Sugar-Crusted French Toast
Sugar-Crusted French Toast has a double coat of sugar, an extra rich custard, and is a sublime treat for a decadent breakfast or comforting dessert!
Just some simple twists make this an outstanding French Toast Recipe. Extra yolks in the custard, plenty of real vanilla extract, and the sugary crust make this one breakfast you won’t forget!
Why You Must Make
After making the executive decision to skip the potatoes with prunes for last week’s French Friday’s with Dorie, I’m back with a dish more to my family’s liking. Dorie’s Sugar-Crusted French Toast was special in a number of ways.
- First, it was sugar-crusted. More on that later.
- Second, it was made with nice thick slices of eggy brioche.
- And instead of the milk my mom used in her version, Dorie had us use a combination of whole milk and cream with a nice slosh of vanilla.
My mom, on the other hand, added a pinch of nutmeg to kick up the flavor. And besides the usual eggs, a few extra yolks were mixed into the soaking custard in Dorie’s recipe. Good so far, right?
Recipe Tips
- Soak your slightly stale brioche in the rich vanilla custard, then fry in butter sprinkled with sugar.
- If your bread is not day-old, just leave it out uncovered for an hour or two, turning it over at least once, to assist the drying process.
- Fry in a combination of butter and oil for the tastiest results.
- Before flipping, dust the tops of the bread with sugar, doubling the caramelization potential. Who wouldn’t love that???
I presented this as a breakfast dish to the hubby. He is pretty set in his way, and to be “Bill approved,” shaking up breakfast foods by serving them for dessert might be a bit of a stretch. But this sugar-crusted French toast was an A-OK way to start the day, served with either berries or maple syrup or both.
It was no worse for him than those chocolate-glazed donuts he brings home from the bakery “for the kids.” We’re down to one child living at home, and she won’t eat those. So I’ve got his number.
Frequently Asked Questions
French toast, or pain perdu (lost bread) in France, is a breakfast dish made by dipping bread into an egg mixture and then frying it in a skillet. The French called it lost bread since it was made of old,l leftover slices of stale bread. It’s often served with syrup, powdered sugar, or jam.
You may have soaked your bread too long. It should be saturated, but not so logged with custard that it won’t cook through by the time both sides are browned. If you don’t use a sturdy, stale bread, the custard may make the toast too fragile.
If your custard ratio has too much liquid per egg, it can cause soggy French toast. Make sure the custard is well-mixed, as well. Also, if you cook it on high heat, the sides may get brown before the inside is cooked.
Use a nonstick pan so that it’s easy to flip.
I prefer a combination of butter and vegetable oil. The butter provides delicious flavor and the oil lowers the smoke point of the butter and minimizes burning.
You May Also Like
- Raspberry Mascarpone French Toast Casserole
- Cinnamon Bread French Toast Casserole
- Grand Marnier French Toast
- Strawberry Mascarpone French Toast
- And for autumn, Pumpkin French Toast
- Plus, more marvelous Breakfast and Brunch Recipes.
Sugar-Crusted French Toast
An elegant French Toast recipe dipped in rich custard then coated in sugar before cooking.
Ingredients
- 6 large eggs
- 3 large egg yolks
- 3 ½ cups whole milk
- ⅔ cup plus 8 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 6 4x4x1-inch slices egg bread
- 6 tablespoons (¾ stick) butter
Instructions
- Whisk eggs, yolks, milk, ⅔ cup sugar, vanilla, and salt in a large baking dish.
- Place bread in a single layer in the egg mixture, then spoon the egg mixture over the bread. Let stand until soaked through, about 3 minutes.
- Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of sugar into the skillet.
- Add 3 bread slices to each skillet; cook until deep golden on the bottom, about 3 minutes.
- Sprinkle the top of the bread slices with 2 tablespoons of sugar, then turn the slices over and cook until deep golden on the bottom, about 3 minutes.
- Transfer French toast to plates. Repeat the process for the rest of the slices.
- Serve with your favorite French toast toppings.
Notes
Challah or Brioche are good, sturdy breads for French toast.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 389Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 344mgSodium: 498mgCarbohydrates: 44gFiber: 1gSugar: 25gProtein: 18g
37 Comments on “Sugar-Crusted French Toast”
We had ours for breakfast – I couldn’t wrap my head around the idea of serving this as dessert 🙂
P.S. The sweet potatoes casseroles were a hit!
I loved the sugar crust on this! Yours looks beautiful.
Sugar coating has to be the perfect idea for getting extra caramelization on those lovely toasts. I don’t blame you one bit for opting out of potatoes with prunes as that does not sound like a big winner with kids or adults. Take Care, BAM
This looks so yum
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Wow, Liz….it must be that double sugar coating that pushes this fabulous french toast right over the edge….and me along with it! That sweet crunchiness with the soft brioche sounds like heaven. And a great idea for brunch this weekend! : )
My hubs brings home donuts “for the kids” too. 😉 Glad this was Bill approved. So tasty! Love the pics with those beautiful berries!
I’m swooning over that sugar crust, what an incredible French toast!
Yay! Bill liked it! Howard even ate it too. I love the berries sprinkled on your version!
Lizzy I love Doris’s recipes always I look when I read Bon appetit!
This look stunning!
xo
Lol Bill sure can’t get anything past you, Liz! I would’ve passed up the prune/potato dish too (oh my!) but wow, do I ever love French toast. I love that Dorie sugar crusted her version and that custard sounds to die for. This is my idea of a perfect breakfast!
Glad Bill approved! It looks good.
That is so close to the way my mom always made French toast. She’d splash a little vanilla in the milk/egg mixture and then she sprinkled each slice with cinnamon and sugar on both sides. Oh! That was some good French toast.
Everyone at my house would love this!!
OMG that looks good… sitting here wondering what to have for breakfast, Liz! So wish I could eat bread.
French Toast is always what I crave for a fancy breakfast. This particular recipe sounds sinfully divine.
Love the comments about Bill’s approval (fabulous that he enjoyed it !!) and the chocolate donut situation. I fear I pull more that one more than my hubby.Yes, this was a decadent one indeed and those subtle changes that Dorie made to our typical french toast really made a huge difference. Gosh I loved this one. That sugar outside took an already fabulous recipe to sublime in my book. Now if I could get more sublime veggie recipes, to help the cause 🙂 Happy belated Turkey Day. I chuckled when I saw your son’s “first round” plate on FB- my two boys were doing the same. As if we were hosting a contest to see how much one plate could hold…..
Liz, I’m so right there with you on that “executive decision” to skip the prune and potato thing! I do love prunes and I do love potatoes, buuuut … The French toast looks gorgeous, though I go a lot easier on the syrup than you do! We’ve been known to have French toast for dinner.
Wow! This French Toast would be a fabulous dessert treat, too.
Decadence at its breakfast best.
This isn’t a breakfast dish? (Looks lovely by the way!)