I came up with this dish while preparing food for a crowd at a brunch on Sunday. It can be prepared the night before; the flavor will become more potent.
| Prep Time: | 15 mins |
| Cook Time: | 45 mins |
| Additional Time: | 8 hrs |
| Total Time: | 9 hrs |
| Servings: | 12 |
| Yield: | 12 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 (1 pound) loaf challah bread, sliced 1/2-inch thick
- 4 eggs
- 1 quart half-and-half cream
- ½ cup orange juice
- ½ cup white sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 cup granola cereal
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
- Butter a 9×13-inch baking dish. Lay the bread slices into the prepared baking dish in 2 layers. Beat eggs, half-and-half cream, orange juice, white sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a bowl until smooth, and pour over the bread. With a large spoon, press the bread down into the egg mixture so all the bread becomes soaked with the mixture.
- Sprinkle the granola evenly over the casserole, and drizzle with maple syrup and melted butter. Cover the dish with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.
- About 1 hour before serving, remove the casserole from the refrigerator, and take off the plastic wrap. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, then turn oven temperature up to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Bake the casserole until browned, about 15 more minutes. Serve warm.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 460 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 55 g |
| Cholesterol | 131 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Protein | 10 g |
| Saturated Fat | 12 g |
| Sodium | 250 mg |
| Sugars | 29 g |
| Fat | 23 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
I work for our local bed & breakfast and made these this morning. They were a hit with all of our guests. We had all ages staying with us and everyone just fell in love with this recipe. Will definitely be adding it into my rotation.
Not going to lie here. But I’ve made this in a pan before minus soaking overnight and the oven. And I followed this recipe to a T, and I am a seasoned chef. Just turns out a complete soggy mushy mess. The top layer is good and taste exactly like the granola French toast I’ve made in a pan. But under it is tough to stomach. My kids would t even eat it after their first bite. This recipe sounds good in theory, but really just doesn’t work.
Good, but I think it could have used more time in the oven.
Bummer the bread stayed soggy and never cooked all the way through.
this was amazing. I didn’t use the full quart of half and half; used Natures Path Hemp Granola; sprinkled with some raisins; and served with fresh sliced fruits on the side
This recipe turned out great for me with a few changes taken from the other reviews. I left everything as recommended except I cut the sugar down to 1/3 a cup and waited till it went in the oven in the morning to add the syrup butter mixture and granola. It absorbed well since the bread was already fairly saturated and it was plenty sweet. I cooked at 350 for 45 min uncovered, then topped with the raspberries once it was out and it was amazing! No extra syrup needed for us.
It was great! I used half the butter and maple syrup and the next time I make it I’ll use less sugar and half and half. It’s delicious but too rich.
This could almost be five stars except I had to add extra maple syrup once served. I think baking this recipe with drizzled brown sugar/butter/corn syrup as in other recipes would make it perfect. I reduced sugar to 1/3 cup of each as suggested by other reviewers, added an egg and a cup of milk to the 2 cups of half and half. I would not remove the OJ from the recipe as it is not there for flavor, but rather as a thickening/souring agent to the half and half and eggs that will improve the consistency of the baked product. You do not taste any ‘orange’ in the finished product in case you were concerned. the granola adds an awesome crunch and texture and next time i may add crushed corn flakes to the granola for more crunch. I baked covered at 325 for 40 and uncovered at 350 for 20 and it came out delicious and not soggy in the least. Next time I will replace the butter/maple drizzle and expect a perfect dish.
Great taste. I used a loaf of French bread & just tore it into chunks. I also cooked it at 350 covered with foil for 30 minutes and then took off the foil and cooked it for another 30-40 minutes till it was brown & puffy. Everybody at work is raving about it.
5 stars, with adjustments made. I used 3 cups of half and half, cut the sugar in half and waited until just before baking to pour the syrup and butter over it. I baked it at 350 for 45 minutes. I will definately make it again this way.
I did not care for this.
I made recipe exactly as described with the exception of 350 the entire time for an hour like suggested by another, and it didn’t come out so well. However, it had an amazing flavor and I think it could be a 5 star with some modifications. Problems that I had were that the pound of egg bread I used only had twelve very small pieces in it when cut to required thickness, which seems accurate to the serving amount but I felt like the 9×13 pan needed four more pieces. If the pan had been full, maybe the bottom wouldn’t have been as soggy as it was. Since I changed the cook time/temp I cant complain much but the top was very brown. Next time I will try the temp/time recommended, I was just trying to find a short cut and not have to bother with changing the temp. The only way I see around this is to cover for 45 and uncover for 15, but if i have to do this then I could just cook as directed and maybe it’ll come out right… I will keep you posted if I try recipe again.
I did not have granola so I substituted walnuts. I also did not have “light” brown sugar, so I used dark. I also did not have cream and used skim milk. I used fresh squeezed orange juice and the flavor is just delicious, highly recommend this dish 🙂
Excellent! Nutmeg definitely gives great flavor! These are the changes I incorporated: I used around 1/3 of a cup of both brown and white sugar instead of the 1/2 it called for. I also added 1 extra egg and a little extra cinnamon and nutmeg. Was wonderfully moist and delicious!
I made this Christmas Eve, soaked over night and served for Christmas breakfast. It turned out great…with a few adjustments. I omitted the OJ and the granola, as these were ingredients I just didn’t think went with it. I followed the rest of the recipe as is, but reserved the melted butter and brown sugar until just before it went in the oven. I make fork holes all around the saturated bread, then poured the butter/brown sugar mixture over it. I also gave it another drizzle of maple syrup over the top. Baked at 350 for 45 minutes, and it came out delicious! Thanks for sharing!
Didn’t feel it was cooked long enough. Inside appeared to be soggy. I would increase the cooking time at least an additional 15 minutes at 300 before kicking it up to 375. Also the amount of bread made more than two layers (actually made four layers which may account for the needed time to cook). Very sweet. I would decrease the sugar by half. I would also sprinkle additional granola between the layers. Will try again.