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Get ready to turn your breakfast or Christmas morning into something truly unforgettable with this Crème Brûlée French Toast recipe. Imagine the rich, velvety goodness of crème brûlée combined with the light and sweet fluffiness of challah bread, all finished off with a beautifully caramelized, sugary crust that cracks perfectly under your fork. It's the kind of bliss that breakfast dreams are made of!
The Marvel of Challah and Brioche
Challah and brioche stand out as the stars for any French toast endeavor, especially when aiming for the best results. Their slightly sweet nature and stunning texture make them the ideal canvases for our crème brûlée transformation. Whether you're using fluffy thick slices of brioche bread or the traditional braids of challah, these breads have the perfect balance of density and softness to fully embrace the creamy egg mixture without becoming soggy, embodying the essence of classic French toast with every bite.
Transforming Breakfast into a Decadent Affair
Our journey to elevating French toast to crème brûlée heights begins with a mixture that's rich with creamy ingredients, including whole eggs, heavy cream, and a touch of Grand Marnier for that sophisticated flair. The custard base is simple yet luxurious, whisked together in a large bowl with a dash of pure vanilla extract and a sprinkle of light brown sugar to enhance the natural sweetness.
Ingredients
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- Bread: thick slices of Challah or Brioche Bread
- Custard: egg yolks, heavy cream, sugar, salt, butter
- Flavoring: Grand Marnier and orange zest
Equipment Used
- Heavy bottom pan or my favorite electric griddle
- Pancake Spatula
- Optional Kitchen Torch
- Powdered Sugar Duster
- Optional Syrup Dispenser
- My favorite Mac Bread Knife
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Chef Secrets and Key Techniques that make this Crème Brûlée French Toast recipe extraordinary!
- Selecting the Right Bread: Using challah or brioche is a game-changer because of their soft, fluffy textures and slight sweetness. They soak up the custard perfectly without getting soggy, which is crucial for achieving that rich, creamy inside.
- Luxurious Custard Base: The custard mix is where a lot of the magic happens. It's made with whole eggs, heavy cream, and a touch of Grand Marnier for a sophisticated flair, along with vanilla and light brown sugar to enhance the sweetness. This mixture ensures every bite is rich and flavorful.
- Proper Soaking and Cooking: The technique of thoroughly soaking the bread and then searing it on a skillet or electric griddle ensures that each slice is beautifully coated and cooked to golden brown perfection. This step is key to getting that delightful contrast between the creamy interior and the crispy exterior.
- Creating a Caramelized Top: The signature of crème brûlée is its caramelized sugar top, and this toast takes that to heart. After cooking, sprinkle sugar over the bread and use a broiler or kitchen torch to caramelize it. This gives that iconic, crackly brûlée effect that's just so satisfying to break into.
- Garnishing for Extra Flair: Serving the French toast with fresh fruit, a drizzle of maple syrup, or a dusting of powdered sugar not only adds additional layers of flavor but also makes the dish visually appealing and even more irresistible.
- Baking Option for Ease and Consistency: For serving more people or ensuring even cooking, baking the soaked bread in a casserole form is a fantastic strategy. It allows the flavors to meld beautifully and creates a uniformly cooked texture throughout.
- Overnight Preparation: Preparing the custard mix and soaking the bread the night before not only simplifies your morning routine but also intensifies the dish's flavors as the bread has ample time to absorb all the custardy goodness.
How to Make this Creme Brûlée French Toast
- Custard Base: In a small heavy saucepan, melt unsalted butter, then blend it with heavy cream, egg yolks, and a cup of sugar. The creamy base is scented with a teaspoon of vanilla and enriched with a hint of orange liquor and orange zest, offering a nod to the homemade crème brûlée's defining features.
- Soak and Sear: Dip your bread slices, whether it's day-old challah or brioche, into the custard, ensuring each slice is heavily coated. On a baking sheet, arrange the soaked slices in a single layer before transferring to a moderate heat skillet, cooking each piece to a golden brown perfection.
