Brioche French Toast

Brioche French toast is a staple at so many breakfast restaurants, and once you try it, it’s easy to see why. Brioche is fluffy, rich, and buttery—the perfect bread for an indulgent breakfast like French toast. (Although I do like Texas toast for classic French toast!)

Of course, you don’t have to go to a restaurant to get good brioche French toast. This easy brioche French toast recipe is a cinch to make at home. It’s the kind of breakfast that feels elaborate and like it should be time-consuming but it comes together lickety-split. In about 15 minutes, you can have this lovely breakfast on the table.

Brioche French Toast

Why is brioche better? Brioche, like challah and babka, is considered an enriched bread. Plain bread is made with four basic ingredients: flour, water, salt, and yeast. Brioche is a yeast bread enriched with eggs, lots of butter, and milk. The result is a bread that’s amazingly tender, fluffy, and richer in flavor than your typical sandwich or toast bread.

Easier to make than pancakes. French toast is actually pretty easy to make. Unlike pancakes, there’s no fussing with a bunch of dry ingredients. You start with bread that’s already made. The flipping can be easier, too, because you’re flipping a slice of bread rather than pancake batter.

Ingredient Notes

• Brioche bread: It’s best if the bread is slightly dry so it can absorb the custard mixture more easily. This is especially important with brioche bread because it is so rich and moist. Use day-old bread or toast the bread slices on a baking sheet in the oven to dry them out a bit.
• Eggs: You’ll need four large eggs to make the custard. Eggs are essential for that rich, creamy custard.
• Cream: While we recommend making brioche French toast with heavy cream, you can substitute half & half or whole milk for a lighter breakfast.
• Light brown sugar: Dark brown sugar can be used instead if that’s what you have. It will give your brioche French toast a more pronounced molasses flavor than light brown sugar, which has more subtle flavor.
• Ground cinnamon: Cinnamon is a big player here, so make sure yours is fresh! When you open the jar, it should be fragrant.
• Ground nutmeg: Freshly grated nutmeg is always a treat but jarred is just fine too.
• Kosher salt:  A little bit of salt brings balance to sweet recipes.
• Pure vanilla extract: Vanilla adds subtle flavor. You can try almond extract for something different.
• Butter: Using butter to fry the French toast adds another layer of flavor. It also helps crisp and brown the surface of the French toast.

How to Make Brioche French Toast

Mix the sugar and spice. I like to blend together the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a small bowl. This ensures that the spices don’t clump together in the egg mixture.

Make the custard. Whisk the eggs with the heavy cream in a pie plate or shallow dish large enough to dip the bread in. The eggs should be completely blended with the cream, meaning that you shouldn’t see any clear whites or globs of yellow yolk. Whisk in the vanilla, then the brown sugar mixture, until combined.

Preheat your skillet. Warm a large skillet or griddle over medium heat and melt a tablespoon or two of unsalted butter on it while you prepare the bread. How much butter you use depends on the size of the griddle, whether it’s nonstick or not, and your personal preference,

Soak the bread. Place a slice or two of the brioche into the dish containing the custard mixture. Let it soak up the custard for 15 to 20 seconds, then flip it over, and soak the other side. Don’t let the brioche sit in the custard too long or your bread may become too soggy and fall apart. Let the excess custard drip off a bit.

Cook. Fry the bread slices for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Add more butter to the pan if needed and repeat with the remaining brioche.

Possible Recipe Variations

• Switch up the spices. Try using apple pie spice, pumpkin pie spice, chai spices, or add a generous pinch of cardamom to the cinnamon and nutmeg for more cozy flavor (or try my chai French toast skewers!).
• Go over-the-top with garnishes. Everyone loves maple syrup but you can really take your French toast to the next level by adding different toppings and garnishes. Try homemade whipped cream with sliced strawberries. This apple compote (fried apples) goes really well on French toast. Go crazy with hot fudge sauce, sliced bananas, and chopped peanuts.
• Make it tropical. Instead of heavy cream, use canned coconut milk (well-shaken or whisked), then garnish your brioche French toast with whipped coconut cream, toasted shredded coconut, and diced pineapple or mango.

Make Ahead Tip

If you want to make brioche French toast a little ahead of time, keep it warm and crisp in a low oven (200°F). As you fry it, arrange the cooked slices in a single layer on a wire rack set on a baking sheet for good air circulation until ready to serve.

Refrigerate/freeze: Store brioche French toast in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, or frozen for up to 3 months. 

To reheat: Reheat brioche French toast in a skillet or on the griddle for best results, or warm it in the microwave for 30 seconds or until heated through. If you’ve frozen the French toast, it’s best to thaw it in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.

• In a small bowl, blend together the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt and set aside.

  2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt

• In a pie plate or shallow dish (large enough to dip the bread in), beat the eggs and cream until blended. Add vanilla, mix well. Whisk in the brown sugar mixture.

  4 large eggs, 1 cup cream, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• In a skillet or griddle on medium heat, melt a tablespoon or two of butter. How much butter you need depends on the size of your griddle and personal preference.

• While the pan heats, prepare the bread. Put a slice or two of brioche bread into the dish, allowing it to soak in the mixture, for at least 20 seconds but no more than 30 seconds. Flip the bread over and soak the other side. If you do this ahead, place each slice on a rimmed baking sheet until ready to fry.

  12 slices brioche bread

• Transfer to the heated griddle. Fry the bread until each side is golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Add more butter to the pan as needed and repeat. serve with your choice of garnish.

• Serve immediately with your choice of toppings.

• Yield: The yield depends somewhat on how thick the bread is sliced. Thicker slices will absorb more of the egg mixture. I’ve found it’s usually enough to make 10 to 12 slices of French toast. 
• Try different bread: You can use this recipe to make French toast with any type of bread you prefer.
• Storage & reheating: Store leftover French toast in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. For best results, thaw frozen French toast overnight in the refrigerator. The best way to reheat French toast is on the stovetop in a skillet. You can also warm it in the microwave for 30 seconds or until heated through. 

Serving: 2slices, Calories: 569kcal, Carbohydrates: 38g, Protein: 13g, Fat: 41g, Saturated Fat: 24g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 7g, Trans Fat: 0.3g, Cholesterol: 309mg, Sodium: 429mg, Potassium: 94mg, Fiber: 0.2g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 1597IU, Vitamin C: 0.3mg, Calcium: 94mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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