Apple Cinnamon French Toast Bake - Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free

Overnight French Toast is simply a large pan of French toast made into a casserole. You can make it the night before, refrigerate it overnight (or simply for a couple of hours), then bake it in the morning!

It turns out soft and creamy inside with crispy crunchy edges. Did I mention it's topped with the best cinnamon maple-walnut streusel? It's the same crunchy streusel topping I use on these Grain-free Apple Muffins and Banana Coffee Cake.

There's more! While you can easily use a regular loaf of wheat bread and whole milk, I've made this breakfast treat recipe both gluten-free and dairy-free. I've also included instructions to make it nut-free!

This recipe makes a warm and hearty breakfast, perfect for weekends, slow mornings, or for holiday breakfasts.

• Prep ahead: It's an ideal breakfast to make ahead of time. Simply prep it the night before, let the bread soak up all the rich custard and bake it in the morning. However, you don't have to wait that long. A couple of hours to soak is all you'll need.
• Makes a large batch. It serves 8 hungry people.
• No mess: No messy dipping and frying slice by slice with this recipe!
• No "eggy" taste: You'll combine the eggs, milk and cream thoroughly so there are no bits of overcooked egg in this French toast casserole.
• It's full of apple chunks in every bite and it's topped with the most delicious maple-walnut streusel topping!
• It's an easy recipe to adapt: This recipe is written as both gluten-free and dairy-free. However, you can certainly substitute wheat bread and whole milk for gluten-free bread and plant-based milk if you'd like.

French Toast is one of my favourite breakfasts. While my Chocolate Almond Smoothie with Hemp Hearts fuels me on workout mornings, lazy mornings call for something different like pancakes or French toast. Air Fryer French Toast Sticks are quick to make and Slow Cooker Blueberry French Toast is a great make-ahead breakfast.

Here's what you'll do to make this recipe perfectly!

Lightly mist or spray a 9 x 13 baking pan with oil to prevent sticking.

Cut the loaf of bread into cubes about ¾ - 1 inch thick. Let them air dry while you prepare the rest of the ingredients, or you can even let them dry for 24 hours if you'd like.

Repeat the layers and pour the remaining milk mixture evenly over the bread cubes and diced apples. Cover with a lid or with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and refrigerate.

Combine the streusel topping ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and set aside.

Make this a nut-free French Toast recipe. Simply omit the walnuts from the streusel and replace the almond flour with a gluten-free flour blend, or with quick oats.

If you don't need this to be gluten-free, use a loaf of your favourite French bread, Challah bread or brioche. And if you don't need it to be dairy-free, you can use whole milk instead of plant-based milk and heavy cream (or "half and half") in place of the coconut cream.

This easy apple French Toast casserole is delicious with a drizzle of pure maple syrup or this Cinnamon Simple Syrup. You could also sprinkle it lightly with powdered sugar or powdered Monkfruit sweetener. Try honey or agave syrup instead if you'd like.

This recipe makes an ideal make-ahead breakfast casserole. It's great for special occasions during the holiday season like Christmas morning, Thanksgiving breakfast, or for Mother's Day or Father's Day.

It's so much easier (and so much faster) than making classic French toast slices and it's an ideal choice when you have overnight guests.

Store it: Let cool completely, then store any leftovers in a covered container in the fridge.

Reheat it: While French Toast is best enjoyed warm from the oven, you can certainly reheat it the following day.

Freeze it: You can freeze this French Toast casserole either unbaked or baked. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then follow the recipe directions to bake it. If it's baked, you can reheat it in the oven at 350°F. until it is warmed through.