Brioche French Toast
Brioche French toast takes rich, buttery brioche bread slices, soaks them in a cinnamon-spiced custard mixture, and pan-fries them to perfection. This might just be the best French toast ever!
Brioche French toast is a staple at so many breakfast restaurants, and once you try it, it’s easy to see why it. Brioche is fluffy, rich, and buttery—the perfect bread for an indulgent breakfast like French toast.
Of course, you don’t have to go out to brunch to get good brioche French toast. This easy brioche French toast recipe is simple to make at home—in fact, it takes only 10 minutes from start to finish! It’s the kind of breakfast that feels elaborate and like it should be time-consuming, but it comes together lickety-split.
You could totally make this French toast for breakfast everyday if you want to. (And trust us, you will want to!)
About this brioche French toast
Just like your classic buttermilk pancakes, French toast is cooked on a griddle or in a skillet, but it’s even easier than pancakes—there’s no fussing with a bunch of dry ingredients, and the flipping is a lot less messy when you’re starting with a piece of sliced brioche instead of pancake batter.
Pair brioche French toast with crispy bacon for some sweet-and-savory contrast, or go all in on the sweet and top it with pancake syrup, a dollop of whipped cream, caramelized bananas or caramelized pineapple for an extra decadent treat.
What you need
- Light brown sugar – Dark brown sugar can be used instead, but it will give your brioche French toast a more pronounced molasses flavor than light brown sugar, which is more subtle.
- 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 ground nutmeg is always a treat, but jarred is just fine too.
- Sea salt – A little bit of salt brings balance to sweet recipes.
- Eggs – Eggs are key for that rich, creamy custard.
- Cream – While we recommend making brioche French toast with heavy cream, you can use milk for a lighter breakfast.
- Pure vanilla extract – Or try almond extract for something different.
- Butter – Using butter to cook the French toast adds another layer of flavor.
- Brioche bread – Day-old bread is best, or toast the bread slices on a baking sheet in the oven to dry them out a bit.
How to make it
Make the custard. Whisk the eggs with the heavy cream in a pie plate or shallow dish.
Then, whisk in the vanilla, light brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
Preheat your skillet. Warm a large skillet or griddle over medium heat and melt a tablespoon or two of unsalted butter while you prepare the bread.
Soak the bread. Place a slice or two of the brioche into the dish; let it soak up the custard a bit, then flip and soak the other side.
Tip: Don’t let the brioche sit in the custard for more than 30 seconds per side. If it soaks up too much liquid, your bread will fall apart.
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.
FAQs
Brioche, like challah and babka, is considered an enriched bread, which is a yeast bread made 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 bread.
French toast will get soggy if you let it soak in the custard mixture for too long or if you don’t let the excess custard drip off a bit. With brioche, your French toast may also end up soggy if you use very fresh bread; it’s a good idea to use day-old bread or toast it in the oven to dry it out.
How to make this brioche French toast your own
This brioche French toast is the perfect starting point for all different kinds of customizations! Here’s some inspiration:
- Make it tropical. Swap the heavy cream for coconut milk, then garnish your brioche French toast with whipped coconut cream, toasted shredded coconut, and diced pineapple or mango.
- 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 some more cozy flavor.
- Go over-the-top with garnishes. We have so many options! Maple cream cheese glaze, cinnamon whipped cream, homemade apple butter, caramel sauce—you can really take your French toast to the next level by adding lots of toppings and garnishes. Browse all of our pancake toppings.
Storage Suggestions
Store brioche French toast in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, or frozen for up to 3 months.
Reheating Tips
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.
More French toast recipes
Get the Recipe: Brioche French Toast
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup cream or milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided (more if needed)
- 12 slices Brioche bread
- maple syrup, butter, or whipped cream (for serving)
Instructions
- In a pie plate or a shallow dish beat 4 eggs with 1 cup of cream (or milk).
- Whisk in vanilla, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
- In a skillet on medium heat, melt 1 to 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, depending on the size of your pan, and prepare your bread.
- Put a slice or two of brioche bread (or any bread of your choosing) into the dish allowing it to soak in the mixture. Allow it to soak for no longer than 30 seconds and then flip and do the other side. Fry the bread until each side is golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side.
- Add more butter into the pan as needed and repeat until all french toast is cooked.
- Serve with your choice of toppings.
Notes
- Nutrition information does not include toppings.