Every fall I search for Pumpkin Brioche Twist Bread at my local Trader Joe’s. This year, instead of making a French Toast Casserole, I made Baked French Toast. This method works for 8 slices of bread at a time by baking the custard soaked bread in the oven. Instead of flipping the bread over, the tray is moved under the broiler. There you go– perfect French Toast with fall flavors!
I realize that Trader Joe’s isn’t available over the country (or world). Luckily, we have three of them in our area. This recipe can work with any kind of bread OR you can make your own (like I have in the past).
I plan to develop my own version, but in the meantime, this bread is what I have used to make a French Toast Casserole. I resorted to a previous recipe for a Classic Baked French Toast with a pumpkin twist. The beauty of this method is that you can make 8 slices of French Toast without standing over a stove and being limited to less than 8 slices at a time.
The custard is simple: eggs, milk, brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and a pinch of salt.
Place a baking rack in the middle, and one rack 5-6″ from the broiler. Preheat the oven to 425F.
Prepare a sheet pan with an eveb thin layer of vegetable oil (NOTE: America’s Test Kitchen recommends vegetable spray, but I found that the toast stuck and that vegetable oil worked better for me.) Once the sheet pan is prepared, evenly pour the custard and then add the bread slices. After a couple of minutes, flip each slice over in the order that you placed them. Wait 2-3 more minutes for the custard to soak into the flipped bread slices.
Bake the custard-drenched bread for 10-15 minutes. Turn the broiler onto high, and move the sheet pan on the top rack. Broil between 1-3 minutes, keeping a close eye that the bread doesn’t burn. You can even rotate the pan for more even browning. Voila! Baked French Toast! A large spatula makes removing each slice of bread easier, as the edges tend to stick a bit.
TASTING NOTES: Real maple syrup is the perfect finish to this French Toast. Brioche bread is my favorite choice as it bakes tender. Since we’re Empty Nesters, this French Toast can be stored in the refrigerator. My husband reheats it in the microwave; I reheat mine in our Air Fryer. I hope that you can find a Pumpkin Brioche Bread where you live. Otherwise, I’ll work on a Pumpkin Brioche Bread recipe and I’ll be sure to share it. Happy Fall!
Pumpkin Brioche Baked French Toast
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar packed
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1 cup milk
- 8 slices pumpkin brioche bread any kind of Brioche bread is my favorite
Instructions
- Adjust 1 oven rack to lowest position and second rack 5 to 6 inches from broiler element. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Generously spray bottom and sides of 18 by 13-inch rimmed baking sheet with vegetable oil spray. NOTE: I prefer to brush an even layer of vegetable oil on the baking sheet, to prevent any kind of sticking. Whisk eggs, vanilla, sugar, cinnamon, and salt in large bowl until sugar is dissolved and no streaks of egg remain. Whisking constantly, drizzle in melted butter. Whisk in milk.
- Pour egg mixture into prepared sheet. Arrange bread in single layer in egg mixture, leaving small gaps between slices. Working quickly, use your fingers to flip slices in same order you placed them in sheet. Let sit until slices absorb remaining custard, about 1 minute. Bake on lower rack until bottoms of slices are golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer sheet to upper rack and heat broiler. (Leave sheet in oven while broiler heats.) Broil until tops of slices are golden brown, watching carefully and rotating sheet if necessary to prevent burning, 1 to 4 minutes.
- Using thin metal spatula, carefully flip each slice. Serve.Top with maple syrup or confectioners' sugar, if desired, or with fruit.
Notes
Nutrition
Leave a Reply