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Easy Easter Bread Breakfast Casserole

This Easter bread breakfast casserole transforms Italian Easter bread into a sweet and festive morning treat! Made with Easter bread, a cinnamon spiced egg custard and then baked, it’s perfect for any holiday breakfast or brunch. 

Casserole in a white pan.


 

While I am not a French toast lover, the thought of a French toast casserole has always intrigued me! Saddled with some leftover colomba Italian easter bread, this version turned out perfectly with a crisp topping and custardy middle! 

It’s easy to make with cubed Italian Easter bread, butter, a cinnamon-brown sugar egg custard mixture and the topping from my favorite streusel cinnamon coffee cake.

It’s then all tossed together and baked right away! I love that there is no need to soak the casserole overnight. Top it with some powdered sugar and a drizzle of maple syrup and it’s the best crowd-pleasing holiday breakfast.

Pouring syrup on the slice of Easter bread casserole.

Why You’ll Love This Breakfast Bake

  • Easy to make: This is a simple no-fuss breakfast casserole! Just cube the bread, whisk the egg mixture, toss it together and bake.
  • No soaking overnight: The best part of this Easter breakfast casserole is that you can bake it right away! 
  • Flavorful: Sweet Easter bread, a rich egg custard infused with warm cinnamon along with a crumb topping creates the best warm and cozy breakfast! 
  • Celebratory: While we love this panettone bread pudding at Christmas, this breakfast casserole is perfect for Easter brunch gatherings!

Recipe Ingredients

  • Easter bread: I love traditional Colomba Easter bread but any sweet bread works, even Roman Easter sweet bread and Italian Easter sweet bread
  • Butter: Melted butter is added to the casserole dish base for rich taste.
  • Custard mixture: Eggs, milk, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt.
  • Crumb topping: Cinnamon, brown sugar, flour and butter.
Ingredients for the recipe.

Substitutions And Variations

  • Citrus zest: Add some orange zest or lemon zest for additional flavor.
  • Savory: Try ham and cheese, bacon or even sausage!
  • Dried fruit and nuts: Add some chopped pecans or walnuts, dried raisins or cranberries for added texture. 
  • Chocolate chips: Add some mini chocolate chips for extra decadence! 
  • Topping: Top with a drizzle of maple syrup, a dusting of powdered sugar or even dress it up with fresh berries or banana slices! 

How To Make Easter Bread Breakfast Casserole

Melt the butter and spread it on the bottom of the casserole dish, top with the cubed sweet bread, set aside.

Cubed sweet bread in the pan.

In a large bowl whisk together the eggs and milk until well combined, whisk in the cinnamon, brown sugar and salt.

The wet ingredients whisked in a bowl.

Pour the egg mixture over the cubed bread and gently toss to coat.

The wet ingredients on the bread in the pan.

In a small bowl mix together the cinnamon, brown sugar and flour, cut in butter and combine to form small crumbs. I used a food processor and I also added 2 tablespoons of hazelnuts, I pulsed until I got a coarsely crumb mixture.

The nut mixture in the food processor.

Top the soaked bread cubes with the crumb mixture, until puffy and baked through. Dust with powdered sugar and serve with maple syrup.

The breakfast casserole baked in a white pan.

Expert Tips

  • Avoid soggy bread: Bake the whole time until the top is golden brown and the egg mixture has set otherwise you will have a soggy Easter breakfast casserole. 
  • Day old bread: Just like with a French toast casserole, if your bread is too soft it won’t soak up the egg custard. If possible cut your bread into cubes and set out overnight to dry. 
  • Let sit for 30 minutes. If you have time, let the casserole sit for 30 minutes so the bread can soften the bread cubes.
  • Serving suggestions: For a full brunch, serve with some coffee or tea, rosemary roasted potatoes and Italian fresh fruit salad .
A slice of breakfast casserole on a white plate and in the pan.

Recipe FAQs

Can I use a different type of bread in this Easter breakfast casserole? 

Yes! While I love using Easter bread, some other great options include challah, French bread or Italian bread, leftover brioche bread bunnies, croissants, sourdough Easter bread or any other sturdy, thick bread. 

Can I make this recipe in advance?

While I love the option of baking it right away, you can cover the breakfast casserole with foil and store it overnight in the refrigerator. Then all you have to do is bake it in the morning! This is a great option if you plan to have an Easter egg hunt in the morning followed by brunch.

How To Store Leftovers? 

