The Best French Toast Recipe
My family just loves this recipe and it’s the only French toast they want. ~Palma
Why My French Toast Is The Best!
My French toast recipe is still the only one I use and there is a reason readers love it too. I will prove that simple (carefully selected) ingredients and a few minutes are all you need.
- Perfected Method: I’ve spent weeks perfecting my recipe years ago, testing different breads and custard combinations (and I’m still tweaking it). This recipe delivers foolproof results with a fast and easy technique.
- The Ideal Bread: We use Brioche as the star ingredient. Its buttery, delicate texture is stable, soaks custard quickly, and provides superior flavor.
- Simple & Versatile: The recipe is designed for Brioche but is adaptable for other quality breads like challah or baguette with minor adjustments.
Table of Contents
Ingredient Notes and Why I Chose Them
I’ve tested this recipe countless times before publishing it in 2019, especially testing all possible breads! There are only four main ingredients and a couple of flavors are needed but two are the most important:
- Bread: Trust me on the bread choice, Brioche!
- Heavy whipping cream: For creamiest texture, use heavy whipping cream. Heavy whipping cream also makes the egg mixture thicker rather than watery like it is with milk. Since the egg mixture is thicker, it will take a little longer to soak into the bread for a better final texture. If you have to substitute heavy whipping cream, use half and half.
- Dairy/lactose free option: For a lactose free option, you can use lactose free half and half. If you need a dairy free option, use unsweetened oat milk. That’s my best recommendation for the thickness and consistency.
What Are Best Bread Options?
- Brioche: This bread is so soft and fluffy, it does the best job soaking the sweet egg mixture. Brioche is made with butter, eggs, and milk/cream and has a sweet and buttery flavor, which contributes to the overall flavor of the dish.
- French Baguette: It is just as good at soaking up the egg mixture and holding its own integrity. This is actually the best option to make coconut stuffed French toast and other stuffed ones. Although, it does not soak up the eggs as easily and as quickly as Brioche.
- Challah: The reason for it being only third out of the top 3 is because of the flavor and texture. Challah doesn’t have much sweetness in it so you may need to add more sugar to the egg mixture or in the topping. This type of bread is also denser and a bit drier than the previous two options.
How To Make French Toast: Tips and Steps
- Get a whole loaf of bread so you can slice it yourself. Don’t slice the bread too thin! Perfect bread slice thickness for the best French toast is between 1 and 1 1/4 inch.
- Whisk the custard vigorously for a few seconds, until no more egg pieces remain. Use a wide bowl for easier bread soaking. Don’t add too much cream or the bread will soak up too much mixture, too fast and be soggy.
- Preheat the pan completely before starting to batter the bread.
- Don’t turn the heat up higher than medium. I would actually recommend the heat to be a little lower than medium because the outside of the bread cooks very fast and you want inside to be cooked through as well.
- Soak each bread slice for about 20 seconds or so, flipping and tapping it often. This will give the bread time to soak up some custard but not too much.
- Add a few slices at a time to the preheated pan, as many as your pan will fit comfortably. Only batter enough bread to cook at the time, not ahead of time.
- Don’t walk away far, cooking French toast only takes 3-4 minutes on each side.
- PRO TIP: If using the griddle, preheat it well and make sure the heat is spread evenly. Downfall of a griddle is often uneven heat.
How To Tell If French Toast Is Done?
- As the French toast slices cook, after you flip the bread to the uncooked side, you are looking for the center of the bread slice to raise as the egg inside cooks.
- Raising center is indicating that the egg that soaked in the middle is cooking. Wait until it deflates and carefully touch the center with your finger. It should feel firm and now squishy.
Options For Storing and Freezing
You can definitely save the leftovers (if there are any), but note that the reheated results will not be the same as fresh.
- Make sure to cool French toast to room temperature.
- Store it in the refrigerator, covered air-tight, for up to 3 days. Reheat in the toaster, toaster oven, air fryer, or microwave.
- To freeze: stack the slices in an air-tight freezer container or zip-top bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw and reheat.
French Toast Recipe FAQs
You can, but it tastes best fresh off the pan. If you need to prep ahead, cook the slices, cool them completely, and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Reheat in a toaster oven or air fryer to bring back some of the exterior crispness. A microwave works in a pinch but softens the texture.
Almost always, this comes down to heat that was too high. The outside browns fast while the center hasn’t had time to cook through. Lower the heat, be patient, and use the dome-and-deflate technique described above to check doneness.
Yes. Unsweetened oat milk or dairy free heavy whipping cream are the best substitutes for heavy cream in this recipe. It has enough thickness to produce a decent custard. Coconut oil or a pant based butter substitute works well for the pan.
