Brioche French Toast

It had been soooooo long since I had French toast. My wife suggested that I make some and I quickly put the things I needed on my grocery list. I started with homemade brioche bread, but you can use a loaf from the store or substitute another type of bread, such as challah. You’ll get the best results with day-old or slightly stale bread. My homemade brioche is nice and thick, absorbing loads of the egg batter, which is the key to a perfect French toast. You don’t just want a light coating on the outside, you want it all the way through, in each and every bite. I like my French toast thick and eggy. No point in going halfway.

Brioche French Toast

The Best French Toast

This brioche French toast checked off every box on my list of things that make for great French toast. A slightly crunchy crusty edge: check. Eggy creamy soft insides: check. Able to absorb tons of real Maple syrup: check and check again.

This dish is best prepared in a cast iron skillet. Nothing conducts heat better!

Also try my English muffin French toast and my cinnamon French toast bake! And if you have a Cuisinart Griddler, it makes the best (and easiest) French toast!

Brioche French Toast
Print Pin
5 from 1 vote

Brioche French Toast

My homemade brioche is nice and thick, absorbing loads of the egg batter, which is the key to a perfect French toast. You don’t just want a light coating on the outside, you want it all the way through, in each and every bite.
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Keyword French toast
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Calories 565kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 cup half-and-half
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 tablespoons honey warmed
  • ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 8 slices Brioche 1/2" thick stale bread works best
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
  • Your favorite toppings real maple syrup, powdered sugar, whipped cream, fruits, etc

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375 F.
  • Add half-and-half, eggs, honey and salt to a pie pan. Whisk with a fork.
  • Working in batches, place bread in the egg mixture and let soak on each side for 30 seconds. Transfer to a wire rack over a sheet pan.
  • Working in batches, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large skillet. Add 2 bread slices to the skillet and cook until golden brown, 2-3 minutes. Flip and cook another 2-3 minutes. Remove to another wire rack over a sheet pan.
  • Transfer pan of bread to the oven and bake 5 minutes.
  • Serve immediately with your favorite toppings.

Nutrition

Calories: 565kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 22g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 312mg | Sodium: 545mg | Potassium: 139mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 1366IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 129mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Bread Machine Brioche

I woke up one morning and said “That’s it. I am not ignoring my bread machine any longer”. Like a lot of folks, I keep my bread machine at the back of the pantry. Way in the back. Well, no more. I’ve been using it to make fantastic po boy bread dough and since my wife requested French toast, I also made a great loaf of bread machine brioche bread. My first time. And yeah, though it’s not like I worked the dough by hand, it still feels homemade and boy, was the French toast out of this world!

Bread Machine Brioche

The Perfect Bread For French Toast

This bread machine brioche is so soft and eggy inside. The crust is thin but a little crunchy. It holds up well for making French toast.

The key to this bread is determining when to add the butter. You’ll be adding 8 tablespoons (a stick), one tablespoon at a time at 1 minute intervals, during the last kneading cycle. For our bread maker the second (last) kneed cycle ends 35 minutes after starting the machine. That means I add the first tablespoon of butter after 27 minutes. You’ll want to consult your bread machine manual to know when the kneading cycle ends.

Bread Machine Brioche
Print Pin
5 from 1 vote

Bread Machine Brioche

I made a great loaf of bread machine brioche bread. My first time and boy, was the French toast I made from it out of this world!
Course Bread
Cuisine American
Keyword bread, homemade
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 50 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 55 minutes
Servings 1 loaf
Calories 1926kcal
Author Mike

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup lukewarm water plus 2 tablespoons
  • 2 eggs plus 1 egg yolk, lightly whisked
  • ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 ¾ cups bread flour plus 2 tablespoons
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 ¾ teaspoons active dry yeast
  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into tablespoon-sized pats, softened

Instructions

  • Add all ingredients except for the softened butter to the bread machine in the order specified by your bread machine maker. I have listed the ingredients in the order for my older model Regal bread maker.
  • Set your bread machine to ‘sweet’ or ‘regular’ if yours doesn’t have a ‘sweet’ setting and begin processing.
  • minutes before the second kneed cycle is completed start adding the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, 1 minute between adding each one. NOTE: My bread machine book has a chart showing the various cycle times. For mine, making sweet bread, the 2nd kneed begins after 15 minutes and last 20 minuets. So, I began adding the butter 27 minutes (15 minutes + 20 minutes – 8 minutes) after starting the bread.
  • Let machine finish and then open the top. Let the bread cool 20 minutes before removing to slice.

Notes

Follow the measurement amounts exactly to get the proper texture.

Nutrition

Calories: 1926kcal | Carbohydrates: 204g | Protein: 47g | Fat: 104g | Saturated Fat: 61g | Trans Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 568mg | Sodium: 1897mg | Potassium: 569mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 37g | Vitamin A: 3278IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 117mg | Iron: 4mg

Nutritional values are approximate.