Challah French toast casserole is a decadent recipe that's perfect for a weekend brunch. You prep this baked challah French toast the night before. So in the morning, brunch will be ready easily.
Arrange the challah bread pieces evenly across the baking pan. I like to arrange it so you can see a mixture of the glossy tops of the challah bread and the cut sides of the bread.
In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom and salt.
Gently pour the egg mixture over the challah bread pieces, covering all the pieces. The tops of some of the bread cubes might not be fully covered in the egg mixture immediately. But those bread cubes should be soaked through after you let the casserole sit for a bit.
Cover and refrigerate. Allow the French toast casserole to sit for at least 2 hours, but it can soak overnight.
When you are ready to bake it, preheat the oven to 350°F / 176°C. Make sure all the challah bread cubes have been soaked with the egg mixture. If any of the bread cubes are still not soaked, gently push them down a bit into the casserole.
In a small bowl, mix together the granulated sugar and cinnamon. Pour the melted butter evenly across the surface of the French toast casserole. Evenly sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture across the top.
Bake in the oven for about 50-60 minutes. To check if the French toast casserole is done, you can insert a knife in the middle and see if the casserole is set. If the casserole is browning too quickly, place it in a lower rack in the oven, or cover it with aluminum foil.
Allow the casserole to sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.
To serve, I like to drizzle maple syrup across the entire casserole. Alternatively, you could also sprinkle powdered sugar across the top.