French toast casserole is good, but french toast casserole with bubbly is even better! 

Bubbly French toast casserole the perfect breakfast for a group

Bubbly breakfast for a group….no matter how big or small, is so good.  Mainly because it’s just so easy when you can prepare it the night before and just pop it into the oven in the morning.  

We spent many weekends perfecting this bubbly french toast casserole recipe and we finally got it right.  And the best part is since you already have an open bottle of bubbly, you can pair this with delicious mimosas, Bellinis or other bubbly cocktails. 

Bottle of Bubbly

I have said over and over again, when you are baking with bubbly or creating bubbly cocktails, you certainly don’t need an expensive bottle to do so.  It also doesn’t matter if it’s cava, sparkling wine, Prosecco or champagne….remember all wine with bubbles is bubbly.  

So, what I do is take a look at my stash of bubbly and I pick one of the sweeter ones for a couple reasons.  I typically don’t like sweeter bubbly, so I specifically buy it to make bubbly cocktails or to bake with.  And it will add a bit of sweetness to a dish like a french toast casserole.

And if I need to run out to the grocery store to grab a bottle, I always go back to my list of grocery staples.  They are typically inexpensive and good, consistent bottles of bubbly that won’t disappoint.  

And don’t forget the spoon!  Since you will be popping this bottle to prepare your french toast casserole, you definitely want to put a spoon in to keep your bubbly bubbly so you can enjoy some morning mimosas.

Keep your bubbly bubbly with the Bubbly Side of Life spoon.

Why Bubbly French Toast Casserole?

I think the real question here is why not!  😉 We love taking a normal, everyday recipe and bubbly-izing it.  And this french toast casserole was just the latest quest. 

When you add bubbly to a recipe like this, it makes it lighter and fluffier.  When we opened the oven after the hour baking time, this french toast casserole had risen quite a bit.  Yes, it did settle back down to serve, but it was definitely fluffier than your average bubbly-less french toast casserole.

Bubbly French toast casserole in the oven...this is the reason we add bubbly.

And we get asked all of the time if it’s ok to serve to children and the answer is absolutely.  It was baked for 1 hour, so the bubbly was burned off in the process simply leaving the effects of it to enjoy. 

Bubbly French Toast Casserole Recipe

  • 6 Eggs
  • 1 cup Milk
  • 1 cup Bubbly
  • 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
  • 1/2 cup Sugar
  • 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
  • 2 t Vanilla
  • 1 loaf Maple Brown Sugar Swirl Bread

Topping

  • 1/2 cup Flour
  • 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
  • 1 t Cinnamon
  • Dash Nutmeg
  • 1 Stick of Cold butter

The night before:

  1. In a greased 9×13 pan, using a whole slice of bread, lay flat (6 pieces total).
  2. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, then add all liquids and whisk until combined.
  3. Add sugars and whisk until combined.
  4. Pour over the first layer of bread ensuring that each piece is covered.
  5. Take the rest of your bread and place it over the top of the first row of bread.
  6. Pour the rest of the egg mixture on top.
  7. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight. 

To make the topping:

  1. In a small bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. 
  2. Cut butter into 1/4” slices and add to the mixture.
  3. Using a knife, fork or hands mix together until the butter is the size of a pea.
  4. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.  

In the morning:

  1. Remove the french toast casserole from the refrigerator.
  2. Preheat your oven to 350 F.
  3. Generously sprinkle the topping over the the french toast.
  4. Bake for 1 hour.  
  5. Serve immediately.  It’s so good, you won’t even need any syrup, but we always had it out just in case.  

Bubbly French Toast Casserole Pairs Well With…

Since my taste testers kept accusing me of putting apples into the french toast casserole (which I didn’t but would make a good addition for sure), I would pair this with an apple cider mimosa.  A drink so easy to make and will compliment the flavors of the french toast for sure.  

Apple Cider mimosas pair well with bubbly French toast casserole.

An apple cider mimosa is 50% apple cider and 50% bubbly.  Or if you’re like me, it’s more like 10% apple cider and 90% bubbly.  And the best part is there is no right or wrong, it’s your tastes so use the ratio you like best.  

One thing we did to take our apple cider to the next level is to soak the apples overnight in bubbly and some cinnamon sticks.  OH MY GOODNESS….was this good…and makes the perfect garnish.  And since you already have the bottle of bubbly open, why not slice up an apple and give them a good soak….you won’t regret it!  

The perfect soaked apples garnish for the apple cider mimosa

Hazelnut Espresso Vodka by Crater Lake Spirits

Ok, I have to come clean, in our picture here with the french toast casserole, our coffee actually has Crater Lake’s Hazelnut Espresso Vodka in it. It’s my favorite drink on an early morning Alaska Airlines flight (before I start on mimosas, of course), so the last time I was in Oregon I finally remembered to bring a bottle back with me. It’s the perfect addition to your morning coffee and made of a delicious accompaniment to the french toast casserole for those who didn’t want a mimosa before coffee.

Breakfast for a Group

And there you have the perfect bubbly breakfast for a group.  Everything is prepped the night before so there will be no mess to clean up in the morning.  

And even with your mimosas, you can create a serve yourself mimosa bar or simply mix up a pitcher.  If you’re going to make a pitcher though, be sure to add the bubbly right before putting it out for everyone to enjoy.

Want More?

Here are a few more bubbly breakfast recipes:

Bubbly Pumpkin Pancakes

Bubbly Crepes

If you want to make the easiest homemade apple cider for your mimosas, check out our recipe here.

The easiest homemade apple cider recipe.