Apple Cinnamon French Toast Casserole

Imagine Christmas morning…. the kids are playing with their new toys, grandma is drinking her coffee, grandpa is reading the newspaper and the house smells like cinnamon.   Breakfast is almost ready for this rowdy bunch and all you had to do was put a casserole in the oven because you did all the prep work last night!
  

This can be your Christmas reality!  Here is a super simple Gluten Free make ahead breakfast casserole.  Introducing Gluten Free Apple Cinnamon French Toast Casserole! 

What You Need:
10 slices of Udi’s Gluten Free Cinnamon Raisin Bread, cubed
2 granny smith apples, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp white sugar

5 eggs
3/4 cup of milk
1/2 cup of white sugar
1/2 tsp GF vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon

How To Make It:
Night Before
In a small skillet sauté the apples in the butter.  Stir in the cinnamon and the sugar.  Cook for 5 minutes. 

Take a greased 9×9 casserole dish and put half of the bread cubes in the dish.  Then pour on the apples.  Cover with the other half of the bread.  In a bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon.  Pour over the bread and apples.  

Cover with foil and let sit overnight.

Morning
Heat oven to 350 degrees and bake covered for 55 minutes.  Top with powdered sugar, fruit or syrup.  

This dish also heats up well so you could make the whole dish ahead of time and then heat up what you need that morning.  

This make ahead french toast casserole was awesome!  The texture on top was slightly crunchy while the middle and bottom were soft and moist.  Note: not soggy!  The apples gave the dish a great flavor and a bit of crunch.  You could use apple pie filling if you didn’t have any fresh apples on hand.  

We are doing Christmas morning at one of our parent’s house and I plan to take this with us to enjoy.  It is super simple, super good and no one will know it’s Gluten Free!

Merry Christmas!

Disclaimer:  I was given the bread to try by Udi’s Gluten Free.  The recipe, photos and opinions are my own.