There are not words to describe all that is the GLORY that is a fresh, tender loaf of French Brioche. And then of course, the sadness when as one person living alone who certainly wants to but certainly should not consume an entire fresh loaf of bread, I watch it go stale on my countertop. Cue brioche french toast - the perfect way to bring life back to a loaf gone stale.
is french toast french?
Okay, so we know it's delicious, but is it French? History isn't super clear on who invented French toast, but we can pretty much say with certainty that it wasn't the French.
Well then, who invented french toast?
The first documented origin of French Toast comes from the first century CE, in a Roman recipe book called the Apicius. It takes another 14 centuries to show up in any French documented history!
To further complicate things, English cookbooks refer to French Toast by a French name: Pain Perdu, or "Lost Bread", referencing that the dish uses bread that would otherwise have been stale or "lost."
Why talk about the origin of French Toast? Because food connects us. Because would you ever have thought your favorite brunch dish has been consumed by people for CENTURIES?!
I recently read that Betty White is older than sliced bread, but French toast is roughly as old as The Colosseum.
What type of bread is best for french toast?
Almost any type of bread can be used with this recipe, but I love the way brioche creates a tender, spongey interior. Swirled breads and other yeasty breads also make a great choice.
what makes a brioche different from most breads?
Brioche is super rich! Full of eggs, milk, butter, and even the occasional pinch of sugar, brioche has a more tender and supple texture than most breads. If you can't get your hands on it, challah is very similar in texture ( although lacks the butter in brioche ), and can absolutely be substituted.
If you like brioche french toast, you might also like:
- Apple Fritter Dutch Baby
- EASY Cinnamon Roll Casserole
- Iced Brown Sugar Shaken Espresso Starbucks COPYCAT
📖 Recipe
Brioche French Toast
Ingredients
- 8 slices brioche 1" thick
- 6 eggs
- ½ cup All Purpose Flour
- 2 cups Milk any type is fine ( Skim, 2%, Whole ), although I prefer Whole if possilbe
- 2 teaspoons Cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon Nutmeg
- 2 Tablespoons Vanilla Extract
- 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Salted Butter
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200° F. This is how you'll keep the french toast warm while cooking the rest in batches.
- Beat together eggs, flour, milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and brown sugar until well combined.
- In a very large pan ( or two 9x12 pans ), pour half of the egg mixture. Place the bread slices in a single layer in the pan, and then poor the the rest of the egg mixture evenly over them. Let sit for 30 minutes.
- In a large 12" skillet, melt ½ tablespoon of butter over medium low to medium heat. Place two slices of the french toast in the pan on medium low heat, cover, and cook for 3 minutes. Then flip both slices and cook for 3 more minutes uncovered. Place the pieces of toast on a sheet pan and place the pan in the 200°F oven to keep them warm.
- Repeat, cooking french toast in the skillet and adding cooked pieces to the warmed oven until all slices are cooked.
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