Stuffed Brioche French Toast

True Story: For years, I thought stuffed French toast was made by cutting a slit into a super thick piece of bread and shoving the cream cheese mixture inside.

When I learned that it’s the equivalent of a French Toast Sandwich, I found the concept of making it far more approachable.

I never said I was smart. 🫠

My dad has been making this recipe for stuffed French toast for a while, cut from either a local newspaper or Parade magazine. Its true origin is now unknown; as far as I am concerned, this is Dad’s recipe now and I will treat it as such. Normally, he uses challah bread, but I brought home a loaf of brioche from Dutch Baby Bakery that was just begging to be made into stuffed French toast! At the end of brunch, I suppose it is a matter of preference: using challah for this recipe yields a softer result that can easily be cut with just a fork, while using brioche yields a sturdier result that begs for a knife & fork to cut it. For me, as long as I get bread, sweet cream cheese, and maple syrup inside of me, I will be satisfied!

This admittedly one of my less wordy posts, because I can’t think of much else to say. *gasp* I’ll let this recipe speak for itself.

Stuffed Brioche French Toast

Ingredients

• 6 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
• 12 slices brioche (or challah) bread, sliced 1/2″ thick
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons butter, divided

Directions

1. Place cream cheese in a large bowl and allow to soften for 30 minutes. Add powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Beat with mixer on medium-high speed for one minute or until spreadable.
2. Place out sliced bread on an even surface. Divide cream cheese mixture between 6 slices of bread and spread evenly. Place remaining 6 slices of bread to create “sandwiches” and press down gently.
3. In a wide flat bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, cinnamon, remaining vanilla extract, and remaining salt.
4. Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium-low heat. Add 1 tablespoon butter and allow to slowly melt, swirling around the bottom of the skillet or brushing with a silicone brush to cover surface.
5. Dip each sandwich into egg mixture, allowing excess to drip off into bowl. Place on skillet or griddle. Cook for 3 – 4 minutes on each side until golden brown. Add additional butter to skillet or griddle for subsequent batches.
6. Serve with butter & maple syrup immediately!