Cozy, baked French toast casserole is a mouthwatering, comforting breakfast that you can make right now or the night before. Butter, maple syrup, and cranberries are simmered together in a cast iron skillet, topped with homemade sourdough bread and a creamy custard, then baked to completion.
Throughout the week, I typically make simple breakfasts like oatmeal, einkorn cream of wheat, or a breakfast smoothie.
But during these long, cold, winter days, I just crave something warm and cozy. This baked cranberry French toast casserole hits the spot.
During the holidays, I stock up on cranberries (they store really well in the freezer if you don’t plan on eating them right away). They are such a delicious and under-appreciated fruit.
They aren’t just for making a sauce to accompany turkey on Thanksgiving or Christmas. Cranberries are incredibly versatile year round, and particularly delicious in this sourdough cranberry bread.
I’m here to normalize the use of cranberries all year long.
The combination of sweet and sour cranberries, plus the deliciously tangy flavor of the sourdough bread, creates an incredible combination that will cause your taste buds to sing.
Tips for Making Cranberry French Toast Casserole:
- You can use whatever milk you have on hand: cow, goat, coconut, almond. Any will work. I like using whole, raw milk, either from our own goats or cow milk we pick up from a local farm.
- I use homemade sourdough bread in this recipe. While I love making bread from scratch multiple times a week, I know this isn’t practical for everyone. You can easily use a store-bought, crusty, sourdough bread instead of making it yourself.
- If you know you have a busy morning ahead, you can easily make this recipe the night before. See below to find the instructions on how to do so.
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Do I have to use cranberries to make this recipe?
No. It is totally optional, and you can easily make this recipe without them, or swap them out for blueberries.
Tools you will need:
Cast iron skillet. You could also use a glass or ceramic baking dish, plus a saucepan or skillet.
Large bowl
Whisk
Measuring cups and spoons
Cutting baord
Knife
How To Make Cranberry French Toast Casserole
The day before, make sourdough bread.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Slice and cube a loaf of crusty sourdough bread and set aside. As I said above, I love using homemade, sourdough artisan bread, but if you haven’t made any, you can use your favorite store-bought crusty bread, whether it be sourdough, French bread, or challah. However, you don’t want to use plain, pre-sliced white bread – it won’t hold its shape.
In a cast iron skillet over medium heat, add a stick of butter, maple syrup, honey, and cranberries (optional). Cook for a few minutes, until the butter and sweeteners have come to a simmer and the cranberries start to pop open.
Turn off the stove and add cubed bread over top of the butter mixture.
In a large bowl, create the custard by combining eggs, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon. Stir well.
Pour custard mixture over cubed bread in the skillet.
Sprinkle cranberries over top evenly (optional).
Bake for 30 minutes, until the custard is set and the tops of the bread chunks start to turn golden brown.
How To Make Overnight French Toast Casserole
Slice and cube a loaf of crusty sourdough bread and set aside.
In a cast iron skillet or saucepan over medium heat, add a stick of butter, maple syrup, honey, and cranberries (optional). Cook for a few minutes, until the butter and sweeteners have come to a simmer and the cranberries start to pop open.
Pour butter mixture into a baking dish and add cubed bread over top.
In a large bowl, create the custard by combining eggs, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon. Stir well.
Pour custard mixture over cubed bread.
Sprinkle cranberries over top evenly (optional).
Cover and place in the fridge overnight.
The next morning, preheat the oven to 375 F.
Place French toast casserole into the oven and bake for 30 minutes until the custard is set and the tops of the bread are golden brown.
Find More Farmhouse Breakfast Ideas:
- Sourdough Breakfast Strata
- Homemade Sourdough Bagels
- Breakfast Pizza Recipe With Sourdough Crust
- Sourdough French Toast Casserole with Apple, Cinnamon, and Raisin
- Sourdough Banana Bread
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love if you could come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram and I’ll share your creations.
Cranberry Sourdough French Toast Casserole
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1 cup cranberries
- 1 loaf artisan sourdough bread
- 6 large eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Slice and cube a loaf of crusty sourdough bread and set aside.
- In a cast iron skillet over medium heat, add a stick of butter, maple syrup, honey, and cranberries (optional).
- Cook for a few minutes, until the butter and sweeteners have come to a simmer and the cranberries start to pop open.
- Turn off the stove and add cubed bread over top of the butter mixture.
- In a large bowl, create the custard by combining eggs, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon. Stir well.
- Pour custard mixture over cubed bread in the skillet.
- Sprinkle cranberries over top evenly (optional).
- Bake for 30 minutes, until the custard is set and the tops of the bread start to turn golden brown.
Notes
- You can use whatever milk you have on hand: cow, goat, coconut, almond. Any will work. I like using whole, raw milk, either from our own goats or cow milk we pick up from a local farm.
- I use homemade sourdough bread in this recipe. You can easily use a store-bought, crusty sourdough bread instead of making it yourself.
- If you know you have a busy morning ahead, you can easily make this recipe the night before.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I am also wondering about the maple syrup. Is it meant to be honey OR maple syrup? Because no amount is listed for the maple syrup.
You can use either!
How much maple syrup?????? That bit of info is missing…. I put in about 1/3 cup but curious what the real amount is.
What a lovely, healthy, natural breakfast! I live near a grocery that has an amazing bread selection and good maple syrup. A nearby farmer’s market has local eggs (even duck), milk, and honey. Their produce is a work of art. You inspire me with your natural Christmas decorations. I am in the midst of doing that now.
So simple and delicious! I used a sourdough sandwich bread loaf!
That is so wonderful to hear!
This casserole turned out fantastic! I used the overnight plan. I had a crowd of 8 people so I altered the ingredients just a little. First, I used a little less honey. For the custard I used 8 eggs and 1.75 cups of almond milk. I cooked the maple syrup, Tony, butter and cranberries in a regular skillet on the stove top. Then poured it into the baking dish, then the bread crumbs and custard. I baked the entire thing in a baking dish the next morning. I also sprinkled the cinnamon on the bread crumbs as I added them to the dish — otherwise the cinnamon tends to clump in the custard. Thanks for a great recipe! It was a crowd pleaser!
Glad to hear it was a hit! Thanks for sharing your process.
I substituted the cranberries with apples because that’s what I had on hand and it was delicious. Also, I didn’t measure the apples. I just used everything I had (4small apples).
Hi Lisa,
I’m looking forward to making this, but I’m wondering what size skillet you used. Looks delicious!
Thanks, Donna
I used half maple syrup and half honey – it tasted great!
Hi Lisa, I just popped the Cranberry French Toast into the oven. We are excited to try it! However, I think maple syrup must have been skipped from the ingredient list because you mentioned using it in the article and in the instructions. You also used the plural (sweeteners) in the instructions. I would love to know how much you recommend. I figure it will still taste great as is. I used 1/4 honey & 1/4 maple syrup and left it at that knowing that my family will still want to put syrup over it.
How much maple syrup do I put in with the honey in cast iron skillet?