Leftover challah shouldn't be a thing in your house (because challah is DELICIOUS), but should you have some after Shabbat dinner, here is the BEST way to use it up.
As mom of 3, I love finding ways to use up leftovers and keep things simple...so I went ahead and turned our favorite Challah French Toast recipe into a make-ahead Baked Challah French Toast. And guys, it's gooooood!
By prepping it the night before, you'll save time and energy in the morning. No more standing at the stove while everyone else relaxes. Just like my Hawaiian Roll French Toast Casserole, you can relax while your oven does the hard work. Pop the challah French toast bake into the oven and enjoy a quiet moment (ha!) with your coffee in hand while it cooks to golden brown perfection.
What is challah?
Challah is a braided egg bread that is traditionally eaten on Shabbat and other Jewish holidays. Many people make it at home, but you can also buy it at any Jewish bakery, and many grocery stores as well. Trader Joe's has a version as does Whole Foods.
Challah also happens to be our preferred bread for French toast. It's texture is similar to brioche. It's eggy and soft and oozes the feeling of home and tradition for Jewish people around the world.
Ingredients
- Challah: If you don't have challah available, you can easily substitute French bread, brioche, Hawaiian Rolls or croissants in a pinch.
- Milk: I always use dairy milk, but you could easily substituted almond milk for a dairy free baked French toast.
Simple step by step instructions
Start by tearing up whatever leftover challah you have into smallish pieces. If you have a little helper with you this is a great step for them to do.
Then you'll mix up the custard mixture in a medium size bowl. First, crack the eggs in and whisk them together. Then whisk in the milk, vanilla and cinnamon sugar.
Spray a 9x13 glass dish liberally with baking spray and put the torn up challah into the dish.
Then, pour the custard mixture over the top being sure to press it down so that all of the challah is covered.
Now, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least two hours, but overnight is even better!
Take it out of the fridge while you preheat your oven and make the sweet topping by mixing the butter, flour and brown sugar in a small bowl and sprinkling over the top.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes until the inside is just set and the top is golden brown.
Serve and enjoy with a drizzle of syrup or a sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar.
Frequently Asked Questions
This can be made up to 36 hours in advance. You'll want to cover the custard soaked bread with plastic wrap and keep in the refrigerator until you are ready to bake it. Then add the topping and bake away.
Yes, absolutely. It takes just two simple substitutions. You'll want to substitute the milk for almond milk (or soy or coconut) and the butter in the topping for a plant based butter.
Storage Tips
Once cooled, the challah French toast bake can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
To reheat, you can either pop it back into the oven at 350 for about 10 minutes. This will allow the top to get a bit crispy. If you are like me and want to make things quick and easy, just pop a piece into the microwave for about 30 seconds.
Serving Suggestions
- For Brunch: Serve this with a lox or smoked fish plate, some fruit, and voila, a simple, easy and delicious brunch appears before your eyes. My kids also insist on eating it with homemade applesauce, and I don't blame them!
- Breakfast for dinner: Assemble the French toast casserole first thing in the morning and then bake it when you are ready for dinner. Simply serve with lox, veggies and dip and you’ve got a simple dinner on the table with very little work.
Use a glass baking dish
Sometimes the type of dish you cook something in doesn't matter, but for for this Baked Challah French Toast, it does. I like to use either glass or ceramic cookware when I make it. Disposable aluminum pans don't give you the same heat distribution.
Glass and ceramic dishes are also easier to serve from, so you can go straight from the oven to the table, eliminating an additional serving dish.
Looking for more easy brunch recipes? Try these:
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📖 Recipe
Simple Baked French Toast
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup milk can use dairy or almond milk
- 8 eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon sugar
- 1 lb one loaf challah
Topping
- ½ cup flour
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 4 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Spray a glass baking dish with non-stick baking spray. Tear your challah into small pieces.
- Place the pieces of torn challah into the prepared baking dish.
- Whisk together the rest of the ingredients in a mixing bowl. Once well combined, pour over the top of the challah, being sure to saturate the entire dish, pressing down the challah pieces to make sure every piece has some of the egg mixture on it.
- Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and let sit at least two hours up to 36 hours in the fridge.
To Bake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- While the oven preheats, make the topping by adding all the topping ingredients to a small bowl and mixing with a fork until a sandy like consistency forms. Evenly distribute the topping over the entire top of the custard and bread mixture.
- Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Uncover and bake another 10 minutes or so until the topping gets lightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool a few minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
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Jay kay says
Excellent,. So rich and creamy that it borders on decadent.
Patti says
Hello, Marni,
I just found you website , beacause i was looking for the mock chopped liver recipe that my mother made and yours is it exactly! I then looked at this Simple French Toast recipe. you say to to use "leftover" challah - can i buy a whole fresh challah to use in the recipe - or let the challah be exposed to air to get it more like " leftover challah?
also - i love the mock chopped liver recipe with the Le Seur peas etc. My mother always used the Ritz Crackers , too.. I noticed when i selected to double or triple the recipe , all the ingredients doubled and tripled, except the Ritz crackers , which remained at 10, as for the single recipe . This must be an oversight, I expect and I wanted to point that out to you.
Also, is your husband from Louisville Ky? , I am from The Boston MA area, but have lived in Louisville since 1978 ( my husband 's hometown)
Marni Katz says
Hi Patti, yep, you can definitely use fresh challah, but you'll want to be careful handling it once it's soaked, it tends to want to fall apart more easily. Thanks for the note on the ritz crackers...I'll go check out what's going on there. And yes, my husband is from Louisville 🙂 Sending you an email to see if we can connect the dots 🙂
Mary says
Have not tried yet but flaw in directions. You say to “uncover” and bake——- In first place you never said “to cover” in directions. Looking fed to trying with Challah bread
Marni Katz says
Mary - Thank you so much for pointing that out. I'll make sure to look at it and edit accordingly. I hope you enjoy!