The best part about a long weekend is being able to sleep late, wake up and make any breakfast that I want. During the week, I usually grab a yogurt or have some cereal as I run out the door. But today, I had a whole loaf of cinnamon raisin brioche bread at my disposal, a full carton of eggs and a whole container of almond milk. And you know what that means…

Cinnamon raisin brioche French toast.

I’ve struggled with French toast in the past. Unlike pancakes, which are kind of a universally approved, easy-to-make at home breakfast staple, French toast can get into disaster territory. The bread can get too soggy, and if you don’t keep an eye on things, the bread can burn. But if you jump the gun, the slices might not cook all the way through. For that reason, I usually just order it when I go out for brunch, and stick to things like pancakes and waffles at home.

But with trial and error and a little faith, you can create the French toast of your dreams. That’s what happened to me this morning. I soaked some brioche in an egg and milk batter, put some Irish butter on the griddle and got to frying.

I also think it helps to have a little motivational music playing as you fry: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tg00YEETFzg

Cinnamon Raisin Brioche French Toast (makes 6 slices)

Ingredients

Cinnamon raisin brioche bread, sliced
3 eggs
1/4 cup milk (I used almond…you can sub in whole if you prefer)
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp butter, for frying
Raspberries, powdered sugar and maple syrup, for serving

Directions

Take a long, wide, deep pan and whisk together the milk and eggs. Whisk in the vanilla extract. Place the slices of brioche bread in the mix and let it soak on one side for a few minutes. Then turn over and let the other side soak in the milk and egg mixture.

In the meantime, heat the butter in a skillet over medium/low heat. Once the pan is hot, place a couple slices in and let each side fry until golden brown, about 3 minutes.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with raspberries and maple syrup.

*NOTE: A good way to keep slices warm while you fry the rest is by pre-heating your oven to 225 degrees before you start cooking, and placing a baking sheet covered with foil in. Once you’re done frying a slice, you can put it in the oven and carry on with the frying.