Elevate your breakfast with a batch of this incredible Brioche French Toast – thick-sliced brioche bread, dressed up with bananas, crispy bacon, and peanut butter syrup!
In the eternal breakfast battle between pancakes and waffles…I firmly stand by French toast.
That’s not to say I don’t love the other two. I do – just in a much smaller capacity. I’ve always been a big fan of the eggy, cinnamon-kissed, pan-fried slices of thick bread.
I remember Nana sprinkling them with granulated sugar as a kid, and I do the same from time to time when I’m feeling nostalgic.
Nowadays, though, it’s usually butter and pure maple syrup or honey. Grown-ups are allowed to eat all that sugar.
This page includes step by step instructions, as well as tips and notes. If you’d like to skip all that, feel free to scroll down to the full, printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Nana also never bothered with brioche or challah bread when she made French toast. Standard sandwich bread was her go-to. While it was always perfectly delicious, I haven’t made it that way since discovering the rich goodness that is brioche.
This easy brioche French toast is something all you sweet breakfast lovers should try at least once in your lives. You can find it in many stores (I’ve personally gotten it from both Aldi and Trader Joe’s).
But just once, try using a homemade loaf of brioche. I promise you’re bound to feel like Suzy Homemaker if you go full-on DIY with this one.
This brioche French toast recipe is written for two, but can be easily doubled or multiplied. It’s as perfect for large holiday breakfasts as it is for lazy weekend brunches.
The extra steps involved (bacon frying, banana slicing, syrup mixing) are things that can easily be done while the bread is frying.
What do you mean “Elvis-style?”
The Elvis-style association comes from Elvis Presley’s adoration for peanut butter and banana sandwiches. There are many differing accounts of what his favorite sandwich actually consisted of, but they all contain consistent ingredients.
Many restaurants and numerous cookbooks feature “The Elvis” (or at least their version of it). Some recipes call for the sandwich to be fried on a griddle, so a rich brioche French toast recipe in honor of him (and his indulgent taste in sandwiches) made sense.
I personally can’t handle how sweet peanut butter-banana sandwiches are, but in this French toast recipe, they strike a beautiful harmony.
But peanut butter syrup? It’s so embarrassingly simple but so, so good.
Plus, come on – there is peanut butter in the custard mix. All you PB lovers out there are gonna go nuts for this.
Okay, but what makes brioche French toast so special?
- The Bread – Brioche bread is the star of this show. Its rich and buttery texture, thanks to the addition of eggs and butter, gives the French toast a luxurious taste that regular bread simply cannot match.
- The Custard – The custard mixture used to soak the bread is what infuses it with flavor. Combining eggs, milk (or cream), sugar, and a touch of vanilla or cinnamon creates a delightful blend that seeps into every nook and cranny of the brioche.
- Versatility – Brioche French Toast is incredibly versatile. You can customize it to suit your taste preferences by adding your favorite fruits, whipped cream, syrups, or just a little powdered sugar. The possibilities are endless!
Ingredients
- Brioche bread – Challah (egg bread) or Texas toast will also work here, so long as it’s thickly sliced. Make sure you dry it out a little overnight or in the toaster to help soak up all that custard.
- Crispy cooked bacon
- Ripe bananas – just slice them and serve on top as is, or go the extra mile with some buttery air fried bananas – do it for Elvis!
- Large eggs
- Milk – or cream or half and half, dairy or non-dairy, whatever floats your boat.
- Creamy peanut butter
- Unsalted butter
- Honey
- Vanilla extract
- Ground cinnamon
- Ground nutmeg
- Salt
- Maple syrup – used in the peanut butter syrup, or all by itself as the final drizzle.
How to make brioche French toast
- Makin’ bacon. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, or a pancake griddle to 350 degrees F. Fry the bacon until crispy to your liking, then transfer it to a paper towel-lined plate. Leave the bacon grease in the skillet or on the griddle, or wipe it clean and melt butter instead.
- Make the custard. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, warm peanut butter, melted butter, honey, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Pour the egg mixture into a shallow bowl or baking dish.
