The Best Brioche French Toast Recipe (2024)

Published June 19, 2020.This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

Take your breakfast to the next level with this homemade brioche French toast recipe that uses an easy to make cinnamon and sugar batter.

Breakfast can sometimes be a challenge because it ends up being the same old thing. If you get in a run then you have to absolutely try my hoecakes or shakshuka to help change things up!

The Best Brioche French Toast Recipe (1)

French Toast

This history of French toast is a little murky as some claim it to be as old as the 5th century and created in Rome, while other sources say Spain, Germany, and every other western European country. Regardless, it’s easy to make and absolutely delicious and here are the basic ingredients:

  • Milk
  • Eggs
  • Cinnamon

There are a few other enhancing ingredients that you can use such as sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, or nutmeg.

What Kind of Bread to Use?

Obviously, brioche bread makes the absolute best French toast and it’s not even close. With that being said, it can be hard to find and sometimes expensive if you aren’t making it yourself. In case it isn’t available here are some other great bread options:

  • Challah
  • Texas Toast
  • French Bread
  • Italian Bread

How to Make French Toast from Scratch

Follow these easy instructions to make this awesome recipe:

Add some heavy whipping cream, sugar, vanilla, and mascarpone cheese to a stand mixer and mix on high speed with the whisk attachment to form stiff peaks. Set aside in the fridge until ready to use.

The Best Brioche French Toast Recipe (2)

Slice the loaf of brioche bread into 8 thick slices, yes, it’s ok to use the ends as well.

The Best Brioche French Toast Recipe (3)

In a large bowl whisk together the ½ and ½, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, and sugar until completely combined.

The Best Brioche French Toast Recipe (4)

One at a time dip the slices of brioche on each side into the batter and place on a hot griddle or pan with melted unsalted butter.

The Best Brioche French Toast Recipe (5)

Cook the French toast for 1 to 2 minutes per side or until browned and serve.

The Best Brioche French Toast Recipe (6)

Why is It Soggy?

The main reason your French toast is soggy is that you saturated it too much in the batter. Here are a few things to help so that it doesn’t get like this:

  1. Dip the bread: Don’t submerge the bread completely, quickly dip it on each side before cooking.
  2. Cook over low heat: Cook the French toast over lower heat so that it browns up and becomes crispy without burning.

French Toast Toppings

There are so many wonderful toppings you can put onto French toast and here are my absolute favorites:

  • Powdered Sugar
  • Maple Syrup
  • Fresh Berries
  • Jam
  • Honey
  • Whipped Cream

Make-Ahead and Storage

Make-Ahead: French toast is meant to be eaten right away. If you want to make it ahead of time, keep it warm in the oven at 250° for up to 1 hour.

How to Reheat: Spread the cooked pieces of French toast onto a sheet tray lined with parchment paper and bake at 350° for 4-6 minutes or until hot. Likewise, you can add it to a microwave-safe plate and heat until hot.

How to Store: Place covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. This will not freeze well.

The Best Brioche French Toast Recipe (7)

chef notes + tips

  • There will be plenty of mascarpone whipped cream leftover but don’t worry because it goes amazing on any dessert or pancakes.
The Best Brioche French Toast Recipe (8)

More Breakfast Recipes

  • Omelette
  • Cinnamon Rolls
  • Frittata
  • Blueberry Scones
  • Corned Beef Hash

Be sure to follow me onFacebook,YouTube,Instagram,andPinterest,and if you’ve had a chance to make this then definitely drop me a comment and a rating below!

The Best Brioche French Toast Recipe (9)

Video

Save

The Best Brioche French Toast Recipe

5 from 7 votes

Take your breakfast to the next level with this homemade brioche French toast recipe that uses an easy to make cinnamon and sugar batter.

