlife milk, heavy cream
• Salt
• Sugar
• Cinnamon
• Brown sugar
• Vanilla extract
• Almond extract

Cream Cheese Dollops

• Cream cheese
• Powdered sugar
• Vanilla extract
• Salt

Crumble

• Flour
• Almond flour
• Sugar
• Butter (salted or unsalted work here. And a dairy free alternative, including coconut cream, works well too)

How to make Sourdough French Toast Casserole

This recipe is truly flexible on the ingredients you have on hand. As I am comfortable not following a recipe, I realize how this recipe turns out time again no matter how much or little of each ingredient you put in this casserole. 

To prove my point, I tried to film a video showing how I prepare this. I then realized I had no measurements because everything was based on how much I had of something before it ran out (i.e. half a carton of eggs, leftover bread of all kind, half a carton of milk that needed to be used up, a dash of maple syrup, etc).

Because of this, the measurements in this recipe are adjustable. The premise of this sourdough French toast casserole is to put all the bread casserole ingredients together, then top it with the cream cheese mixture and crumble before baking.

The sourdough bread casserole can sit overnight or as a ‘stir and go’ recipe which can be baked right away. The longer the bread sits, the softer it will be as it will soak up more of the egg/milk mixture.

Overnight preparation

By allowing this casserole to soak overnight, the bread will soak up the egg mixture and be even more flavorful. Plus, most or all of the prep will be done making for an easy morning.

In a large bowl, combine the almond extract, vanilla extract, cinnamon, maple syrup, sugar, milk and eggs together. Tear apart, make bread cubes, or cut bread into bite sized pieces (about 2-3 inches).

To a greased 9×13 pan or casserole dish, pour the egg custard mixture over top of the sourdough bread. We like this 9×13 glass pan because it comes with a lid to cover the leftover baked french toast casserole.

Cover with a lid or plastic wrap and allow to soak overnight in the fridge. Prepare the cream cheese mixture and crumble topping. If making now, place into the fridge until tomorrow before adding to the casserole.

Cream Cheese Mixture and Crumble

To make the cream cheese mixture, blend together vanilla extract, softened cream cheese (room temp) and powdered sugar together. Add a pinch of salt if necessary.

Use a cookie scoop to place scoops of the cream cheese mixture on the top of the casserole. Alternatively, spread a thin layer across the entire bake.

In a separate medium bowl, combine the crumble ingredients. This mixture will come together when stirred by hand. As the name suggests, crumble the mixture across the prepared French toast casserole.

The next morning, preheat the oven to 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Top with cream cheese and crumble topping if not already done. Bake until bubbly, warm and golden brown.

Note, the outside edges, cream cheese frosting and crumble will bake faster than the middle of the casserole. For best results, check to ensure the middle is done by shaking the 9×13 dish. The egg mixture should not move.

Stir and Go Preparation

If you are making this the day of simply mix all ingredients and assemble. Follow the instructions above, skipping the overnight bread and egg mixture soak. Once baked, enjoy by itself, with a drizzle of maple syrup or fresh fruit (like fresh berries!).

Frequently asked questions

How far can this be made in advance?

The overnight method calls for a 12 hour soak. You could probably get away with 24 hours before baking. This is the perfect make-ahead breakfast.  

Can this be frozen and baked later?

Yes, this sourdough French toast casserole can be made in advance. Prepare like the overnight instructions call for, including topping with cream cheese mixture and crumble. Because of this, we think it taste better the next day! Cover in an airtight container with a layer of wax paper and aluminum foil to prevent freezer burn.

To ensure a crumbly…well crumble.. you can save this and put it on before baking. 

To bake, remove the wax paper. Replace the aluminum foil and bake in a preheated oven straight from frozen. To speed up cook time, place in the fridge to thaw prior to baking.

What is your favorite overnight sourdough recipe? By far, traditional french toast and this overnight french toast casserole are winners in our book. This is an easy breakfast bake and all time family favorite we can not get enough of. Share with us in the comments below!