Citrus Custard French Toast Casserole

“Let your conversations be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.”

-Colossians 4:6 NLT

I LOVE citrus flavored baked goods, and I especially love that citrus is in season in January and February. It’s the perfect excuse to make this Citrus Custard French Toast Casserole. If you love French toast but want something a little more elevated, creative, and seasonalI strongly recommend making this.

I will be very transparent that this is not a beginner-friendly, easy recipe. This custard preparation does that extra attention but I don’t want to worry you either. Read carefully through the instructions, especially when it comes to the citrus custard on how to make it correct.

This French toast casserole is packed with fresh orange and lemon, and brings brightness and balance to the rich custard. It creates a bake that’s cozy yet refreshing at the same time. It’s one of those recipes that feels right for gathering around the table, whether that’s a weekend brunch get together, a family morning, or simply using up leftover citrus in a delicious way. Prep it ahead, let the flavors soak in, and enjoy a beautifully baked casserole that tastes as good as it smells coming out of the oven.

Pro Tips for the Citrus Custard:

• Add the cream, milk, and citrus zest to the sauce pan and let heat on low until it starts to steam.
• Don’t be afraid to touch the cream as it heats up to see where the temperature is at
• The cream should be warm enough to have steam coming from it, but cool enough to let your finger in it (like a warm bath!)
• If the mixture does come to a boil or overheats, that’s okay. Let it cool down for a few minutes and keep checking as the temperature drops
• For the egg yolk, sugar, and salt mixture, I let the eggs sit out to room temperature. Or run your eggs under running warm water and let them sit in a bowl.
• I whisk the egg yolks, sugar, and salt by hand vigorously. It’s a little arm workout but take your time with it! This can be whisked up while the cream is heating.
• Add a towel under the egg yolks so you can whisk the bowl fast and it stays stable
• Slowly add ladles of the warm cream mixture to the egg yolks and keep whisking fast! If you need a helper to do this task, please get one. Don’t want to scramble those eggs!
• You do not have to add all the warm cream to the egg yolks, just a couple of ladles and whisk until it’s smooth. Add everything back to the saucepan to heat again.

Lauren Eliza Eats

Citrus Custard French Toast Casserole

Citrus Custard French Toast Casserole that's bright, rich, sweet. Start with a citrus-infused French toast base to make until golden brown. And make the custard made with fresh orange and lemon juice, and zest. Perfect for weekend brunch parties or an at-home feast!

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Rest Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Servings: 10 servings

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

French Toast Base

• 1½ sleeves French toast bread (or use Brioche or Challah)
• 4 large eggs
• 2 cups milk of choice
• ½ cup heavy cream
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp nutmeg
• Pinch of salt
• 1 orange zested and juiced

Citrus Custard

• 1 cup whole milk
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 3 egg yolks
• ¼ cup sugar (I used coconut sugar)
• Pinch of salt
• 1 orange zested and juiced (separated)
• 2 lemon zested and juiced (separated)

Method

 

Make French toast casserole

1. Preheat oven to 350℉. Grease or butter a baking dish or casserole dish.
2. Cube French toast bread, brioche, or challah. Add bread cubes evenly to the dish.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, heavy cream, brown sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and orange zest.
4. Whisk until smooth and pour liquid evenly over cubed bread.
5. Stir bread with mixture and gently press down bread so everything gets soaked.
6. Let rest for 10-15 minutes.
7. Bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes, until puffed, golden, and set in the center.

Prepare citrus custard (READ CAREFULLY)

1. In a medium sauce pan, heat the milk, heavy cream, lemon, and orange zest on low heat. Heat until steam is coming from liquid and hot enough to touch liquid without burning yourself. Do not let liquid boil! If liquid is too hot, let sit at room temperature until cool enough to hold your finger in.
2. In a small metal bowl, add the 3 egg yolks, sugar, and pinch of salt.
3. Whisk egg yolks and sugar vigorously until pale and smooth (4-5 minutes).
4. Once milk mixture is at a warm temperature, but not hot, slowly ladle a small amount of milk mixture egg yolk mixture while whisking fast.
5. This is tempering the eggs, you want the milk mixture to not be too hot so it does not scramble the egg yolks. You want to quickly whisk the egg yolk mixture while adding the warm milk to emulsify it.
6. Once you add 1-2 ladles of warm milk to your eggs and whisk well, the egg yolk mixture should be smooth.
7. Slowly add egg yolk mixture to the sauce pan with the remaining warm milk mixture.
8. Heat saucepan on low and stir for 5-7 minutes while custard thickens up. The consistency should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and hold its shape if you swipe your finger on the spoon.
9. Remove the custard from the heat, and stir in the orange juice and lemon juice.
10. Let the custard cool on in room temperature or if you want it thicker, move it to a container and refrigerate it.

Serve casserole

1. Serve French toast casserole warm with dollops of citrus custard. Garnish with powdered sugar and citrus zest.