Servings: 8

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Ingredients

For the Whipped Cream:

  • 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
  • ½ cup mascarpone cheese
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

For the French Toast:

  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 cup ½ and ½
  • 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 8 thick slices brioche bread
  • Unsalted butter

Instructions

  • Whipped Cream: Add all of the ingredients to a stand mixer with the whisk attachment and mix on high speed to form stiff peaks, which takes about 3-4 minutes. Chill until ready to use.

  • In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, ½ and 1/2, cinnamon, vanilla, and sugar until completely combined. Set aside.

  • In a large skillet or griddle over medium heat, add in some butter until melted.

  • Dip 1 piece of bread on each side into the batter and place it into the pan or griddle and cook for 1 to 2 minutes per side or until browned and crisp. Cook in batches or as many as can fit in your pan or griddle.

  • Add optional toppings of mascarpone whipped cream, fresh berries, powdered sugar, and maple syrup.

Notes

Chef Notes:

  • Make-Ahead: French toast is meant to be eaten right away. If you want to make it ahead of time, keep it warm in the oven at 250° for up to 1 hour.
  • How to Reheat: Spread the cooked pieces of French toast onto a sheet tray lined with parchment paper and bake at 350° for 4-6 minutes or until hot. Likewise, you can add it to a microwave-safe plate and heat until hot.
  • How to Store: Place covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. This will not freeze well.
  • There will be plenty of mascarpone whipped cream leftover but don’t worry because it goes amazing on any dessert or pancakes.

Nutrition

Calories: 450kcalCarbohydrates: 31gProtein: 8gFat: 33gSaturated Fat: 20gCholesterol: 180mgSodium: 205mgPotassium: 62mgFiber: 1gSugar: 13gVitamin A: 1248IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 89mgIron: 1mg

Course: Breakfast, brunch

Cuisine: english, French

Author: Chef Billy Parisi

Elevate Your Every Day Cooking

Get Chef Billy’s go-to tips that transform “blah” into “brilliant” plus weekly newsletter!

Add a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

10 comments

    • Scott
    • The Best Brioche French Toast Recipe (11)

    Made this for Christmas Day breakfast. Big hit and really one of the best French toasts ever. Skipped the cream and stuff on top this time, will try it another day. The base French toast is really, really wonderful. Was glad to find the bread in my grocery store. Yum!

    • Reply
    • sue
    • The Best Brioche French Toast Recipe (12)

    Thank you Chief Billy you’ve found hubby ‘s sweet tooth tasty … drooling he be 😁🫧👋

    • Reply
    • Alison C Skinner
    • The Best Brioche French Toast Recipe (13)

    This recipe is absolute dynamite!! Every recipe is spot on and easy to follow with real ingredients.

    • Reply
    • The Best Brioche French Toast Recipe (14)

        thank you

        • Reply
      • Cindy Vander Zanden
      • The Best Brioche French Toast Recipe (15)

      The Best French toast I have ever had. Please give it a try.

      • Reply
      • The Best Brioche French Toast Recipe (16)

          Thank you!

          • Reply
        • Julie
        • The Best Brioche French Toast Recipe (17)

        This is so delicious! Love this recipe!

        • Reply
        • The Best Brioche French Toast Recipe (18)

            so good!!

            • Reply
          • Ria
          • The Best Brioche French Toast Recipe (19)

          Doubled the batter. My children actually SCREAMED after the first bite. ‘It’s better than mama’s original recipe!’
          😳😱🤣. Never happened before!

          Thank u😄

          • Reply
          • Rehab
          • The Best Brioche French Toast Recipe (20)

          So good!

          • Reply
        The Best Brioche French Toast Recipe (2024)

        FAQs

        What is one common mistake when preparing French toast? ›

        If the pan isn't hot enough when you put your first slice in, the custard spreads out, forming a "foot" on the bottom of the French toast. When the pan is hot enough, the batter won't have time to seep; the custard will start cooking as soon as it hits the pan. Give the pan a light coating of neutral oil and butter.

        Is it better to use milk or heavy cream for French toast? ›

        Heavy Cream-use heavy cream for an extra decadent French toast. You can also use half milk and half heavy cream. Almond Milk-unsweetened vanilla almond milk makes great French toast. I love the extra vanilla flavor.

