Start With Great Bread

• Bread is the foundation of French bread casserole. Choose a bread style that is sturdy enough to soak up the custard without falling apart. Challah, brioche and sourdough are all good options. Look for unsliced loaves in your local bakery or grocery store. Typical sliced bread is both too airy and too thin to hold up well in French bread casserole. After you choose the perfect loaf, ask the baker to cut it for you into 1-inch slices, or slice it yourself at home with a sharp, serrated bread knife.

  If you prefer a more casserolelike presentation, cut the bread into 1-inch cubes.

  Let the bread sit out for several hours to become slightly stale. If your baker has day-old bread available, you can skip this step. Allowing the bread to become stale helps it absorb the custard and retain its structure.

Customize the Custard

• The custard is what makes French toast so luxurious. It begins as a base of eggs and a combination of milk, half-and-half or cream in a ratio of 1 to 2.67, or 1 egg per 2 2/3 ounces of dairy.

  Customize the basic custard with extracts, spices or liqueurs to create flavors you and your guests will love, such as vanilla and nutmeg; or a splash of bourbon, Irish cream or coffee liqueur for adult guests.

Prepare and Bake

• Lay the bread in a baking dish in a single layer. Slowly pour the custard over until it saturates the bread and pools in the bottom of the dish. Wait 3 to 5 minutes and add more custard if the bread soaks up the extra in the bottom of the baking dish.

  Cover with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for at least an hour or overnight. If you'd like to freeze the casserole at this point, wrap it tightly in aluminum foil as well. French toast casserole will last for 3 months in the freezer. Let it thaw overnight in the refrigerator before baking.

  Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the French toast is slightly puffy and golden brown and the internal temperature reaches at least 160 F.

Freeze and Reheat Leftovers

• Let leftover French toast slices cool to room temperature on a wire rack. Stack them between pieces of parchment paper, then store in airtight freezer bags labeled with the date and the name of the food.

  If you cubed the bread rather than leaving it in slices, portion out single servings onto a sheet of parchment paper and allow them to cool to room temperature. Store single servings in freezer-safe containers, or place each serving in a plastic sandwich bag. Squeeze out as much air as possible, then store the sandwich bags in a plastic freezer bag labeled with the name of the dish and the date.

  French toast casserole will last for 2 to 3 months in the freezer.

  Reheat frozen slices directly in the toaster or in the oven set to 350 F for 10 minutes. Remove individual servings of cubed French toast casserole from the plastic bag and thaw in the microwave for 30 to 60 seconds in a ceramic dish. Place the casserole under the broiler for 1 to 2 minutes to crisp the top.