Warm maple syrup with a pat of butter is the classic. For homemade fruit syrups, my strawberry sauce, blueberry syrup, and coconut syrup are all incredible poured over a warm stack. Powdered sugar keeps it simple and elegant. For something more indulgent, try a dollop of whipped cream, cinnamon butter, honey butter, or sliced bananas with a drizzle of honey. A spoonful of homemade cranberry jam is a wonderful seasonal option that pairs beautifully with the buttery brioche.
Crispy bacon, breakfast sausage, or scrambled eggs round out the plate nicely. This recipe is perfect for weekend breakfasts, Mother’s Day brunch, and Christmas morning. For the potatoes, home fries or hashbrown casserole are great make-ahead options for feeding a crowd. Baked breakfast tacos or crustless quiche recipe round out a brunch spread beautifully.
More French Toast Recipes (Yes, We Are Fans!)
- French Toast Casserole
- Overnight French Toast Bake
- Pumpkin French Toast
- Pecan Crusted French Toast
- Coconut Stuffed French Toast
- Cherry Cheesecake Stuffed French Toast
- Apple Pie Stuffed French Toast
- Lemon Cheesecake French Toast Casserole
- Cranberry Bliss French Toast
- Bacon Stuffed Brioche French Toast Sticks
- Eggnog French Toast
If you’ve made this French toast using my recipe and found a lot of good information here, PLEASE leave a 🌟 star rating! Let me know how you liked it by leaving the 📝 comment below as well.
The Best French Toast Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 oz loaf of Brioche bread (8 slices)
- 4 large eggs
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp brown sugar packed
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon optional
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Note: this egg mixture should comfortably batter 8 slices of Brioche bread that are a between 3/4 and 1 1/4 inch thick. It will batter 10-12 slices of French baguette or about 6 slices of Challah. (Remember that baguette and Challah are more dense and will need to be soaked longer.)
- Slice the bread loaf into thick slices that are about 1 inch thick.
- In a deep and wide bowl, whisk together eggs, heavy whipping cream, vanilla extract, sugar, cinnamon (if using), and salt. Whisk until smooth. Set aside.
- Preheat a large cooking pan oven medium to medium-low heat. Add a little bit of oil and spread it evenly (or use cooking oil spray).
- Dip each slice of bread into the egg mixture, and flip back and forth for about 15 seconds. Brioche bread is nice and quick to soak up the egg. Note: Only batter as many slices as will fit into the pan. If you have to cook in two or more batches, batter bread right before adding it to the pan.
- Place soaked slices into the pan and let it cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, until golden brown. (Repeat with remaining slices of bread if needed.)Expert Tip: as the French toast slices cook, after you flip the bread to the uncooked side, you are looking for the center of the bread slice to raise as the egg inside cooks. Raising center is indicating that the egg that soaked in the middle is cooking. Wait until it deflates and carefully touch the center with your finger. It should feel firm and now squishy.
- Serve with some warm maple syrup, powdered sugar, or any of your favorite toppings.
Video
Notes
- Bread: I’ve tested just about every bread out there and Brioche is the winner among all!
- Other bread options include Challah and French baguette.
- Heavy Whipping Cream – I recommend using heavy whipping cream because of the rich and creamy consistency that it brings to the custard. You can use half and half if absolutely needed but not anything less fat.
- For a lactose free option, you can use lactose free half and half. If you need a dairy free option, use unsweetened oat milk, it has a thicker consistency and compliments the dish well.
Nutrition
Originally published on Will Cook For Smiles on February 12, 2019.
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Categories:
Breakfast Recipes, Brunch Recipes, French Toast Recipes, Most Popular Recipes, Mother's Day Recipe Ideas, Valentine's Day,All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
This was a hit with my family the day after Thanksgiving. So yummy. I had discovered brioche bread awhile back. Thank you for sharing!!
Thanks, Alicia! I am so glad you liked it 🙂
Hi Lyuba, I’m looking everywhere delicious recipes I’m lucky to find yours, thank you for this delight and especially the details
Thank you for the sweet comment! So glad you liked it 🙂
Can you use just regular sandwich bread? I dont have any brioche on hand 🙁
Hi Robin,
Yes, you can use regular bread but it won’t taste as good as it will with brioche bread. You should definitely try it again with the brioche! 🙂
Pls where can i get the brochire bread, i need it
Kayleb, You can get it in the bakery section of your grocery store. It’s delicious! 🙂
Cooking this recipe right now with bread that I bought from the bakery at HEB. It is the apple cinnamon golden raisin loaf of bread. I wanted to try something new! So, I it is cooking up nicely, I have my griddle set to 250. I had to use a griddle since my tile is being installed and I have no stove right now. But it is coming out beautifully. I am hoping that it tastes as good as it looks!….
