Brioche French Toast
French toast is a no-brainer, something even the non-cook can deal with. Some basic grocery store bread dipped in a mixture of milk and eggs, cooked until golden on a hot griddle – what is there to mess up? But French toast crosses over into gourmetland if it’s made with artisan bread, soaked in a richer mixture of eggs, whole milk, or even cream, stuffed with a filling like mascarpone cheese, or topped with hot fruit compote or caramelized nuts. There are countless possibilities.
The road to gourmet French toast, for me, begins with brioche. Brioche is a French bread with a high content of eggs and butter, which give it a rich, golden crumb – it’s light and airy in texture, with a buttery scent and flavor. The crust is flaky and golden, because the bread is given an allover egg wash twice – once before the proofing or final rising of the dough, and once before baking. Brioche is usually baked in a round, fluted pan, which gives it an unusual shape.
Julia Child provides detailed instructions for making brioche at home in Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 2, but if you don’t have time for full-on breadmaking, and there’s a good bakery (the kind that bakes its own bread on site) in your neighborhood, chances are they will have brioche available at least once a week. I buy mine at Wealthy Street Bakery in Grand Rapids’ Easttown neighborhood, where it’s one of their Saturday offerings. Note: your bakery may only bake a few loaves of this specialty bread for the day’s sales. It can be smart to order a loaf in advance if your bakery allows, or call when the bakery opens and find out what time the brioche will be ready, so that you’re walking in the door as it’s coming out of the oven.
Brioche, sliced thick, makes for a perfect, eggy, buttery French toast. Dipped in a mixture of eggs, milk, vanilla, and just a touch of sugar, it doesn’t even need syrup – just a light touch of sweet cream butter, and a dusting of powdered sugar.
Basic Brioche French Toast
1 loaf brioche, sliced 1″ thick
5 eggs
2 cups whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon sugar or maple syrup
butter and powdered sugar
If your loaf of brioche is round, slice it in half first, and then slice each half crosswise into 1″ thick half-slices.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla, and sugar.
On a skillet over medium-high heat, or in an electric skillet set at 350 degrees, melt a tablespoon of butter. Dip each slice of brioche into the egg mixture – do this quickly, or the fine crumb will fall apart (this isn’t the kind of bread you need or want to soak – it will absorb the liquid quickly, like a sponge). Place on the hot surface and cook, checking by lifting the edge of each slice with a spatula every half a minute or so, until the bottom side is golden brown. Flip, and cook the other side. As you remove each slice from the hot pan, lightly spread it with sweet cream butter. Keep warm in a 200-degree oven until ready for serving. Dust lightly with powdered sugar.
Serves 6.