- Fry the French toast. Working in batches, dip thick slices of brioche, one at a time, into the egg mixture and hold down for 3-4 seconds before flipping to coat the opposite side. Place the bread slices in the skillet or on the griddle and cook until golden brown, about 3-5 minutes, depending on the thickness of your bread.
- Keep it warm. Transfer the French toast to a baking sheet, cover it loosely with foil, and place it in the oven to keep it warm while you cook the remaining slices (no longer than about 40 minutes.)
- Serve it up. Layer your desired amount of banana slices and crumbled bacon on one slice of French toast, then stack another slice on top and repeat. Serve with generous amounts of peanut butter syrup or maple syrup.
- If you really want to one-up me, here, add chocolate chips on top of the hot, freshly fried French toast. Watch them melt, drool a little, don’t forget your insulin shot.
Tips for improving your brioche French toast
- Use slightly stale bread! A loaf of brioche that is a couple of days old will soak up the moisture of the custard mix better, ensuring no dry spots in your toast. If you don’t have old bread, simply leave the loaf exposed to the air for a few hours before you use it to dry it out.
- Keep the slices thick…but not too thick. 3/4 to 1-inch is just the right ratio for hearty French toast. Thick enough to stay together after soaking, but not so thick that it doesn’t soak through or cook completely. This makes brioche (or challah) the perfect bread choice for French toast. If all you have is sandwich bread, don’t fret – just take the slices out of the custard mix sooner.
- Get the custard ratio right. Eggs and whole milk or cream are essential to a good French toast. They’re also a meal in themselves – scrambled eggs. Serving scrambled eggs with your French toast is fine, but don’t make yourself scrambled French toast. Aim for a ratio of ¼ cup of milk and 1 egg for every 2 slices, then feel free to go crazy with your flavorings.
- Choose your own sweetener. I used honey in this recipe to enhance the peanut butter, but if you’re not a fan, swap in what you like. Powdered sugar dissolves better vs. granulated, and brown sugar creates a nice caramel flavor as it cooks.
- Don’t shy away from bacon grease. If you cook your bacon on the same griddle or skillet as your toast…leave the grease behind! Butter is the traditional medium for cooking French toast, but let’s be honest – bacon is in the very name of this recipe. If you’re uncomfortable with that much grease, scrape half of it away, add some butter, and fry away. You’ll end up with an amazingly crispy outside and a tender, fluffy inside, plus the bacon flavor will come through even more.
Got a sweet tooth in the morning? Here are some breakfast recipes you HAVE to try!
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Peanut Butter, Banana, and Bacon Brioche French Toast (Elvis-Style)
Ingredients
- 2 eggs lightly beaten
- ½ cup milk
- ¼ cup creamy peanut butter warmed
- 1 tablespoon butter melted, plus more for frying
- ½ tablespoon honey
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- Pinch nutmeg
- Pinch salt
- 4 slices brioche bread or challah or Texas toast, cut in 1/2-inch slices
- 4 slices bacon cooked
- 1-2 bananas sliced
- Peanut butter syrup or maple syrup
Peanut Butter Syrup
- ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
- ¼ cup maple syrup
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat, or a griddle to 350 degrees F.
- Whisk together eggs, milk, warm peanut butter, melted butter, honey, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a shallow bowl or baking dish. Melt butter (or bacon grease!) in the skillet or on the griddle.
- Place brioche slices, one at a time, into the egg mixture and hold down for 3-4 seconds before flipping to coat the opposite side.
- Place bread slices in the skillet/griddle and cook until golden brown on each side, about 3-5 minutes, depending on the thickness of your bread.
- Keep warm in the oven until ready to serve (no longer than about 40 minutes.) Layer banana slices and crumbled bacon on one slice of French toast, then stack another slice on top and repeat. Serve with generous amounts of peanut butter syrup.
Peanut Butter Syrup
- Place the peanut butter and maple syrup in a small shallow bowl. Microwave it in 30-second bursts, whisking until well mixed and smooth. (For a thinner consistency, whisk in a little hot water as needed.)
