You’re going to need to try this Creme Brulee French Toast as soon as you can. It’s decadent and rich and perfect to impress whoever you’re looking to impress. Maybe it’s just for yourself, but I’m totally not judging.
It’s so easy to make. Just remember you’re going to need to soak the bread overnight to ensure that every bit of bread is soaking in the custard. In the morning, you’ll bake it in a brown sugar and butter mixture that gives it that awesome crust on top. Heart eye emojis everywhere.
It’s super rich and sweet, but definitely delicious and easy to throw together. One batch will make enough for 8-10 people depending on the size of the bread and how hungry everyone is. I went with a small french loaf and ended up with 20 slices. They all fit on my biggest baking sheet so that’s something you’ll have to consider if you pick a bigger loaf. You might have to halve the custard to each sheet and adjust the baking time a little.
Then again.. if there’s extras you could always heat it up and scoop some vanilla ice cream onto it for dessert. I may or may not be telling you this out of past experience..
Mix some berries with some sugar to macerate them a little to serve on top of the toast. Then top it with some powdered sugar because there is no way there’s enough calories in it yet and you always need powdered sugar on french toast.
Prepare for the sugar high and enjoy!
Try out this french toast with brioche bread next if you’re a french toast lover!
Creme Brulee French Toast
This Creme Brulee French Toast is a decadent brunch for any occasion.
Ingredients
- 6 eggs
- 2 cups milk
- 1/2 cup half and half
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp orange juice
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 loaf french bread (about 1 pound), sliced into 1" pieces
- 4 tbsp butter, melted
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
Instructions
- Mix eggs, milk, half and half, vanilla extract, orange juice, nutmeg, and salt in a bowl until thoroughly combined. Lay the bread on a high rimmed baking sheet in one layer. Pour the egg and milk mixture over the bread ensuring all pieces are covered. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge overnight. Flip bread pieces at least once either before bed or an hour before baking in the morning.
- Preheat oven to 350F. Mix together melted butter and brown sugar in a small bowl. Put parchment paper on another baking sheet and spread out the brown sugar mixture evenly. Lay pieces of bread on the brown sugar ensuring each piece is covered.
- Bake for 20 minutes. Flip pieces of bread and bake for another 5 minutes or until the brown sugar is bubbly.
- Serve warm and enjoy! Top with powdered sugar and fruit.
Adapted from the New York Times.
Oh my, do they look good! I love that they soak overnight, they must be so juicy! They look beautiful, especially paired with some berries.
Thank you Nicoletta! They’re delicious!
Love this idea! Creme brulee is awesome enough as it is, but mixed with carbs? Err, yum!
Thanks Sasha! It’s definitely an awesome combination 😀
Is this supposed to be wet inside???
Depending on how thick your bread slices are, they’ll still be full of custard in the middle from soaking overnight!
Could you omit the two tablespoons of Orange juice and still be safe with this recipe?
This is delicious made it once and about to make it again. Definitely recommend
Just made again for the 2nd time… Soaked bread for just 2 hours… Totally delicious.
how Deep should the custard be while resting? Last time they were over soaked, I had way too much custard relative to bread! Thank you!
It should be about half way up the slices of bread! You can always try soaking it for less time if you found that it resulted in soggy bread. That’s definitely we want to avoid 😀
Need the nutrition info please.
Can this be frozen to use at a later date?
Great question, Steff! I haven’t frozen it myself to try, but definitely feel free to reach back out to see if you have luck with that! I’d love to know as well.
Can you sub texas toast slices for French bread with this recipe?
Great question! I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for certain, but I feel like it’d be a great substitute and would hold up well!
This was soooo good!! I only had 2 eggs and no half and half , replaced nutmeg with cinnamon and these creme brulee french toast still came out really well . My entire family gave it 2 thumbs up. My 8yr old daughter wants it everyday 🙂
Thank you for this fantastic recipe!
So glad to hear that you and your family enjoyed, Sandrine!
Very yummy. My daughter and husband said it was the best French toast they ever had and insisted I keep this recipe. We are all foodies in this household so that means something! I made a couple alterations due to lack of ingredients and comments from other reviews of too sweet or soggy that I read. I didn’t have any orange juice, I only had 3 eggs but was only serving 3 people, and I had only found this recipe an hour before I needed to serve it so letting it sit in the refrigerator overnight was not an option. I don’t write reviews on recipes because most people have usually said it all. But this is a special recipe and deserves recognition. It’s easy to improve on a good thing but much more difficult to create a good thing. My hat is off to Sam, the creator of this recipe, which is now a keeper in this family and will be made again and again. No slaving over a hot stove cooking in batches-they are all done perfectly and ready to serve at the same time. Delightfully crispy sweet on the outside and moist & custardy fluffy on the inside. Yum!
These are the alterations I made: I sliced seven 3/4 inch slices of 4 day old Costco’s County Bread, used only 1 cup half and half, 3 eggs, pinch of nutmeg, I added 1/4 teaspoon almond extract with the vanilla. I let the the bread soak for about 30 minutes till it soaked up the whole mixture turning the slices over occasionally on my kitchen counter. For the butter mixture I only used 2-3Tablespoons brown sugar and 6 Tablespoons butter with 2-3 drops of Orange oil. I preheated my oven to 375degrees F. and placed the oven rack on the lower third of the oven. For my oven it is the second shelf from the bottom. I placed the slices on top the butter mixer of a lipped cookie sheet (baking pan) lined with Reynolds non-stick foil and baked per directions for 20 minutes turning over and baking for 5 minutes more. It couldn’t be more simple or more delicious. I served it with butter and maple syrup but can be served as is— it’s that good. The easy prep, easy cooking, easy clean up, with outstanding results earns all the stars I am able to give. This recipe should be in every Cooks recipe box.
Darlene I think you made my entire year with this comment! I am SO happy to hear that you and your family love this recipe and want to make it again. It’s really special to know that something I worked on gets incorporated into your life! Thank you for the kind words!
I have made this recipe many times over several years and it’s become a staple for family vacations and sometimes at Christmas! It has been loved by all. I even have some in the fridge right now soaking overnight that will go in the oven in the morning! As I was prepping it today I thought about how it would be nice to make for friends as well! It’s definitely a favorite and I always look forward to it!
This made my day, Sarah! I’m so glad it’s a favorite of yours – it brings me a lot of joy to know that!