Brioche French Toast

 

On my recent trip to Earth Fare, I spotted a loaf of brioche bread.  Real brioche bread from France.  It’s not everyday that I can buy a loaf of bread from France, so I had to get a some.  And because it is that time of year, I picked up a bottle of smooth, creamy custard from the dairy section.  I put two + two together and decided to up the ante on a family favorite, French toast.  So in this case I am calling it Brioche French Toast.

I learned how to make French toast years ago by watching my father.  (While my mom is a great cook, breakfast was never her thing.)  My dad kept it simple, which is one of the things that I really like about making French toast.  There is no need to make it fussy or complicated, even when making it as Brioche French Toast.

Brioche is not what we typically think of as French bread, though France is where it originated.  Brioche has a high egg and butter content, which gives it a rich and tender crumb.  Because of this, it does not need to soak long in the custard mixture.

French Toast Tips

• Be sure to preheat your pan.  You can do this while you slice your bread and make the custard mixture.
• Heat your pan to the optimal temperature.  I find that heating it to medium-high heat works best.  While making a large batch, I sometimes have to lower the temperature after cooking the first few slices.
• Make sure your pan is well-greased/oiled/butter.  Even though I use a nonstick-skillet, the oil helps to create the just the right amount of crispness that French toast needs.  You may find it necessary to add additional during the process.

When using brioche, be sure to cut your slices at least 1/2 inch thick.  Three-fourths of an inch would probably work, too.  You need the thickness to be able to hold the custard mixture.  Also, thinner slices will not hold up well when flipped.

Allow the bread to develop a nice, brown color before flipping.  This may take a little bit of practice.  There’s a slight learning curve, so just be patient.

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Brioche French Toast

Ingredients

• 1 loaf brioche
• 2 cups drinkable custard
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• oil for pan

Instructions

1. Drizzle oil in a nonstick skillet and preheat over medium-high heat.
2. Meanwhile, slice brioche into ½ - ¾ inch thick slices.
3. Combine custard, eggs, and vanilla and whisk well.
4. Quickly dip slices of bread, one at a time, into custard mixture. Allow excess custard to drip off before placing into prepared skillet.
5. Fry bread until golden brown, then flip and fry other side.
6. Remove from skillet and serve with syrup or fresh fruit, if desired.

French toast is great with maple syrup on top, as well as fresh fruit, or even just sprinkled with a little powdered sugar.  The creamy texture of the inside of this Brioche French Toast reminds me of bread pudding.  Perhaps I should make it for dessert sometime and serve it à la mode and drizzle it with a little chocolate sauce.

What do you like to put on top of your French toast?

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