Nutella maaaaaay not be the wholesome health food that the commercials used to tout it as... "Part of a complete breakfast" might be a slight exaggeration.
Still, Nutella has it's place, and I believe that place is stuffed in a rich, custardy fluffy French toast casserole. Yep, I still love it, and I bet you do too, or you wouldn't be here!
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The idea for this baked French Toast casserole came to me in a flash of inspiration as I was trying to come up with a brunch dish to please a 6-year-old girl (with whom I don't have the most awesome track record when it comes to food).
I'm happy to report it was a success.
And it truly does not get much easier than this casserole. You basically spread some Nutella on ordinary white bread slices. Then you roll them up and dip them in a simple custard and place them, enchilada-style, in a baking dish.
Pour the rest of the custard over top, refrigerate so the custard soaks in, and bake. The baking can happen the next morning if you wish, making this the perfect make ahead brunch dish.
Here's the step-by-step.
How to Make a Nutella Baked French Toast Casserole
1. Make the custard. In a medium bowl, whisk together four eggs, 1 1/4 cups of milk, and a tablespoon of vanilla extract.
2. Spread about two tablespoons of Nutella on 8 slices of bread.
3. Roll the bread slices into cylinder shapes.
4. Butter a 7 x 11 inch (2 quart) baking dish. Dip the Nutella rolls in the custard and arrange in rows in the baking dish.
*Note: 7 x 11 is the perfect size and shape for this recipe, but if you don't have one, don't worry. As long as the size is roughly 2 quarts (like 9" x 9", for instance) you can always cut the rolls to fit the shape. (If you want to use a larger pan, just increase the ingredients accordingly. For a 9 x 13 inch pan for instance, you need 1.5x the quantities. The recipe card below has a handy calculator. Just increase the servings from 4 to 6 and the math is done for you!)
5. Pour the remaining custard over the Nutella rolls.
6. Refrigerate the casserole until the custard is absorbed by the bread, a couple of hours, or overnight.
7. Bake in a 375 degree F oven until golden, 30-35 minutes.
8. To make it pretty, I sprinkled some powdered sugar over the top. Then I melted some more Nutella and drizzled it over the top.
I served it with strawberries on the side because Nutella and strawberries are a delicious combination, but other berries or fruits would work too.
I also served it with maple syrup because in my opinion, French toast is just not the same without maple syrup!
Enjoy! xx
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Nutella Baked French Toast Casserole
Ingredients
- 8 slices white bread
- 4 eggs
- 1 1/4 cups whole milk
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup Nutella
- butter for greasing the baking dish
Instructions
- Butter an 11 x 7 inch baking dish. (see note below regarding pan sizes). In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk and vanilla until well combined. Set aside.
- Spread 2 tablespoons of Nutella on each of 8 slices of bread. Roll each bread slice into a cigar shape with the Nutella filling on the inside.
- Dip each bread roll into the egg mixture and place it in the buttered baking dish, seam side down. Continue with the remaining bread rolls, placing them side-by-side in the baking dish, enchilada-style. Pour the remaining custard over the top of the bread.
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight, until the custard has been absorbed by the bread.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Transfer to the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes until the top of the casserole is golden brown.
- Dust some powdered sugar over the top with a sifter, and drizzle with a little melted Nutella if you wish. Serve with sliced strawberries and maple syrup, if desired.
Kayla
Hello just making this however I’m wondering if I have to wait the few hours for all the custard to absorb or could I just cook it like it is?
Ann
I find that 2 hours is pretty much the minimum for all the custard to be absorbed, but this will depend on how absorbent your bread is. If you bake it when there is still some liquid at the bottom of the pan, there will be a little scrambled egg on the bottom. If you’re really in a hurry, you can always pour off the liquid that hasn’t yet absorbed before baking. It shouldn’t make too much of a difference 🙂
Naziya Imran
Hey
I am gonna try this week. Thank you for such a helpful recipe. I will come back soon after trying this
Ann
Awesome! Hope you love it 🙂
Kathleen
Am I supposed to put more butter on before it goes in the oven? Why does it say butter after preheat the oven?
Ann
The baking dish should be buttered in the beginning, before filling it. No additional butter after that :). Just made the correction, thanks for spotting that Kathleen!
Robin
Delicious. We served it with strawberries and whipped cream. Was afraid it would be too sweet, but it was perfect. The taste reminded me of nutella crepes.
Ann
I’m SO glad you liked it Robin! Thanks for reporting back 🙂
Pam
I haven’t made it yet but it looks delicious, the only problem is I don’t like hazelnuts… Could I just melt them regular chocolate and use that instead?
Thanks,
Pam S
Ann
Hmmm good question! It COULD work, but melted chocolate is pretty thin, not really a spreadable consistency. You could try making a homemade nut-free chocolate spread, like this chocolate spread. You might even be able to find plain chocolate spread at your grocery store. I have it at mine but I’m in Canada.