Lemon Ricotta French Toast

5 from 1 vote

Fluffy brioche, filled with lemon ricotta, soaked in custard and cooked until golden brown, this lemon ricotta french toast is the perfect brunch dish.

Prep Time30

Cook Time10

Total Time40

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Keyword: french toast, lemon, ricotta

Servings:

Calories: 443kcal

Ingredients

Lemon Ricotta Filling

450 grams whole milk ricotta
25 grams granulated sugar
1 lemon zested
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Bread & Soak

1 loaf of brioche
3 eggs 4 if needed, standard large
60 grams milk 80 if using 4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the pan

30 grams butter *divided between batches

Instructions

Lemon Ricotta Filling

To make the ricotta filling, you can either blend it or not. I like to blend it but it's not really necessary since it will be melting and a lot of ricotta when blended becomes quite liquidy. So unless you're really worried about the texture, don't bother blending it. Only blend it if you know for sure that it won't become overly runny.
Add the ricotta into a bowl along with the zest of one lemon, 25 grams of granulated sugar, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.

Assemble

Slice the brioche loaf into 2" thick slices.
Use the knife to cut a slit in the bottom of each slice that creates a pocket inside of the bread.
Basically you want to cut the slice into two but don't cut through the two sides and top of the slice.
Fill each slice with the ricotta mixture and kind of massage it into the slice so that it gets every where and doesn't run out. Place all of the slices on a parchment lined baking sheet and place them in the freezer.

Cook

In a baking dish, whisk together the eggs, milk, and a teaspoon of vanilla extract.
Heat a cast iron skillet (any pan will work but cast iron will give the best crisp), over medium low heat with a decent amount of butter - it kind of depends on how big your pan is but basically you want a bubbling coating of butter in the pan but it doesn't need to be even 1/8" thick in the pan.
While the pan heats up and the butter melts, soak both sides of the first three slices of stuffed french toast from the freezer in the custard mixture.
Place the soaked slices in the warm 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.
Cook again until golden brown. Keep them warm on a baking sheet in the oven set to 200 F. Then repeat with the remaining slices.
Ideally dust the slices with powdered sugar or top with cooked down raspberries and blackberries.

Notes

Tips for making Lemon Ricotta 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.
For the filling, be sure to use whole milk ricotta.
Cut the slices of bread nice and thick but when cutting the slit be sure not to cut through the other three sides.
Don't skimp on the filling, you want quite a bit of it in the bread because it will somewhat melt into the bread as it cooks.
Be careful not to soak the bread for too long or it will fall apart before making it into the pan.
Keep the pan heat relatively low. Because the slices are actually sandwiches and therefore 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.
Stuffed french toast will always taste best day of but it actually reheats well if stored in an airtight container in the fridge!
Ideally top it with a dusting of powdered sugar and if you feel like it, a berry compote or more lemon ricotta.

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