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.

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

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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)

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The Best Brioche French Toast Recipe

The Best Brioche French Toast Recipe (10)

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5 from 8 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

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11 comments

    • Scott
    • The Best Brioche French Toast Recipe (12)

    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 (13)

    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 (14)

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

    • Reply
    • The Best Brioche French Toast Recipe (15)

        thank you

        • Reply
      • Cindy Vander Zanden
      • The Best Brioche French Toast Recipe (16)

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

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

          Thank you!

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

        This is so delicious! Love this recipe!

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

            so good!!

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

          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 (21)

          So good!

          • Reply
        The Best Brioche French Toast Recipe (2024)

        FAQs

        What is the secret to the best French toast? ›

        The secret ingredient in this fluffy French toast recipe: all-purpose flour! Flour binds the liquids together, which creates a more traditional “batter” and helps prevent soggy results. This extra ingredient ensures the French toast is crispy on the outside, but soft and fluffy on the inside.

        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?

        Why is restaurant French toast so much better? ›

        Restaurant French toast is generally a superior product because of time. Letting it soak in the custard for up to five minutes allows more delicious dairy to be absorbed. This step is where having stale bread is essential. Using soft fresh bread will take on too much custard and become a mushy mess.

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

        Tip #3: Cook French Toast Over Low Heat for 15 Minutes Total

        The mistake that is most often made with french toast is not cooking it long enough so that the custard inside is cooked thoroughly. We're going to be working over low heat here, so it is important to let it cook for 7 & 1/2 minutes per side.

        Why doesn't my French toast taste like anything? ›

        Season Your French Toast Batter

        Milk and eggs are the only essentials required for the custard base—but it's how you season the mixture that will give your French toast a distinctive flavor. A pinch of cinnamon and some vanilla extract are standard upgrades—and a little sugar never hurts either.

        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.

        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.

        Why is my brioche not fluffy? ›

        To make a perfect brioche, it is essential to knead the dough thoroughly: this gives the dough its elasticity. 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.

        What is the original French toast? ›

        According to a collection of recipes from the early 5th century AD, the dish we now know as French toast existed as early as the age of the Roman Empire. In their style of French toast, called Pan Dulcis, Romans would soak bread in a milk and egg mixture, then fry it in oil or butter.

        How to improve your French toast? ›

        A pinch of cinnamon and some vanilla extract are standard upgrades—and a little sugar never hurts either. (Consider this when choosing a sweetener: Powdered sugar will dissolve well, leaving you with a smooth custard, while brown sugar will create a lovely caramel flavor as it cooks.)

        Should you toast your bread before making French toast? ›

        Use stale bread or toast the bread until it's golden-brown. It needs to be sturdy to hold up to the egg mixture. If the bread is fresh from the bag or you toast it too lightly, the finished dish will be soggy. Soak the toasted or untoasted bread for about 10 seconds per side to achieve the optimal texture.

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