Store leftovers of your breakfast casserole either covered with foil in the pan or divided into airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Reheat portions gently in the microwave until warmed through. 

Can I Freeze Leftovers Of The Breakfast Casserole? 

While I haven’t tried that, it should work! Cool completely then cover with plastic wrap, then foil and freeze. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator then remove the plastic wrap, cover with foil and reheat in the oven at 350°F for 20 minutes until warmed through.

More Sweet Breakfast Recipes

A slice of casserole on a white plate with syrup on top.

I hope you enjoy this Breakfast Casserole as much as we do, whether you use leftover Colomba or not. Enjoy!

Casserole in a white pan.

Easy Easter Bread Breakfast Casserole

Rosemary Molloy
This breakfast casserole transforms Italian Easter bread into a sweet and festive morning treat! It’s perfect for any holiday breakfast or brunch. 
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American/Italian
Servings 8
Calories 183 kcal

Ingredients
  

BREAKFAST CASSEROLE

  • 5-6 cups Colomba bread, cubed* (or any sweet bread or even croissant)
  • 2 tablespoons butter melted
  • 3 large eggs
  • cups milk
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar (lightly packed)
  • ½ tablespoon cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon salt

*Bite size / medium cubes

TOPPING

  • ½ tablespoon cinnamon
  • ¼ cup brown sugar (lightly packed)
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 3 tablespoons butter

EXTRAS

  • 2 tablespoons hazelnuts, almonds or walnuts (optional)
  • 2-3 tablespoons powdered sugar
  • 1 cup maple syrup (more or less)

Instructions
 

BREAKFAST CASSEROLE

  • Pre-heat oven to 375F/190C.  I used an 11 x7 inch / 28x18cm rectangle casserole dish.
  • Melt the butter and spread it on the bottom of the casserole dish, top with the cubed sweet bread, set aside.
  • In a large bowl whisk together the eggs and milk until well combined, whisk in the cinnamon, brown sugar and salt. Pour the egg mixture over the cubed bread and gently toss to coat.
  • Top the soaked bread cubes with the crumb mixture, bake for approximately 30-35 minutes then raise the heat to 400F/200C and continue to bake for 8-10 minutes until puffy and baked through. Let sit 5 minutes, serve with maple syrup and or powdered sugar. Enjoy!

TOPPING

  • In a small bowl mix together the cinnamon, brown sugar and flour, cut in butter and combine to form small crumbs. I used a food processor and I also added 2 tablespoons of hazelnuts, I pulsed until I got a coarsely crumb mixture.

Notes

Store leftovers of your breakfast casserole either covered with foil in the pan or divided into airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Reheat portions gently in the microwave until warmed through. 
To freeze –  Cool completely then cover with plastic wrap, then foil and freeze. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator then remove the plastic wrap, cover with foil and reheat in the oven at 350°F for 20 minutes until warmed through.

Nutrition

Calories: 183kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 84mg | Sodium: 249mg | Potassium: 107mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 370IU | Calcium: 89mg | Iron: 1mg
Did You Make This Recipe?Please leave a comment below or pin it to your Pinterest account!

Updated from April 2, 2017

8 Comments

  1. Hi there I have a frozen loaf of Colomba from Easter as well and this is exactly what I’ve been wanting to do with it. Do you think making it the night before would be ok or would the delicate bread soak it up too much? Thanks so much!

    1. Hi Alessia, good question, I think if you want to make it overnight, maybe add only 1 cup of milk. I think it would be fine overnight in the fridge. Let me know if you try it.

  2. 5 stars
    Thank you! We were given a whole Columbia cake today and I given it’s a cold weekend I went on the search for a bread and butter-esk type pudding. This was perfect. I doubled the recipe to use the whole cake and I added stewed plums over the top of the soaking bread. Yum!

    1. Hi Georgina, thanks so much, so glad you enjoyed it. And the stewed plums, great idea! Have a great weekend.

  3. hi
    could you give an example of another sweet bread or comment on the characteristics of columba bread? heavy, light, yeasty, etc.
    thanks so much!!
    donna

    1. Hi Donna, I would say Columba is quite light, almost like a raisin bread or breakfast cake (not a heavy type) and no I don’t find it yeasty at all. Hope that helps.

  4. 5 stars
    This looked amazingly delicious AND THEN you put on syrup and made it look that much more heavenly. Thank you for this recipe 🙂

4.80 from 5 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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