Thick-sliced brioche dipped in a sweet egg custard creates the most tender, buttery, luxurious French toast ever! Serve this Brioche French Toast with fresh berries and warm maple syrup for an easy but elegant breakfast.
I did this Brioche French Toast recipe for Christmas brunch last year and I’ve had it tucked away ever since, ready to share with you for Mother’s Day.
It’s such a great choice for even the most novice of cooks to pull together in a snap for a special breakfast in bed but would also be a wonderful choice for a more formal Mother’s Day brunch menu.
The Best Bread for French Toast
Brioche is a French pastry bread that uses more eggs and butter than most other yeast breads. The result is pillowy, buttery and slightly sweet. It’s frequently baked as a round loaf but has been rapidly gaining popularity and now you’ll find it readily available in the form of everything from hamburger buns to sliced bread.
Trader Joe’s carries a really nice loaf of thick-sliced brioche for a great price. I’ve also seen it at Costco and even my local Safeway. Look for a sliced loaf to make this recipe truly a breeze to prepare.
One note – be sure to remove the little strip of paper from the bottom of the slices before dipping in the egg custard as directed in the recipe. It might seem obvious but when you’re moving quickly first thing in the morning, it can be easy to miss!
For the simple egg custard I recommend using whole milk. There’s more body in whole milk than reduced fat milk which makes for a richer custard that will adhere to the bread and yield a better result.
To further enhance the buttery-sweet brioche, I like to add a touch of sugar and vanilla extract to the egg mixture.
For one recipe of French toast it’s easy to cook it in batches in a large skillet on the stove but when I’m cooking for a large group I like to double this recipe, using two loaves of brioche, and cook it on my counter top electric griddle. To make it easier to coat several pieces of bread at once, whisk the egg custard together in a 13- x 9-inch baking dish
I cooked up some yummy chicken breakfast sausage (also a Trader Joe’s item) and served it with warm pure maple syrup and fresh berries.
I think I can speak for most mom’s out there that this would be a very delicious way to start Mother’s Day.
Looking for more breakfast or brunch inspiration? Check out my entire collection of breakfast recipes including my Muffin Tin Hash Brown and Scrambled Egg Cups, Easy Crustless Quiche Bake and Oven Roasted Breakfast Potatoes.
Brioche French Toast
Video
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- ¾ cup whole milk
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons butter, divided
- 10 slices brioche
- ½ cup pure maple syrup, warmed
- fresh berries, for serving
Instructions
- Whisk the eggs in a low shallow dish – a pie plate works well – or if you’d like to coat several pieces of bread at once, use a 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Add the milk, sugar and vanilla extract and whisk again until well combined.
- Add 1 tablespoon butter to a 12-inch to 14-inch skillet and place over MEDIUM heat. Meanwhile, place one slice of brioche into the egg mixture and turn to coat both sides. When butter has melted and begins to foam, add the coated brioche. Dip and transfer as many pieces of brioche that will comfortably fit in the pan without touching. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until golden brown and then flip the bread and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes on the other side.
- Transfer the French toast to a platter and keep warm. If you don’t have a warming tray, place the French toast on a baking sheet and transfer to a 200 degree oven until ready to serve.
- Wipe down the skillet with a paper towel and repeat the process with remaining butter, bread, and egg mixture.
- Serve immediately with warmed maple syrup and fresh berries.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
It’s nice to know it freezes well too! Definitely a keeper recipe. 5⭐️
Been using this recipe over and over for years! It’s so easy, and with the fluffiest brioche (we like using Natures Own Perfectly Crafted thick sliced brioche) it makes the YUMMIEST French toast that even reheats well! The key is to really get the bread sopping wet so your French toast is plenty moist. The recipe says you can get ten pieces of French toast out of it, but we usually only get about seven, maaaaybe eight with how much we like to let the bread soak up all the eggy goodness! Perfect with real maple syrup, sliced strawberries, and a light dusting of powdered sugar. Toddler is obsessed, without the maple syrup or powdered sugar!
I love hearing this! Thanks so much for your comment, Hannah. 🙂
Using day old challah makes a good substitute for brioche.
The Christmas baking program is on here in England. It’s lovely seeing you and Duff together again.