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It has been years since I posted anything on this list serve, and I  have noticed a decline in our activity/postings, but I must say, when you have a question like mine, this is the place to go. I got lots of responses and good ideas of breads to use that people have actually tried in a casserole type dish. Thanks to all who took the time to answer! You’ve made our Christmas morning a little sweeter, not to mention many mornings later on as I will have to try many of these suggestions.  :-)

Joy

As to the emails I received:

(Normally I don’t mention names, but in this case, her name/credentials merit it: Maureen from One Dish Cuisine Cafe, Deli, Bakery--Gluten Free, Allergen Friendly, Vegan Friendly--said:)

You can use any loaf of GF Bread that you like.  I would suggest taking the bread out of the package and letting the slices sit on a cookie sheet and get stale.  Then make your french toast casserole the night before and the bread should hold up just fine.

(Who knew that the bread worked better stale?!)


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I won't be much help here as I cannot find the recipe that I wanted to forward on to you that my daughter and I have made several times for family and friends.  It gets rave reviews even from the non GF people.  However, I decided to go ahead and write to you about using GF English Muffins - our favorite is the Kinnickinnick brand for the bread in the French Toast Casserole.  I think that recipe came from Allrecipes.com, and I know we added maple syrup to the top of the casserole, but I am not sure which one it was.  I think any of the recipes will work but we do use these English Muffins for the best results instead of bread.  I hope this helps some.


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I have never made French Toast Casserole. That is both with and without gluten. But I use Rudi’s bread all the time to make french toast and it works well.

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I use Katz gluten-free sliced challah bread that I get from Whole Foods. It's wonderful for bread pudding and slightly sweet and tastes a lot like brioche and I imagine would be perfect for a French toast casserole. I've used it very successfully (it holds up well and doesn't disintegrate) and hope you enjoy it too! 

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I have made French Toast casserole many times. I have found the best bread to be - believe it or not - Udi's hamburger buns. Hope this helps!

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I have used this recipe for several years and we really enjoy it on Christmas morning.  I used the applesauce substitute for eggs and Gluanio raisin cinnamon bread.  I have found it works better if the bread is laid flat and not stacked like the photo.  Good luck

https://gfjules.com/french-toast-casserole-2/

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I've used Udis bread in both egg and French toast casseroles....works great! 

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I vacationed with friends a couple of years ago and they made this for me using Canyon Bakehouse bread.  It was very good, but then I'd never had it with regular bread, so don't know the comparison.  The bread I've found that is most like "real" bread is by Glutino.  It's very light and springy, so if you need a heavy bread for this, you may prefer something else.  I also remember that I'd have left off the "topping", but I'm not fond of caramel-y things.  It was extremely rich.  I have emailed my friend who has the recipe and will send it along when it arrives. Here it is (it is based on a Paula Deen recipe):

Baked French Toast

1 loaf bread (13 to 16 ounces) (I usually use cinnamon bread)
Butter, for pan 
8 large eggs 
2 cups half-and-half 
1 cup milk 
1 tablespoon vanilla extract 
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
Dash salt 
Praline Topping, recipe follows 
Arrange bread slices in a generously buttered 9 by 13-inch flat baking dish in 2 rows, overlapping the slices. 

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half-and-half, milk, vanilla, cinnamon and salt and beat with a rotary beater or whisk until blended but not too bubbly. Pour mixture over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. Spoon some of the mixture in between the slices. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight. 

The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread Praline Topping evenly over the bread and bake for 45 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden. 

Praline Topping:

¾ cup butter 

1  1/3 cup packed light brown sugar 

3 tablespoons light corn syrup 

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

Combine all ingredients and blend well. Bring just to a boil.  Spread over bread as directed above. 



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I don’t know where in AZ you live, but if it is Phoenix, you might want to try Jewel’s Flax Bread.  I haven’t made a French Toast Casserole with it, but I do make French toast with it.  Even the non-GF members of the family love it.  The bread also freezes well, if you don’t live near Jewel’s.  She often runs out though so I would call and reserve your loaves.  She sells it sliced or unsliced.  I prefer unsliced so that I can cut it thicker for French toast.

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I have used Sami's Millet and Flax bread successfully and served to GF and non GF alike.

We have a number of retailers locally that carry it but they also ship it.

While they warn that they are not a gluten free facility and that it may contain trace gluten
my daughter and I have never had a noticeable reaction to their various millet and flax
products and quit buying other brands all together - its that good.

http://samisbakery.com/our-products/breads/millet-flax-bread/


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And for something a little different than a typical French Toast Casserole, Bev sent this dish to me and it sounds delicious and easy:

Basically, I melted butter in shallow baking pan and sprinkle in lots of brown sugar and pecan pieces.  This was covered with thick bread slices that had been soaked over night in the usual egg, milk, sugar, vanilla. The top a generous sprinkling of cinnamon sugar before it got popped in the oven.

A 14" round pizza pan full took about 45 minutes to bake at 350°.    To serve, it was carefully flipped out upside-down onto a large tray with the sticky "cinnamon roll" side up.  It was a very impressive presentation but easy to serve since slices pull apart and no syrup is required, basically finger food!

I've done it with GF bread but the slices really aren't thick enough. Bread layer needs to be about 1" so using 2 layers of bread slices, or even bread cubes, with egg mixture  over the top would work better.  Again, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar before baking so flavor is on both top & bottom.

Ingredients and flavor will be the same, even though the technique is more like a bread pudding.  I'd still flip to serve and it would need to be cut into squares for serving. All the sticky, nutty goodness should be there!

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