I was able to get 6 slices of the loaf soaked in the mixture with only 3 eggs…don’t ask🤦🏾. I had about 1tbsp of homemade brown sugar that I added
I love cinnamon so i used about a tbsp and forgot the vanilla bc it was a bean and it his under the bowl from me… Sigh. Either way!….i had to turn it down to 200 to let the opposite side cook (I didn’t noticethatthe cord was loose and it turned off in the middle of cooking the 1st side). Turned out great!! No syrup needed!
Holy moly! This was delicious!!
Omg! I typically never order French toast but my kids love it. I searched for a simple recipe and found this one. I had all of the ingredients so I figured why not? Omg! After the first bite, I couldn’t believe how delicious it was! Thank you for posting this recipe! ❤️ It!
Aww thanks, Karena!!! I am so happy you liked it so much!!! 🙂
Can’t wait to try your recipe. The only thing I will do differently is to fry the slices in enough oil to float them. It makes for a crisper coating.
Hi, Mark! I hope you like them! 🙂
Omg, I came by this reciepe by mistake and the ingredients made want to try it!!! I have made this French toast for family and friends and EVERYONE…loves it!! Thank you for posting this Will!!
Thanks Nichole! I am so happy you liked it so much! I hope you will try some of my other recipes! 🙂
This is the best breakfast I’ve ever made! It’s really that good! Thanks for the recipe!
Yummy!! Thanks so much for posting! I made it for my whole family and they loved it!!
Thank you Libby! I am so glad everyone liked it! 🙂
The only bread the store had was Challah. This is the first time I’ve bought a specialty bread. I used 2 tablespoons of brown sugar and I cooked the French Toast on an electric griddle with no oil. I have to say this is the BEST French Toast I’ve ever had. I’m 60 years old and have had French Toast in restaurants and this is by far the best. Hint: Challah bread falls apart easily. I didn’t care, I cooked them no matter how broken they were. THANK YOU!
Vivian, I am so happy you liked it so much! Thank you for letting me know! 🙂
French Tosst restaurant in New Orleans has the best French Toast I have ever eaten. I am pretty sure they used Brioche and have been trying to find a good recipe for French Toast. I think I have finally found it! Thanks
I hope you like it! 🙂
Because I do not like soggy french toast, I have found that the baguette is the best and makes a crusty edge. YUM!
Again not all baguettes are equal. Or use ciabatta.
Looks fabulous!
I’ll use macadamia nut oil and coconut oil mixed together. Canola oil is NOT healthy!
Thanks, Cheryl! I hope you will try it!
Made this today for the family. Wanted to try something different. Turned out great. Used the brioche bread with vanilla in it. Tried both the plain and the vanilla. Both of them were really good! Thank you
Janene, that sounds so good! I am glad you liked it!!
This is by far the simplest and most tasteful french toast recipe I have found! Thank you!
Thanks, Narcisa! So glad you liked it!
Would you recommend the challah bread if I don’t like my French toast soggy? I love French toast but have a thing about soggy bread so I always cook it well on the outside but still don’t like the inside too soft or mushy. Then just increase the sugar for more sweetness like you said.?
Looks delicious!
Hi, Gina! Sorry for the late response. I would say the best way to keep French toast from being to soggy is to quickly dip them into the egg mixture so the bread soaks up less liquid. But yes, I would recommend challah or even a baguette quickly dipped. Denser bread will soak in less egg mixture. Hope this helps!
THIS WAS AMAZING!!!
Suzanne, Thanks!
This French toast is so good! Thanks for sharing…
Thanks, Josephine! 🙂
We have always done our French toast with King’s Hawaiian bread – i don’t know if it’s available nationwide, but here in California it’s readily available in most supermarkets. We slice it about 3/4 – 1″ thick and it’s awesome. I also sprinkle some cinnamon sugar on the cooked side then flip it breifly to caramelize the sugar before serving.
That sounds really good..
Thanks, Marie! I hope you try it!
Just wondering if you can delay in eating the French toast or do you have to eat it immediately.
Hi Donna!
Like many recipes, it’s best when eaten fresh, but I have refrigerated leftovers in the past and reheated it. I usually reheat it in a cooking pan over medium-low temperature, just until hot.
I hope you like it!
I have had great results making the the night before in a casserole dish and baking in the morning so it can be a make ahead recipe.
Thanks, Debra! I am so glad you like it! 🙂
Tried this today. It was great. My wife doesn’t usually eat much but today she ate 3 slices. I used Brioche.
Oh wow, I’m so glad you found a recipe that you ans your wife liked as well!
Brioche is just the best. Even my toddler, who refuses French Toast, will eat it with Brioche.