Overnight Blueberry French Toast Casserole with Maple Syrup Custard

Overnight Blueberry French Toast with an egg and blueberry syrup

Overnight Blueberry French Toast Casserole with Maple Syrup Custard

This easy blueberry overnight French toast bake is a beautiful choice for feeding a breakfast or brunch crowd. Prepared the night before, all you need to do the next morning is pop it in the oven to bake.

Course Breakfast Recipes

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 20

Servings

Calories 451kcal

Author Lea Ann Brown

Ingredients

12 ounces French bread Cut into 1-inch cube.
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese chilled and cut into 1-inch cubes
3 cups fresh blueberries rinsed and drained, divided. You'll need one cup to make homemade blueberry syrup.
12 large eggs
⅓ Cup maple syrup
2 Cup milk whole fat works best
For Homemade Blueberry Syrup
1 Cup sugar
2 Tablespoon cornstarch
1 Cup water
1 Cup fresh blueberries rinsed and drained
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
a squeeze of fresh lemon juice or lemon zest optional, to brighten flavor

Instructions

Grease 13 x 9 baking pan. Place half the bread cubes evenly in prepared pan.
Scatter cream cheese cubes over bread and sprinkle with 2 cups blueberries. Arrange remaining bread cubes over blueberries.
Make the custard: In a large bowl combine eggs, maple syrup, and milk. Whisk to blend. Pour evenly over the bread, blueberry, cream cheese mixture in the casserole pan.
Cover with foil and chill overnight.
To Bake: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake, covered with foil, in middle of oven 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking 30 minutes longer. Or until puffed and golden brown.
Remove from oven and let set about 10 minutes before serving.
To Make Syrup: Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, and water over medium high heat. Cook stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until thickened.
Stir in 1 cup blueberries and simmer, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes or until most berries burst. Add butter and lemon juice or zest (if using) and stir until butter is melted. You may prepare this up to 1 day in advance, refrigerate and gently reheat. Transfer to serving bowl.
Plate French Toast on individual serving plates and offer with both blueberry and maple syrups. Serving this with bacon and sausage makes a complimentary meal.

Notes

Tips For Success:

Use day-old bread. If the bread is too fresh (soft), the casserole may be a little mushy in texture.
To make easy work of cutting cream cheese into cubes, wait until the last minute to remove it from the refrigerator. And even a 15 minute rest in the freezer will make it easier to cube.
Add a little squeeze of fresh lemon juice or lemon zest to the Blueberry syrup. It will brighten the flavor.
Serve both the homemade blueberry syrup and maple syrup for a choice for guests to drizzle over the casserole.

How To Store and Freeze:

Place any left over casserole in an air-tight container and refrigerate for up to three days.
This blueberry French toast will also freeze well. Wrap any leftovers in plastic wrap or place in an air-tight container. Freeze for up to two months. As with any freezer foods, let the casserole thaw overnight in the refrigerator. To reheat, place the casserole in a 300 degree oven and let it gently reheat. A microwave also works to reheat individual servings.

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