This sweet and comforting apple fritter casserole is a delicious morning treat to enjoy for breakfast or brunch. It tastes just like a yummy apple fritter without deep-frying and is perfect to enjoy with the family for special occasions, like Christmas morning. I guarantee everyone will love this breakfast casserole bake – especially the kids! – and you’ll love how easy it is to prepare as a make-ahead overnight dish.
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Easy Overnight Breakfast Ideas
I am a big fan of hearty, shareable breakfasts. Especially on weekends and holidays, when the family can really relax and enjoy quality time together around a hot morning meal.
The only problem? Someone has to actually make breakfast. And although I love to cook, I also want some leisurely time in the mornings. So, there’s no better solution than a delicious make-ahead overnight breakfast casserole.
Coming up with easy overnight breakfast ideas has been fun. Before this apple fritter casserole, I shared easy overnight French toast casserole and my brunch-tastic overnight monkey bread with ham and cheese.
A great make-ahead dish should be, well, simple to make: Just prep the night before, stick in the fridge while you sleep, and easily bake to perfection in the morning, completely hassle-free.
That’s why I love using Bridgford Food’s Ready-Dough and Parkerhouse Style Rolls. I keep them on hand in my freezer so they are always at the ready (pun intended!). I have discovered so many uses for frozen bread dough.
Bridgford handles all of the prep work for you, with high-quality non-GMO ingredients like real cane sugar, so it is easy to serve up freshly baked goods any time.
Why We Love This Recipe
This apple fritter breakfast casserole recipe is another wonderfully sweet and comforting make-ahead overnight breakfast for you to try. It has a similar consistency to an apple coffee cake, minus the crumble, but with lots of brown sugar and rich cinnamon goodness.
And, like my two other delicious breakfast and brunch recipes above, this dish is made incredibly easy by using Bridgford Ready-Dough. Everyone can use more overnight breakfast ideas for those lazy weekend mornings.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
Thanks to using thawed, ready-made dough, there are only 5 ingredients included in this apple fritter bake recipe.
You need:
- Bridgford Ready-Dough
- Apples
- Brown sugar
- Butter
- Cinnamon
What is the Best Apple to Use for Baking?
My favorite apples to use for baking are either Honey Crisp or Granny Smith apples. They are terrific for making apple Bisquick cobbler, apple crisp, or apple pie.
For this recipe, I used Honey Crisp apples because I love how they hold their crunch and texture when baked. But here’s a great resource for deciding which apple variety you want to use.
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Easily Thaw Frozen Dough
Read my handy tips below for thawing Bridgford Ready-Dough before getting started on this apple fritter casserole recipe.
You have two easy options for how to thaw frozen bread dough:
- The first option is to defrost the frozen dough in the fridge overnight. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick oil or cover it with parchment paper. Place the frozen dough on the sheet, and cover with plastic wrap that has been sprayed as well with oil (oil side down). Allow the dough to thaw in the fridge overnight, approximately 8-10 hours.
- Another easy option is to just defrost the frozen dough at room temperature. Prepare a baking sheet and plastic wrap like the first option, but simply leave the dough to defrost on the counter for about 2-3 hours.
How to Make Apple Fritter Breakfast Casserole
Not only does this easy overnight breakfast casserole only require 5 ingredients, but it can also be made in just a few simple steps.
You can choose to prepare the apple fritter casserole the night before or make it fresh in the morning. Either way, this sweet and gooey breakfast casserole will be scrumptious to serve with coffee or big glasses of milk.
Firstly, for this recipe, you will need to defrost the Bridgford Ready-Dough using one of the two methods mentioned above. Then, here’s how to make and bake the apple fritter breakfast casserole:
- Chop the thawed bread dough into roughly 40 equal pieces, and toss in a bowl with melted butter. Then, transfer the dough pieces to a greased casserole dish.
- Core and dice the apples – your choice whether or not to peel! – and add them to the same bowl that you used to butter the pieces of chopped dough. Toss the apple chunks with the teaspoon ground cinnamon and brown sugar mixture, and then stir the apple mixture and pour into the casserole dish or baking dish to combine with the dough pieces.
- The casserole should have an even layer. You can either cover it with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge to sit overnight or bake it immediately in a 350° F preheated oven.
- When ready to enjoy, bake in the middle rack of the oven for 40-50 minutes until bubbly.
- Remove from the oven and allow the breakfast casserole to cool for several minutes before serving.
Serving Suggestions
Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped heavy cream on top of the casserole with extra teaspoon of cinnamon on top. A drizzle of caramel sauce or chocolate syrup is also a delicious flavor addition. You can also serve the casserole with a cup of coffee or tea. For a fun twist, try serving the casserole with a side of bacon, eggs, or sausage.
If you are a fan of apples and cinnamon, try our apple pie filling cinnamon rolls
Recipe FAQs
Apple fritters are essentially fried donuts stuffed with apples. These apple fritter rings are great rolled in cinnamon sugar, dusted with powdered sugar, or drizzled with a lemon glaze.
Freeze: Apple fritters freeze very well. Let them cool completely, then place them into a few gallon-size ziplock bags and close them tightly. Freeze for up to 2 months for best taste.
Wherever you keep these apple fritters, make sure to store them in an airtight container so they don’t dry out. They will last 2 days at room temperature, 1 week in the fridge, and 2-3 months in the freezer. If you freeze them, thaw them by leaving them at room temperature for a few hours until they’re soft.
Leftovers will keep well for up to 4 days in the fridge if kept covered with plastic wrap or in a sealed container.
More Easy Breakfast Treats To Love…
- Cottage Cheese Fruit Cup
- Frittata with Ham and Cheese
- Pancakes from Muffin Mix
- Easy Sourdough Discard Pancakes
If you tried this apple fritter breakfast casserole recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Apple Fritter Breakfast Casserole
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 loaf Bridgford Ready-Dough, thawed
- 5 apples, peeled, cored, and diced
- ½ cup butter, melted and cooled
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Let the Ready Dough defrost on the countertop in a greased casserole dish covered with plastic wrap for 2-3 hours. Cut thawed dough loaf into 40 small pieces.
- Place dough into a medium bowl and stir in the melted butter, coating the dough evenly. Spread dough pieces in the bottom of the casserole dish.
- Using same bowl, add the diced apple and sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Stir them into the dough pieces in the casserole dish. Preheat oven to 350º F, if baking immediately.
- As a make ahead dish, cover the casserole dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Otherwise, skip to step 4.
- The next morning, pull the casserole dish out of the fridge. Let it sit at room temperature while the oven preheats to 350º.
- Bake casserole for 40 minutes, until casserole is golden and bubbly. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- The first option is to defrost the frozen dough in the fridge overnight. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick oil or cover it with parchment paper. Place the frozen dough on the sheet, and cover with plastic wrap that has been sprayed as well with oil (oil side down). Allow the dough to thaw in the fridge overnight, approximately 8-10 hours.
- Another easy option is to just defrost the frozen dough at room temperature. Prepare a baking sheet and plastic wrap like the first option, but simply leave the dough to defrost on the counter for about 2-3 hours.
Nutrition
Look for Bridgford Ready-Dough, Parkerhouse Style Rolls, and Frozen Monkey Bread at your local grocery store and Wal-Mart locations.
Get your discount coupon for Bridgford’s frozen dough, and get more recipe ideas for frozen bread at Bridgford.
This post was sponsored by Bridgford Foods. All views are my own and based on my own personal experience using Bridgford’s products.
Dirose says
Cannot wait to make this for Christmas morning!!
You recipes are awesome!
Renae says
Everyone is sure to love it. Merry Christmas!