Thick fluffy brioche, with just the right amount of custard soak, perfectly golden brown, this Brioche French Toast is the perfect addition to any brunch and base for any toppings!
What is the trick to making the best french toast?
There’s a few keys to making great french toast including the right kind of bread, ideally a fluffy unsliced brioche. If you want to make your own, I recommend this recipe! I know a lot of people like to use really stale bread but I actually think this one on day two is perfect. Additionally the custard egg bath needs to have enough milk so that the toast doesn’t taste like scrambled eggs. The bread should be well soaked but with fluffy bread it can’t sit forever in the custard or it will start to fall apart. I prefer french toast cooked in butter for the best crisp and flavor.
What is the best bread to use for french toast?
I love using any sort of fluffy brioche bread for french toast. I love using this recipe! Whole Foods and trader joes both have a great brioche loaf in their bakery section; however, the trader joes brioche is already sliced and I prefer a 2″ thick slice for french toast.
Can french toast be made with non dairy milk?
Yes! I never do because I love cow’s milk but I believe any non dairy milk should work for french toast.
Tips for making Brioche French Toast
- While fresh bread will always be delicious, the magic of french toast is that you can use day old or even two day old bread.
- Cut the slices of bread nice and thick, this will allow the bread to get custardy but maintain it’s fluff!
- Be careful not to soak the bread for too long or it will fall apart and deflate.
- Keep the pan heat relatively low. Because the slices are quite thick, they take a little longer to cook than normal. If the heat is too high, the bread will burn before the inside is cooked through.
- Ideally top it with a dusting of powdered sugar and if you feel like it, a berry compote or a quick whipped cream.
Additional Recipes to try!
Brioche French Toast Ingredients
- Brioche Loaf Bread: I love using this brioche bread recipe for french toast but store bought works too. Try to find one that hasn’t been sliced as we want thick 2″-2.5″ slices.
- Vanilla Extract: Vanilla adds flavor and enhances the flavor of the egg custard.
- Eggs: I use one to two standard large egg per two stuffed french toasts.
- Salt: Fine sea salt enhances the flavors of the custard and the brioche.
- Milk: Any milk will work to whisk with the egg but I usually use 2% or whole cows milk.
- Butter: I prefer salted butter for cooking the french toast but again any butter will work.
How to make a Brioche French Toast?
Custard Soak
- Slice the brioche loaf into 2″ thick slices. Don’t include the ends, you can just cut off a thin sliver, we just want two open sides on all slices to properly absorb the custard. Set Aside.
- In a medium bowl add in the eggs, salt, and vanilla. Whisk until smooth with a fork. Add in the milk and whisk again. Pour the custard into a shallow baking dish big enough to lay at least two slices of brioche at a time.
Cook
- Heat a cast iron skillet or griddle pan over medium low heat. Lay the first two slices of brioche in the custard, let them soak for about 2 minutes but no longer.
- Flip both slices and soak again. Right after flipping, add about 2 tablespoons of butter into the pan; it should melt but not brown, if it’s immediately browning, turn the heat down and add a little more butter into the pan.
- After the slices have soaked for about another 90-120 seconds on the second side, carefully lift them up (they should still be holding onto their integrity), allow any excess to drip off and carefully lay them into the buttery pan.
- They should sizzle slightly when you put them in, if they don’t increase the heat slightly, if the are wildly sizzling, turn the heat down. Let them cook until golden brown and then flip to cook the second side. Keep checking to make sure they are becoming golden and not burnt.
- Keep them warm on a baking sheet in the oven set to 200 F. Then repeat the soaking and cooking with the remaining slices.
- Ideally dust the slices with powdered sugar, whipped cream, and berries!
Brioche French Toast
Equipment
Ingredients
Custard Soak
- 4 eggs large
- 125 milliliters whole milk
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Cooking
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
Instructions
Custard Soak
- Slice the brioche loaf into 2" thick slices. Don't include the ends, you can just cut off a thin sliver, we just want two open sides on all slices to properly absorb the custard. Set Aside.
- In a medium bowl add in the eggs, salt, and vanilla. Whisk until smooth with a fork. Add in the milk and whisk again. Pour the custard into a shallow baking dish big enough to lay at least two slices of brioche at a time.
Cook
- Heat a cast iron skillet or griddle pan over medium low heat.
- Lay the first two slices of brioche in the custard, let them soak for about 2 minutes but no longer.
- Flip both slices and soak again. Right after flipping, add about 2 tablespoons of butter into the pan; it should melt but not brown, if it's immediately browning, turn the heat down and add a little more butter into the pan.
- After the slices have soaked for about another 90-120 seconds on the second side, carefully lift them up (they should still be holding onto their integrity), allow any excess to drip off and carefully lay them into the buttery pan.
- They should sizzle slightly when you put them in, if they don't increase the heat slightly, if the are wildly sizzling, turn the heat down. Let them cook until golden brown and then flip to cook the second side. Keep checking to make sure they are becoming golden and not burnt.
- Keep them warm on a baking sheet in the oven set to 200 F. Then repeat the soaking and cooking with the remaining slices. Ideally dust the slices with powdered sugar, whipped cream, and berries!
Notes
- While fresh bread will always be delicious, the magic of french toast is that you can use day old or even two day old bread.
- Cut the slices of bread nice and thick, this will allow the bread to get custardy but maintain it’s fluff!
- Be careful not to soak the bread for too long or it will fall apart and deflate.
- Keep the pan heat relatively low. Because the slices are quite thick, they take a little longer to cook than normal. If the heat is too high, the bread will burn before the inside is cooked through.
- Ideally top it with a dusting of powdered sugar and if you feel like it, a berry compote or a quick whipped cream.
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