        Is it better to cook French toast fast or slow? ›

        Cooking it low and slow lets the bread soak up even more flavor. Stuffed French Toast: Chocolate, fruit, cream cheese or savory ingredients can all be stuffed inside French toast for extra flavor.

        Should I dry out brioche for French toast? ›

        The trick to making sure your French toast is custardy, not soggy, is to dry out the bread. We do this by toasting our bread in the oven for 20 minutes on a low temperature. (Dried bread makes for a better texture than stale, which retains a lot of moisture.

        Why is my brioche not fluffy? ›

        If the kneading is not done correctly and the dough is not kneaded enough or is kneaded too much, this will affect the texture of the brioche. The dough should be left to rise in a warm place, away from any draughts.

        What happens if you put too much butter in brioche? ›

        It is possible to add too much butter to bread dough. Too much butter will result in a very soft, sticky dough that's difficult to shape, and bakes up greasy and dense.

        What is the most common fault when making French toast? ›

        1. Not choosing the right bread. The heart and soul of French toast really is the bread — use something sub-par and the final result is going to be sub-par. The best bread is spongy and sturdy so that it will be able to soak up the custard without completely falling apart.

        Should French toast have more eggs or milk? ›

        Whatever you decide on, the ratio of liquid to egg will still be about ¼ cup liquid to one egg, and one egg per two slices of bread. So, if you want to make four slices of French toast, you would need four slices of bread, two eggs, and ½ cup milk. How's that for an easy recipe?

        How does Martha Stewart make French toast? ›

        Directions
        1. Preheat oven and beat eggs: Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in the middle of the oven. ...
        2. Beat in other liquid ingredients: Beat in liqueur, sugar, large pinch of salt, and orange zest and juice. ...
        3. Prep baking sheets; dip brioche into egg mixture: ...
        4. Bake: ...
        5. Broil; repeat with remaining slices: ...
        6. Serve:
        Jan 22, 2024

        Should I leave bread out overnight for French toast? ›

        Ideally, the bread should be slightly stale. A drier bread will soak up all the custard. Bread can be left out with the wrapper open the day before cooking. If you find yourself in a pinch, dry your bread slices in a 275°F oven for 10 minutes before soaking them in the custard.

        Do you soak both sides of French toast? ›

        Soak the French toast: Place four slices of bread into the custard to soak for one minute. Flip the slices and soak another minute.

        How can you tell if French toast is undercooked? ›

        "You know when your French toast is done when the center is set and doesn't have a runny consistency once cut," Oliveira says. If you're cooking a thinner French toast or omitted eggs from your soaking liquid, a quick pan-fry will do the trick, with 3 to 6 minutes on each side.

        What are the disadvantages of French toast? ›

        If you are watching your weight and health then you should know that French toast contains quite a high amount of saturated fat. This could be attributed to the eggs and milk that are among the ingredients of French toast. Saturated fat is one of the types of fats that you should avoid on a regular basis.

        What happens if French toast is undercooked? ›

        Especially in the US, raw eggs can carry salmonella. So to reduce the risk of getting salmonella from French toast, just make sure that each piece is cooked thoroughly so that the egg in it is no longer raw before you eat it.

        Top Articles
        Latest Posts
        Article information

        Author: Otha Schamberger

        Last Updated:

        Views: 6197

        Rating: 4.4 / 5 (75 voted)

        Reviews: 82% of readers found this page helpful

        Author information

        Name: Otha Schamberger

        Birthday: 1999-08-15

        Address: Suite 490 606 Hammes Ferry, Carterhaven, IL 62290

        Phone: +8557035444877

        Job: Forward IT Agent

        Hobby: Fishing, Flying, Jewelry making, Digital arts, Sand art, Parkour, tabletop games

        Introduction: My name is Otha Schamberger, I am a vast, good, healthy, cheerful, energetic, gorgeous, magnificent person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.