Brioche French toast bake! Because we are officially in the season of cosy breakfasts and lazy weekend mornings. This version is all about custard soaked brioche baked to soft and fluffy perfection on the inside and crispy toasted edges. All that topped with some softly whipped cream and some raspberry compote means lazy weekends are here to stay. And of course, you can find all the ingredients at Aldi!
Brioche French Toast Bake
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Ingredients needed
- loaf of brioche
- maple syrup
- butter
- demerara sugar
- eggs
- milk
- cinnamon
- raspberry compote
- double cream
Step by step instructions
So, this French toast bake is a little extra! But in the best possible way. It starts with a butter and maple syrup sauce on the bottom. Just making sure that we get all the autumnal flavours in there.
- For this part, all we're doing is melting together the butter, brown sugar and maple syrup. Once everything is melted and whisked well, pour it into the bottom of an ovenproof baking dish.
- Once the maple butter sauce is in the bottom of the baking dish, cut the brioche slices into triangles and arrange in the baking dish with the crusts facing up and the cut sides facing down. The bread will start to soak up the sauce and we'll get a head start on making everything soft and fluffy.
- Next, just whip up the custard. Simply place the eggs, milk and cinnamon in a measuring jug and whisk to get it all combined. If you need to use a mixing bowl rather than a measuring jug absolutely perfect too. I just use a measuring jug because I think it makes it easier to pour over the brioche.
- If you're making this the day before, then this is where you'll stop and put the French toast bake in the fridge overnight. If you're making this the same day, then you'll definitely want to give it about 30 minutes resting time, before you bake it. The brioche needs some time to soak up the custard and really soak in.
- This is the perfect time to preheat your oven and wait for the bread to soak up the eggy cinnamon-spiked custard.
Cooking time
Right before you pop this brioche French toast in the oven, gently press the bread down to make sure that all the slices are snuggled in perfectly well. Bake the French toast in the oven for about 35 minutes. If it starts to get too much colour on the edges, you'll need to cover it with some foil to prevent it from burning.
Storing brioche French toast bake
As I mentioned, this French toast bake can absolutely be made the day before and stored in the fridge overnight until ready to bake in the morning. Just cover with cling film or foil before placing in the fridge. If you have leftovers, you can absolutely keep this French toast for the next day. Just cool completely and store in an airtight container.
Freezing and reheating
To freeze this French toast transfer to freezer-safe, airtight containers and store in the freezer for upt0 1 month. For reheating baked French toast, you can just use the microwave. If you're reheating from frozen, then let the French toast defrost in the fridge and use the microwave. If you're just reheating leftovers from the fridge, then use the microwave. Just be sure that the French toast is warmed through.
Serving French toast bake
Variations
So, this recipe is super simple and I've just used some lightly whipped double cream and some raspberry compote (not even homemade!!!). But, you can really dress this up. Here are some ideas for you...
Nutella and banana- simple drizzle with Nutella and top with sliced banana
Fresh berries- top with any and all the fresh berries. In this situation, may I highly suggest that you still add the gently whipped double cream? It's the perfect thing to go with the berries
Maple syrup- this is just going back to my Canadian roots and keeping it simple with a good glug of syrup.
And there you have it! Some soft and fluffy brioche baked
Recipe
Brioche French Toast Bake Recipe
Ingredients
- 200 g brioche cut into triangles
- 60 ml maple syrup
- 50 g brown sugar
- 5 tablespoons butter
- For the custard
- 4 eggs
- 275 ml milk
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon or nutmeg
- For serving
- 200 ml double cream lightly whipped
- 100 g raspberry compote
- icing sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170ºc.
- Use 2 tablespoons of the butter to grease a 23x33cm baking dish.
- In a small saucepan melt the butter, sugar and maple syrup. Whisk it well. Once it’s hot and combined, pour the maple butter into the bottom of an oven safe casserole dish. Set aside while you slice the brioche into triangles. Place the brioche cut side down in the baking dish with the crusts facing up.
- To make the custard whisk the eggs, milk and cinnamon into a smooth mixture. Pour this over the brioche triangles and leave to soak for 30 at least 30 minutes or even overnight. Once the brioche has soaked, gently press the bread down so that all the slices sit in the dish. As they soak up the custard they tend to pop up a little bit.
- Bake for about 30-35 minutes in the preheated oven. If the edges start to colour too much, then cover with foil and continue to bake until the custard is just set and the edges are deep golden and crispy and the centre is puffed.
- Leave to stand for a few minutes while you gently whip the double cream. As you place the cream on the French toast it will start to melt and run a bit like ice cream as the heat from the baked toast will melt it. Spoon the compote on top and serve while still warm.
Notes
- As I mentioned, this French toast bake can absolutely be made the day before and stored in the fridge overnight until ready to bake in the morning. Just cover with cling film or foil before placing in the fridge. If you have leftovers, you can absolutely keep this French toast for the next day. Just cool completely and store in an airtight container.
- To freeze this French toast transfer to freezer-safe, airtight containers and store in the freezer for up to 1 month. For reheating baked French toast, you can just use the microwave. If you're reheating from frozen, then let the French toast defrost in the fridge and use the microwave. If you're just reheating leftovers from the fridge, then use the microwave. Just be sure that the French toast is warmed through.
Nutrition
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