A cozy holiday morning is hard to beat when the kitchen fills with the scent of molasses, ginger and cinnamon. This French toast casserole, assembled the night before, captures the warm spiced character of classic gingerbread and adds a playful touch: gingerbread-man shapes cut from brioche that bake up crisp and golden on top. Beneath them, the bread soaks into a soft, custardy pudding. A quick spiced icing echoes the gingerbread flavors and is served on the side. Because the work happens ahead of time, the morning itself is simple — move the dish from fridge to oven on waking, and a little over an hour later breakfast is ready.
Info
- Cook time: 30 minutes
- Total time: 8 hours
- Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients
Casserole
- Softened butter, for the casserole dish
- 1 loaf day-old brioche (about 1 pound)
- 6 large eggs
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- Pinch kosher salt
- Coarse white sanding sugar, for dipping
Spiced Icing
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon molasses
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- Pinch ground nutmeg
- Pinch ground cloves
- 1/3 cup heavy cream, plus more if needed to adjust consistency
Instructions
- For the casserole: Butter a 2-quart casserole dish and set aside.
- Slice the brioche into 1-inch slices. Punch out 5 gingerbread man-shaped pieces of bread with a 3- or 3.5-inch gingerbread man cookie cutter. Cut the remaining bread into cubes roughly 1-inch square and tear the scraps from the slices you punched the gingerbread men out of. Spread the bread cubes and torn pieces in the casserole dish and press down into an even layer. Wrap the gingerbread man bread pieces and set aside for later.
- Whisk together the eggs, cream, milk, sugar, molasses, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Reserve 1/2 cup of the custard, cover and refrigerate for the gingerbread men. Pour the remaining custard over the bread in the casserole dish. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight.
- When ready to bake, position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Remove the plastic wrap from the casserole. Place the white sanding sugar on a small plate. Dip the gingerbread man bread pieces in the reserved custard, allowing excess to drip off, then dip one side in the white sanding sugar. Place the gingerbread man pieces, sugar-side up, on top of the casserole. Pour the remaining custard around the gingerbread men into the casserole. Bake until the casserole is golden and puffed and the custard is set, 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes. Let rest 15 minutes.
- For the spiced icing: Whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, molasses, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and 1/3 cup heavy cream. The glaze should be smooth and the consistency of yogurt; whisk in a little more cream if it’s too thick. Serve the casserole warm with the glaze on the side.
