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Brioche French Toast

Source of Recipe

From "Big Bad Breakfast" by John Currence


Recipe Introduction

"There are few bread products I have not tried to turn into bread pudding or French toast in the last thirty years. Brioche, it turns out, has magical properties in this arena. And that magical power to be honest, derives from the copious amounts of butter it takes to make this exquisite French masterpiece. To be perfectly fair, doughnuts make a bread pudding that is nothing short of orgasmic, and French toast made with croissants are a close second, but brioche is truly the king. Buy a brioche loaf and let it get stale and hard for about 48 hours. Then prepare for as magnificent a breakfast as you have ever had since the morning after your wedding."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ ½ cup heavy cream
â—¦ 2 ½ tablespoons confectioners' sugar
â—¦ 3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
â—¦ ½ cup half-and-half
â—¦ 3 eggs
â—¦ 3 tablespoons bourbon
â—¦ 1 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar
â—¦ â…› teaspoon ground cinnamon
â—¦ â…› teaspoon salt
â—¦ Clarified butter or your preferred cooking fat
â—¦ 4 thick slices stale brioche
â—¦ 1 cup assorted fresh berries (if strawberries, then sliced), for serving


Recipe

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the heavy cream, confectioners' sugar, and 1 teaspoon of the vanilla. Whip on high speed until stiff peaks form, 1 to 1 ½ minutes.

In a medium-size mixing bowl, whisk together the half-and-half, eggs, bourbon, granulated sugar, cinnamon, salt, and remaining 2 teaspoons vanilla.

Warm 3 tablespoons of the clarified butter in a large skillet over medium heat for 30 seconds. Dip the brioche, one slice at a time, into the batter, allowing it to fully soak into the bread, about 30 seconds. Remove from the egg mix and allow any excess to run back off into the bowl. Place the soaked slices of bread in the skillet and cook until browned on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Repeat with the remaining bread and batter, adding more clarified butter between batches if needed. Serve warm with the berries and whipped cream.

Serves 2