Festive baked gingerbread french toast casserole with cubed crusty bread, custard with warm gingerbread spices, and orange soaked cranberries, is baked until golden brown and crispy. It's soft and tender on the inside, and crispy and firm on the outside. This baked french toast is the perfect make-ahead holiday breakfast or brunch on Christmas morning or any cold winter morning to warm you right up and make your holiday season extra special and memorable.
Is it too early to talk about breakfast on Christmas morning? I feel that once December rolls around, it's time to bring out the decor, pick up last minute gifts, and start meal prepping, especially with all things gingerbread. Like this gingerbread bundt cake with maple cinnamon glaze, gingerbread muffins with vanilla bean glaze, or gingerbread linzer cookies with white chocolate.
Ingredients
To make this baked gingerbread french toast, you will need:
- eggs
- heavy cream
- gingerbread spices - ground cinnamon, ground ginger, all-spice blend, ground cloves, and ground nutmeg.
- salt
- bread - try a crusty homemade French baguette or other dense loaf that you would love to bring the classic gingerbread flavour you love to breakfast. Some other bread that work well are challah or brioche.
- dried cranberries soaked in orange juice - dried cranberries that have been rehydrated with orange juice for a little something extra. The flavours work amazingly and add a nice contrast in texture.
- orange juice
- for serving - maple syrup and confectioners' sugar.
You will also need a 9x13 baking pan.
How to Make the Best Baked Gingerbread French Toast Casserole
You will have one very happy family with a festive breakfast like this. The best part is that it really doesn't take that much effort to put this gingerbread french toast casserole together. It's easy to make in the morning or prepare it the night before.
- Make the custard. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, heavy cream, cinnamon, ginger, all spice, cloves, nutmeg, and salt until smooth.
- Soak the bread. Place cubed bread in a large mixing bowl, then pour custard mixture on top. Stir to combine, and let sit for 30 minutes (up to overnight), tossing once halfway through.
- Soak the cranberries. Meanwhile, soak cranberries in a small bowl with orange juice for 10 minutes, then drain.
- Assemble. Spray a 9x13-inch baking pan with non-stick baking spray. Pour in bread and custard mixture and sprinkle on cranberries on top, dispersing evenly.
- Bake. Bake in a 350 F oven for 25 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. Serve warm with a dusting of powdered sugar and/or a drizzle of maple syrup on top.
How to Store Baked Gingerbread French Toast Casserole and Make Ahead
- Make ahead instructions: To make bake gingerbread french toast a day ahead, transfer the large mixing bowl with soaked bread into the refrigerator, cover and store overnight
- How to store: Cover or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
- How to reheat: Reheat in the microwave for about one minute or in a 350F preheated oven for 10-15 minutes until warmed through.
More Breakfast Recipes
- Triple Berry French Toast
- Egg and Potato Breakfast Casserole
- Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
- Gingerbread Muffins with Vanilla Bean Glaze
- Cranberry Yogurt Muffins
- Cranberry Scones with Orange Glaze
- Whole Wheat Cranberry Bread
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Recipe
Baked Gingerbread French Toast Casserole
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 8-10 servings
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Festive baked gingerbread french toast casserole with cranberries is soft on the inside and crispy outside. The best holiday breakfast on Christmas morning.
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon all-spice blend
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 loaf of bread, cubed into 1-inch pieces (French baguette or other crusty, dense loaf)
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- ⅓ cup orange juice
- maple syrup (optional, for serving)
- confectioners' sugar (optional, for serving)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, heavy cream, cinnamon, ginger, all spice, cloves, nutmeg, and salt to create the custard mixture.
- Place cubed bread in a large mixing bowl, then pour custard mixture on top. Stir to combine, and let sit for 30 minutes (up to overnight), tossing once halfway through.
- Meanwhile, soak cranberries in a small bowl with orange juice for 10 minutes, then drain.
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a 9x13-inch baking pan with non-stick baking spray. Pour in bread and custard mixture and sprinkle on cranberries on top, dispersing evenly.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. Serve warm with a dusting of powdered sugar and/or a drizzle of maple syrup on top.
Notes
Make ahead instructions: To make this a day ahead, transfer the large mixing bowl with soaked bread into the refrigerator, cover and store overnight. Then, transfer to a 9x13 baking pan in the morning, and add cranberries on top.
How to store: Cover or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
How to reheat: Reheat in the microwave for about one minute or in a 350F preheated oven for 10-15 minutes until warmed through.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes (+30 minutes rest time)
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
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Garf says
I will try making this for my hubby. He likes french bread but not so much with ginger so it will be interesting.
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
Let me know how it goes! 🙂
Athena says
Oh yeah this would make the perfect breakfast for Christmas morning. I can't wait to surprise my family with this!
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
Yay! Let me know how it goes 🙂
Preeti Chauhan says
This looks so good ,specially the cranberries add that touch of lovely colour that is looking so appealing !
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
Thanks, Preeti! 🙂
Linger says
I'm in love with french toast casseroles, especially during the holidays because they are easy. Christmas mornings can be so hectic, so your recipe is perfect. And who doesn't love gingerbread? Such a festive flavor for the season. What a great idea to add the cranberries. It's a nice touch of color. Looking forward to trying this! Thanks so much for the post.
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
Awesome, so glad you will be trying this! Let me know how it goes! 🙂
Sri Mallya says
This is so creative. Drooling over pics. Yummmmmmy!
Kim Seghers says
Wow! That baked french toast casserole looks so tasty! I have never eaten french toast like this before for breakfast or ever ..yum!