Baked French Toast Casserole

You’ve all heard about my Grandma Lolly before, if you’ve followed this blog. I feature recipes I've been passed down from her often.


She is my Daddy’s Mom. She has Cajun roots and can cook me under the table God love her! I would go as far to say that she is the reason I love to cook. If she hadn’t have loved it my Daddy wouldn’t have and then neither would I. It all starts somewhere. Well, yesterday was my Grandma Lolly’s 73rd Birthday Party. It was a bingo potluck and it was a blast, as always. Every year all her bingo friends, most of her children and grandchildren get together to celebrate another glorious year owned and operated by Laura Lillian Jones a.k.a. Lolly Pop a.k.a. my Grandma. (And the picture below because Baby Cakes is a ham and can't let a camera flash go off without him being in it.)


(Speaking of hams I thought I would share a photo of my Daddy being a ham as well, that's why Baby Cakes fits right in, we're a family of hams.)


Well because of the above said party I was sent home with a bag full of leftover King’s Hawaiian rolls, now I could make breadcrumbs out of them, or croutons or french toast. Oh or bread pudding. That is exactly where my mind went but because I am reluctantly counting calories I couldn’t deem their fate to croutons or bread pudding for that matter (although I wish!). Nope, but I can be kind of naughty. Hello Baked French Toast Casserole.


If you haven’t had it before, and I suggest everyone try it at least once, then you are missing out. Now this is a Paula Deen recipe slightly adapted only I left off the praline topping because as I said above I am counting calories, and because I feel like it is a slight overkill, but whether you make it with or without the topping it still worth devouring.


Baked French Toast Casserole
adapted from Paula Deen

20-25 King Hawaiian rolls, torn into pieces
9 eggs
1 ½ cups heavy cream
1 ½ cups milk
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Dash salt
½ stick butter, sliced

Place the torn pieces of rolls into a 9x12 baking dish and let sit on the counter for an afternoon to dry out the bread a bit.

In the evening, in a large bowl, combine the eggs, heavy cream, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and beat with a whisk until blended but not too bubbly. Pour mixture over the rolls, making sure all are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. Press the rolls down to soak up the egg mixture. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Top with butter pats evenly over the bread and bake for 40 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden.

Serve with maple syrup.


This is wonderful, better than wonderful and I loved that all the prep was last night and that I could bake it off this morning. Not to mention that it was a hit. I will be making this again and again and again.

XOXO,