Description
This Blueberry Cream Cheese French Toast Casserole is a delightful breakfast dish featuring toasted brioche or challah bread cubes layered with fresh blueberries and a creamy custard made from cream cheese, eggs, half and half, and lemon zest. Baked to perfection and served warm with your choice of blueberry sauce, berry syrup, maple syrup, or strawberry syrup, this casserole is perfect for a cozy brunch or special occasion.
Ingredients
Scale
Casserole
- 1 loaf (16 ounces) brioche or challah, sliced into 1-inch cubes
- 2 6-ounce half pints blueberries (12 ounces total)
Custard
- 2 8-ounce blocks cream cheese, softened (16 ounces total)
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 6 eggs, at room temperature
- 2 cups half and half, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
For Serving (Pick One)
- Blueberry sauce
- Berry syrup like boysenberry (store-bought is great)
- Maple syrup
- Strawberry syrup
Instructions
- Toast Bread: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the cubed bread in a single layer on a large baking sheet (15×21 inches) or two half sheets. Bake for about 10 minutes until the bread is toasted but still soft in the center. Watch carefully to avoid burning. Remove from oven and set aside.
- Prepare Custard: In a large mixing bowl, beat softened cream cheese and granulated sugar with a hand mixer until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating until smooth after each addition. Then mix in half and half, lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla extract, and salt until fully combined.
- Assemble the Casserole: Lightly grease a 9×13 inch baking dish. Place half of the toasted bread cubes in the dish, then evenly layer half of the blueberries on top. Pour half of the custard mixture over the layers. Repeat with the remaining bread, blueberries, and custard. Press gently with a spatula or your hands to submerge the bread in the custard, leaving the tops partially exposed. Cover the dish tightly with foil and refrigerate overnight for best results.
- Bake Casserole: Remove the casserole from the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature while you preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake covered with foil for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking uncovered for 20 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean and the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
- Prepare Blueberry Sauce (Optional): While the casserole is baking, prepare the blueberry sauce according to your preferred recipe or use store-bought berry syrup or maple syrup for serving.
- Serve: Serve the casserole warm, topped with the blueberry sauce or your choice of syrup.
Notes
- If using sliced brioche from the bread section instead of bakery slices, thinner slices are fine and will still work well.
- Use frozen blueberries directly without thawing; just brush off any excess ice to avoid excess moisture.
- Make sure cream cheese, eggs, and half and half are at room temperature before mixing to prevent the cream cheese from seizing.
- To bring eggs to room temperature quickly, submerge them in warm tap water for 20 minutes.
- You can microwave half and half briefly to reach room temperature, but do not heat it too much.
- For a smaller batch, bake in an 8×8-inch pan for about 30-35 minutes and adjust serving size accordingly.
- If you don't want to refrigerate overnight, mix the custard and bread cubes together in a bowl first and let sit 30-60 minutes at room temperature to soak before assembling with blueberries and baking immediately.
- Store leftovers tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Reheat individual servings in the microwave for 30-45 seconds or in the oven at 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes covered until heated through.
- Freeze baked casserole by wrapping tightly in plastic wrap and foil for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving (about 1/12th casserole)
- Calories: 350 kcal
- Sugar: 20 g
- Sodium: 220 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 38 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 8 g
- Cholesterol: 150 mg
