This fluffy Brioche French Toast makes the perfect indulgent weekend breakfast. It's also a lighter recipe using wholesome ingredients, without heavy cream, added sugar or butter, and tastes just as delicious!
If you’re like me and love a classic french toast, then you’re going to absolutely love this Brioche French Toast! That one little change of using brioche bread just takes it to another level. Usually french toast can be a little heavy and too indulgent, but here I've made a lighter recipe that's healthier and uses wholesome ingredients. It's made without heavy cream, added sugar or butter because it really doesn't need it!
Now I’m normally an overnight oats kind of person for breakfast and I eat it everyday, yep everyday 😉. However when it comes to weekends and special occasions, I love making a more decadent breakfast or brunch to start the day extra sweet...and this brioche french toast recipe ticks all of those boxes. It's golden on the outside, yet soft and sweet on the inside, and will literally melt in your mouth!
Some other weekend breakfasts I love are Greek yogurt pancakes and my lemon loaf cake.
If you've been here for a while, you know I love to put a healthier twist on the foods we all love, without compromising on flavor. The brioche bread itself is pillowy and sweet, so with a few simple swaps, you can make the most delicious brioche french toast. With 5 ingredients and 15 minutes, you can make the perfect brekkie!
You can also bake this recipe in the oven if you prefer to make a baked french toast casserole style dish. Some other easy fancy toast ideas are my custard toast, sweet potato toast and classic healthy french toast.
Table of Contents
Why you'll love this recipe
- Quick and Easy: With 5 ingredients and 15 minutes, you can make the perfect brekkie!
- Weekend Indulgence: The rich brioche bread makes a decadent french toast recipe
- Simple Swaps: Easy ingredient substitutions make this recipe lighter, healthier and just delicious
- Family Friendly: Serve to the family and even guests on special occasions, everyone will love it!
What is Brioche Bread?
Brioche is a decadent bread that's quite soft with a pillow-like texture, originally from France, that sits somewhere between a pastry and a bread. It contains eggs, butter, cream or milk, and sugar in the dough, which makes it rich and extra delish!
You can enjoy it on its own, as burger buns and of course to make this french toast recipe.
Here in Italy, brioche can also refer to a croissant, also known as a cornetto. In Sicily however, brioche is shaped in a round bun shape and served alongside granita for breakfast in the warmer months. It's one of my favorite things to eat in Italy in the summer…yum!
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Brioche bread is of course the star of the show! It’s super soft with a buttery texture and slightly sweet with a hint of vanilla extract, making it perfect for french toast. You can also use challah bread if you can't get your hands on brioche
- Eggs are the base of our custard mixture for dipping the bread into, which makes it rich and soft
- Milk is added to the custard. I prefer non-dairy milk and have used almond milk here. You can of course use whole milk which makes it more rich
- Maple syrup or honey are my preferred sweeteners rather than sugar for the custard. You don't need much as the brioche is already sweet itself
- Cinnamon and a pinch of salt adds flavor to the dish with the cinnamon adding a lovely warm aroma
- Oil for frying or any neutral oil will work, I love adding coconut oil when making sweet dishes. Traditionally melted butter is used for frying french toast, but I'm not a fan and it does make it more heavy
- Garnish options, I love to add fruit or fresh berries to give it freshness and brighten the french toast up. Today I’ve used bananas and blueberries but feel free to use what's in season such as strawberries or even kiwi fruit would be delicious
How to make Brioche French Toast
You can make the perfect indulgent breakfast with this Brioche French Toast. Follow my simple steps below.
Crack eggs in a shallow dish and whisk. Then add milk, maple syrup, cinnamon a pinch of salt and whisk
Dip one brioche slice into the mixture until fully submerged for 2-3 seconds. Then place on a plate
Repeat the previous step with the remaining slices
Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Place in soaked brioche slices, ensuring they’re not touching
Cook for 2-3 minutes. Once golden, flip over and cook the second side for 1-2 minutes
Serve fresh berries or fruit and an optional drizzle of maple syrup. Enjoy!
Tips and Tricks
- Use thick slices of brioche- preferably day old or stale so they don't fall apart. Brioche is quite soft so it soaks the custard very quickly
- Ensure to only submerge the brioche slices into the custard for 2-3 seconds to avoid a soggy mess
- Cook over a medium heat so it doesn't burn on the outside and will still be cooked on the inside
- Don't overcrowd the pan and cook in batches if needed so you can achieve even browning
- If you have leftover brioche, you can use it to to make a delicious bread pudding for another day
Storage Instructions
- Brioche french toast is best enjoyed fresh, however if you have leftovers, you can store any in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days
- Reheat gently in a pan with a little oil spray for a few minutes or you can also reheat in the microwave or toaster oven
- You can freeze leftover cooked brioche french toast slices. Store the slice of brioche bread separately in a freezer bag for up to a month, then thaw before reheating
FAQs
Ideally, stale or old bread is best for making french toast as it's much drier than fresh bread, so therefore wont turn out soggy. Also, only dip the bread into the custard for 2-3 seconds at maximum and don't over soak
Brioche is much softer and richer in taste than normal bread, as it contains eggs, butter, milk or cream and sugar
The custard mixture for dipping is usually made with eggs, cream, and sugar. Here in my brioche french toast recipe, I've made a lighter version using eggs, milk and maple syrup or honey. Cinnamon is also added for extra flavor
More Brunch Ideas
More Toast Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
I love seeing your creations and remakes, so be sure to rate the recipe, comment and share your Brioche French Toast photo on Instagram so I can share the love!
Recipe
Brioche French Toast (Light and Decadent)
Ingredients
- 4 slices thick brioche bread - preferably day old or stale
- 2 eggs
- ⅔ cup milk of choice - I've used almond milk
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 2-3 teaspoons coconut oil for frying - or preferred oil/butter
- Pinch of salt
Garnish (optional)
- Fresh fruit such as sliced bananas and berries
- Drizzle of maple syrup or honey
Instructions
- In a deep bowl, crack in the eggs and whisk together
- Add the milk, maple syrup, cinnamon and a pinch of salt and whisk to combine
- One by one, dip the brioche slices into the egg mixture until fully submerged for about 2-3 seconds to allow them to soak the mixture, then place on a plate
- Repeat the above step with the remaining brioche slices
- Heat the oil in a large skillet or pan over medium heat. Place in the soaked brioche slices, ensuring they aren't touching each other
- Cook for 2-3 minutes, then lift one of the corners with a spatula to check the color. Once brown and golden, gently flip over
- Cook the second side for 1-2 minutes until golden brown and they're ready to plate up! Serve with fresh fruit or berries with an optional drizzle of maple syrup and enjoy your delicious brioche french toast!
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