Instantly Upgrade Bread Pudding By Using French Toast

When you've got day-old bread lying around the house, bread pudding can be a great dish to whip up. It's often served as a tasty dessert, packed with milky sweetness and full of moisture. Now, if you love bread pudding and want an excuse to eat it for breakfast rather than after the main course, there might just be a way to do so — by making French toast bread pudding.

This casserole is made with the ingredients you'd usually find in French toast, including eggs, milk, and butter, and you can dress it up with whatever flavors you like. For instance, you could go for traditional sweet flavors, or you could opt for something savory if you prefer to start your morning with salt instead.

Best of all, the dish is easy to make and is ideal for prepping the night before you eat it, saving you time in the morning when you're ready to eat. The result is a versatile meal that's ideal for breaking out at your next brunch.

To get started making this bread pudding upgrade, you'll need to choose your bread. This recipe is the perfect way to use up day-old bread, but if you don't have any, don't worry. You can leave bread sitting out on the counter to get it a bit stale, or you can just use regular bread. Now, as to what type of bread you choose, the choice is yours. Standard white bread can be an easy go-to, or you could go for something with a thick crust, such as French bread, that will soften and develop a unique texture when you douse it in the egg mixture. You could also go for something that has an eggy flavor, like Brioche or Challah bread.

With your bread chosen, line a baking dish with slices of it. You can also chop it into cubes if you want something a bit easier to cut into when you serve and eat it. Then, whisk up eggs and milk (or heavy cream) just as you usually would to make French toast. Add some melted butter and any seasonings or spices you want, and then pour it all over the bread mixture. At this stage, you'll let the bread soak up the flavor, whether you choose to give it just a quick 10 minutes for time's sake or leave it overnight to really absorb the moisture and flavor before baking it to a gorgeous golden brown.

When it comes to making French toast bread pudding, the flavors you can play with are endless. For instance, you can keep things simple and stick to using cinnamon and sugar, a few classic French toast flavors. Or, take this idea up a notch with a cinnamon glaze drizzled over the whole thing or by adding in some nuts for crunch.

Another option could be to play around with a turtle-style pudding, using chocolate and caramel, and toasty nuts for texture. Or, go for another classic combo — chocolate and peanut butter. For those who prefer fruity flavors, mix things up and try white chocolate and raspberry, or go for something subtle and citrusy, such as orange and honey.

If it's savory tastes you prefer, cheese and chive could be a good pick instead. Whichever flavors you go for, layer your ingredients between your bread slices and then pour over the egg mixture. Or, mix the liquid with your add-ins and douse the bread in the whole thing for an easier method. Regardless of which tasting notes you're going for, you're bound to wind up with a delicious brunch meal you won't want to stop eating!