- Caramelized Glory: Achieve the quintessential crème brûlée crust by sprinkling the cooked bread with a fine layer of sugar, then broiling or using a kitchen torch until the sugar bubbles and hardens into a shiny, crackly top.
Serve this luxurious crème brûlée French toast garnished with a cascade of fresh fruit, a drizzle of maple syrup, or a dusting of powdered sugar for an added touch of sweetness. The combination of creamy, custard-filled bread with the crunch of caramelized sugar elevates this from a mere breakfast to a celebration of flavors and textures, making any morning feel like a festive occasion.
Ensuring Perfection
- Choice of Bread: For those who enjoy experimenting, a sturdy French baguette or even slices of French bread can provide a delightful twist to this brunch classic.
- Baking Option: For gatherings, consider preparing a crème brûlée French toast casserole. Arrange your custard-soaked bread in a baking dish, ensuring they're set in a single layer for even cooking, and bake in the middle of the oven at 350 degrees until the mixture is set and the top is golden. For the bruleed top, sprinkle an even layer of sugar over the top of the casserole and then broil until lightly browned and bubbly or use a kitchen torch to do the same.
- Overnight Ease: For a hassle-free morning, the egg and milk mixture can be prepared the night before. Soak your bread slices, then cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge. The next morning, simply bake or fry to achieve that ideal golden-brown finish.
Can you Freeze Creme Brûlée French Toast?
Yes – Freeze into a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Once frozen solid, put individual slices in a freezer safe bag. This will help prevent the pieces from sticking together and will make it easier to defrost and heat up.
How to Reheat Creme Brûlée French Toast
Place toasts on a parchment-lined baking sheet in a single layer and heat at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until warmed through.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve with fresh fruit, like strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, fresh peaches or sauteed apples.
- Top with chopped toasted pecans, walnuts, or almonds
- Add a dollop of Fresh Whipped Cream or my Stabilized Whipped Cream
- Dust with Powdered Sugar
- Try my decadent Vanilla Cream Syrup to take it to out-of-this-world!
This Creme Brulee French Toast is not just breakfast; it's like getting a fancy invitation to dive into the fun side of cooking. It's about taking those basic pantry staples and a little bit of kitchen magic to whip up something absolutely amazing. Whether you're all about that laid-back Sunday brunch vibe, wanting to spoil someone with breakfast in bed, or jazzing up a holiday morning, this recipe is your ticket to a feast that's all about joy, a little decadence, and loads of coziness.
The real secret to knockout cooking is all about playing around. Tinker with the custard until it's just right for you, try tossing in different kinds of bread, and really make this dish your own thing. Here's to endless mornings filled with that special kind of indulgence that comes from cooking something with heaps of love. Every single bite is a sweet reminder of how delightful and straightforward cooking can really be.
Please let me know how this Creme Brulee French Toast turned out for you in the comments! I love hearing from you!
Creme Brulee French Toast
Ingredients
Instructions
- In a dish with enough room for your bread to lie flat, whisk together your egg yolks, heavy cream, and a dash of vanilla. Give each piece of bread a good bath in this mixture, ensuring both sides get their fair share of soaking.
- Now it's time to soak the bread in the mixture for a sweet spot between 30 minutes to an hour.
- While those slices are soaking up flavor, go ahead and warm up your griddle to a nice medium heat. Patience is key—make sure it's just the right temperature before you introduce any bread to it.
- If your griddle is non-stick, you might not need it, but a little butter can make everything better. Lightly grease your griddle. Then, lay those pre-soaked bread slices on it, cooking each side to a delicious golden brown. Just a single flip should do it. Or, if you're using a pan on the stovetop, you can achieve the same golden glory by frying each side in a bit of butter for about 4 minutes per side (making sure not to burn).
- Keep those already done slices cozy and warm in a very low oven as you work through the entire batch.
- For that final, irresistible touch, sprinkle a fine layer of sugar over each cooked slice of French toast. Use a torch to get that sugar nice and caramelized, watching as it turns golden and starts to bubble. If a torch isn't in your toolkit, no worries—lay them out on a baking sheet and pop them under the broiler for a similar golden sweet crust.
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