Looking for a delicious and quick start to your day? How does easy, light and fluffy brioche french toast with berries sound? This classic breakfast recipe makes a decadent weekend brunch or special occasion treat and is ready in under 10 minutes.
Do you ever look at a recipe and think “that looks amazing but I bet it’s really difficult”? Yes, or just me?
I’m certain we’ve all got that one recipe or dish that we really want to make but it feels like such a daunting task. Mine’s french toast or eggy bread!
I’ll freely admit that those beautiful light and fluffy layers of custard-soaked bread have me drooling whenever they appear on my Instagram feed. But in all my years of being let loose in the kitchen, I’ve shied away from making it.
I know you’re sat there thinking, but why? It’s so easy, quick and tastes amazing!
Four simple ingredients for fluffy french toast?
If you’re like me and have never actually tried it before, you’d be forgiven for not knowing what all the fuss was about. But now I’ve plucked up the courage and made it, I can tell you that brioche french toast is quite possibly the most divine, sweet and indulgent breakfast you’ll ever make.
It’s been something of a revelation for me how easy french toast can be and there really was nothing to worry about. In fact, it’s that easy that I’m sure that if you head into the kitchen now, you’ll find all of the four simple ingredients you need right there and waiting.
- Milk – whole milk is best, the fat content gives you a lovely creamy french toast. Or to make it a little extra decadent, you could go half and half with double or heavy cream
- Eggs – mixed with the milk, eggs will form the custard batter for soaking the bread in, hence the alternative name eggy bread
- Vanilla – add a splash of extract into the custard for a little extra flavour, or swap for a pinch of ground cinnamon for a classic french toast
- Topping – As I’m obsessing over the new season of summer fruits and berries, I decided a mixed fruit french toast was the way to go, with a spoonful of creme fraiche and a drizzle of honey
- Bread – any bread will do, but the main thing is to use a bread that tastes great
And on that note…
The best bread for classic french toast
When it comes to french toast bread, it all comes down to the taste! To add that extra richness that works in harmony with the custard batter, try a buttery brioche or challah bread for the perfect flavour. If you can’t find either, then good white farmhouse works a charm. And better still, if your bread is a little stale, it will hold together more when soaking.
But for me, the winning bread has to a choc chip brioche loaf; the buttery richness of the dough, with flecks of chocolate chips throughout, makes my french toast that little more decadent.
If there really is no other option and you need to make french toast, then shop-bought sliced bread will work just fine. Just make sure you don’t leave it to soak in the custard for too long otherwise you’ll end up with a soggy mess. And that would be a tragedy!
Can you make healthy french toast?
Yes, of course you can! With a few tweaks and ingredient swaps, you can make a lower fat, healthy french toast that still hits all those creamy, decadent notes. Here’s how easy it can be…
- Switch brioche bread for whole wheat or whole grain bread; try to stay away from sliced white or brown bread, due to the higher sugar content
- Swap the whole milk, for an equal quantity of either semi-skimmed or skimmed milk
- For a dairy-free alternative, why not use soya, coconut or almond milk and make sure the bread isn’t enriched with butter
- Switch out the butter for cooking the french toast in, and use a spray oil like Buttery Fry-Light.
- Resist adding sugar, honey or syrup to the batter mix. The sweetness of the bread and any healthy topping will make the french toast sweet enough. If you must add extra sweetness, a quick drizzle of honey to finish off will do the trick
Top tips for making easy brioche french toast
Before we dive into the recipe, here’s a couple of top tips that will give you that crispy, golden french toast each and every time.
- Whisk well – make sure you mix the egg and milk together until they are combined. If not, then you could end up with cooked egg whites, rather than custardy toast
- Dip quick – but quick enough to allow the bread to soak up the custard. The length of soak will depend on the type of bread you have chosen and it’s thickness. Too long in the custard means soggy bread and it won’t cook through properly
- Pre-heat pan – over medium heat, get your pan nice and warm so that when you add the bread, the french toast starts to cook straight away. Make sure the pan isn’t too hot, as the outside will cook quicker than the inside and again… soggy toast!
Flavour combos to level up eggy bread
The best part about this recipe is how simple and versatile it can be to add flavours. If you’re an avid reader of the blog, you’ll know all about my love of summer fruits. So there really was no other ultimate combo for me – a summery choc chip brioche french toast with berries.
More deliciously easy recipes to try
If you liked this brioche French toast then here are some other recipes that I think you’d enjoy…
Brioche French Toast with Berries
Ingredients
- 4 slices Chocolate Chip Brioche Loaf
- 2 Eggs Medium
- 80 ml Whole Milk
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 tbsp Butter Unsalted
- 50 g Strawberries
- 50 g Raspberries
- 2 tsp Creme Fraiche
- 2 tsp Honey
Instructions
- In a large, flat dish, add the eggs, milk and vanilla extract. Whisk together until well combined.
- Dip each slice of the brioche loaf into the egg mixture. Allow the bread to soak up some of the mixture for 1-2 minutes, depending on the thickness of the loaf slices.
- Add the butter to a large skillet pan and melt over a medium heat.
- Add 2 slices of the soaked brioche, or as many as you can fit in the skillet, and cook for 3-4 minutes, on either side, until the brioche loaf is golden and crispy.
- Serve the french toast with fresh strawberries and raspberries, and top with a spoonful of creme fraiche and a drizzle of honey.
Notes
- Once cooked, allow the french toast to cool on a wire rack, then individually wrap to freeze for up to 1 month.
- Reheat frozen french toast in an oven at 180C/375F until hot, around 8-10 minutes
Nutrition
DISCLAIMER
The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
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Sounds like my kind of breakfast/brunch! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Thanks Jhuls! It’s certainly a little more indulgent than my usual breakfast or brunch options, but it’s too good to say no to.
Wow this is a stunner!!
Thank you! It was pretty amazing, especially with the choc chip brioche.
Oh em geeeee this recipe looks so good I adored french toast growing up and mum would never had made it with brioche, what a fab idea. Thank you for sharing with #CookBlogShare
Thank you! Now I’ve finally plucked up the courage to make it, I’m sure I’ll be making it more often. I wish I’ve tried it sooner. The brioche is great but I really fancy trying it with hot cross buns for Easter.
Those French Toast look to die for! Love the idea of using chocolate chips brioche for it too, especially with the fresh berries mixed with it… yum! #cookblogshare
Thank you Sylvie. I had a terrible sweet tooth so the choc chip brioche gives it that little extra sweetness.