Mother’s Day Brunch: Strawberry-Almond French Toast Casserole

Strawberry-Almond French Toast Casserole is a quick, make-ahead recipe, ideal for Sunday or Mother’s Day Brunch and easy enough for Dad or the kids to assemble!

I ran across this recipe in Taste of the South Magazine. The recipe calls for baking this French toast in a 10-inch skillet. I used a 12 x 8 baking dish to serve it at the table for Mom, along with a FTD bouquet, and preferably with a Mimosa!

I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk for a dairy-free alternative for this recipe and some additional vanilla flavor, but use the milk of your choice if you don’t have almond milk.

Strawberry-Almond French Toast Casserole, recipe adapted from Taste of the South

Serves 6 – 8

Ingredients

1 pint strawberries, sliced

1 day-old baguette, thinly sliced (my baguette was 11 oz.)

4 large eggs

4 tablespoons sugar

1 cup unsweetened almond milk (I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1⁄2 teaspoon almond extract

Pinch of kosher salt

Sliced almonds, confectioners’ sugar, maple syrup for serving

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°.

In a greased 10-inch oven-proof skillet (I used 12 x 8 baking dish), arrange strawberries and bread slices as desired (you can cube the bread rather than slicing if you prefer and layer it in your dish). Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar until smooth. Whisk in almond milk, extracts, and salt until well combined. Pour mixture over strawberries and bread in prepared pan. Let stand 20 minutes for bread to absorb liquid.

Bake until lightly browned and set, about 35 minutes. Sprinkle with sliced almonds, confectioners’ sugar and maple syrup to serve.

To toast sliced almonds:

Spread almonds in a single layer on cookie sheet in 350°F oven.

Bake  4-5 minutes, watching carefully to prevent burning. Remove almonds from oven when golden brown and transfer from cookie sheet to plate to cool.

You can put this French toast casserole together and cover in the fridge and pull out when ready to bake, or bake ahead and reheat when ready to serve.

Print Recipe

Strawberry-Almond French Toast Bake Casserole

Strawberry-Almond French Toast Casserole is a quick, make-ahead recipe, ideal for Sunday or Mother’s Day Brunch and easy enough for Dad or the kids to assemble!

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time35 minutes mins

stand time: 20 minutes20 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Course: Breakfast, brunch

Cuisine: American

Keyword: almonds, baguette, baked French toast, dairy free, easy recipe, French Toast casserole, Mother's Day, strawberries

Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 1 pint strawberries, sliced
• 1 day-old baguette, thinly slice (my baguette was 11 oz.)
• 4 large eggs
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 ⁄2 teaspoon almond extract
• Pinch of kosher salt
• Sliced almonds, confectioners’ sugar, maple syrup for serving

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°.
• In a greased 12 x 8 baking dish or 10-inch oven-proof skillet, arrange strawberries and bread slices as desired. Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar until smooth. Whisk in almond milk, extracts, and salt until well combined. Pour mixture over strawberries and bread. Let stand 20 minutes.
• Bake until lightly browned and set, about 35 minutes. Sprinkle with sliced almonds and confectioners’ sugar, if desired.

To toast sliced almonds:

• Spread almonds in a single layer on cookie sheet in 350°F oven.
• Bake 4-5 minutes, watching carefully to prevent from burning. Remove almonds from oven when golden brown and transfer from cookie sheet to plate to cool and prevent from continuing to brown.

Notes

• This is a very forgiving recipe that you adjust to your taste, ideal for weekend brunch and serving a crowd. I used a French baguette but you can use the bread of your choice like a Brioche or Challah. For best results, use a slightly stale bread to soak up the egg mixture.
• As written this recipe is dairy-free, made with almond milk, but feel free to substitute heavy cream or half and half to make it more indulgent. Add an additional two eggs to the custard mixture to boost the protein in this recipe if desired. Serve with a sprinkling of toasted almonds, dusting of powdered sugar and your favorite maple syrup! Strawberry-flavored syrup would be delicious too.
• You can put this French toast casserole together and cover in the fridge and pull out when ready to bake, or bake ahead and reheat when ready to serve.

Mom might also enjoy a fresh Strawberry Bellini!  Pureed and strained strawberries mixed with Prosecco (or sparkling water for a nonalcoholic version), garnished with violas and mint.