In collaboration with Brioche Pasquier.
It’s my blogaversary today! Well, at least, I think it’s today… I know it was the end of November, a few days before my own birthday, when I first set up a private food blog on Blogger. Fast forward five years and my little space of the internet is thriving, and I earn enough from the commissioned recipes I make (this like this one), to be a stay at home Mum and to call myself my own boss.
I love it, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
This morning, to celebrate, I made my children a batch of cinnamon brioche French toast for breakfast. Ok, no, I fib. I wanted to make them a batch of cinnamon brioche French toast for breakfast, but this time of year in Shetland it’s still pitch black when the kids get up in the morning. The sun’s only rising when they head off for school, which means I actually made the cinnamon brioche French toast pictured here for my lunch, when I have a two hour window of decent natural light for food photography. They weren’t allowed to touch the brioche until I’d photographed it, something the children of food bloggers are well versed with.
Yes, I totally ate the contents of these photographs. Real food, this.
I have no idea when I started making French toast, over two decades ago, definitely, but every now and then when I want to make breakfast a little extra special, like for birthdays or blogaversaries (or just because I want it), I make it with some Brioche Pasquier sliced brioche loaf.
Their sliced brioche loaf makes the best French toast ever!
I never use a recipe when I make it though – I whisk up a couple of eggs (five eggs when all five of us are eating together) with a splash of milk and sprinkle this eggy mixture liberally with a good coating of ground cinnamon straight from the spice jar. Buttered bread (both sides) gets soaked in the cinnamon eggy mixture and then it’s fried in a non-stick pan for a few minutes on either side.
To serve: bacon & maple syrup or (and this is my secret extra-special favourite way) lashings of golden syrup and a generous sprinkling of icing sugar. Extra sugar, if you know what I mean. It’s like pudding, for breakfast. Yum.
Brioche Pasquier was founded in 1936 by Gabriel Pasquier [pronounced Pah-ski-ey] in the small French village of Les Cerqueux. In 1974 his sons turned it into the family business of Brioche Pasquier that we now know, and they now they employ over 3000 people worldwide (and occasionally commission us food bloggers too!).
They raise their own dough using their own traditional ‘levain’, a natural raising agent that adds to the unique flavour and consistency of their dough. All of their recipes are free from artificial colours, flavours and hydrogenated fats. Look out for their pains au chocolat, pains au lait, croissants and sliced brioche loaf in Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, the Co-op, Budgens and Ocado.
My children will be treated to this cinnamon brioche French toast recipe this week though, on my birthday! In addition to my blog being 5 this week I am turning the big 4-0. This afternoon, after school, I’ve promised them they can have at with the pain au chocolat (my favourite) with a mug of hot chocolate.
With thanks to Brioche Pasquier for the product samples for their #shareamoment campaign – you’ve made my children very, very happy! (Or they will be once they get home from school and are allowed to eat them!).
Cinnamon Brioche French Toast
Ingredients
- 4 slices Brioche Pasquier sliced brioche loaf
- butter softened
- 2 eggs beaten with a fork
- 1 splash full fat milk (approximately 2 tbsp)
- ground cinnamon
- Canadian maple syrup to serve (optional)
- crispy bacon to serve (optional)
- icing sugar to serve (optional)
- fresh berries to serve (optional)
Instructions
- Place the eggs in a wide, shallow dish (I find a cake tin or a quiche dish works well) and whisk with the milk.
- Pop a non-stick frying pan on a medium heat to preheat while you butter both sides of the sliced brioche.
- Sprinkle the top of the eggy mixture with a generous amount of cinnamon, and place one buttered brioche slice in it to soak for a minute or so. Flip over and leave to soak another minute.
- Fry in the preheated pan until browned, flipping once.
- Repeat with the remaining brioche, adding more ground cinnamon to the top of the eggy mixture for each slice. I like lots of cinnamon.
- Serve warm with maple syrup and bacon, or golden syrup and a liberal dusting of icing sugar. Oh, and fresh fruit too.
Food photography fail – I wanted to lightly dust my French toast with icing sugar. Still ate it though (and I didn’t even use a fork!).
This is a commissioned post for Brioche Pasquier. However, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands who make it possible for me to do what I love: mess up my kitchen (seriously, how can I trash the kitchen making French toast?!) and share recipe stories.
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Have you made this recipe?
Take a photo and tag @tangoraindrop or use the hashtag #elizabethskitchendiary and share on Instagram and Twitter. It would make my day to see your creations!
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Mum of three, daydream adventurer, OU Life Sciences graduate, occasional crafter, ex-pat Canadian & quite possibly Britain's most northerly food blogger.
Stevie says
I’d love to get stuck into this at breakfast time.
Gloria @ Homemade & Yummy says
This sounds worthy of a great holiday brunch. Happy Holidays for a fellow Canadian!!
Emily@JuicerHealthy says
I really like French toast for breakfast. I often make them for my family. But yours look so mouthwatering 🙂 I guess I’ll follow your recipe tomorrow.
Rhian Westbury says
Wow cinnamon french toast sounds amazing, definitely going to give this a go this Christmas x
Mary@SwimmingBlog says
This looks so tasty Elizabeth! Definitely gonna try this tomorrow. Happy blogversary and Happy birthday to you 🙂
Anthea says
Oh my goodness your photo’s are mouthwateringly good! I have a mini me looking over my shoulder shrieking ‘Yummy’ as I write this!
Kira says
I absolutely loved this post! Definitely worth waiting for that food photography lighting window, that photo alone has made me incredibly hungry! I want to make some!
Anosa says
This french toast version is aweosme and delicious. I have a couple of brioche bread and can not wait to try it out
stephanie says
Oh wow this looks amazing! it’s like my ideal breakfast! x
Jemma @ Celery and Cupcakes says
I’ve never even made French toast before. This looks totally delicious.
Jessica McDonnell says
That Cinnamon toast looks so delicious. I’m bookmarking this and will definitely have a go at making it.
tanya brannan says
I love cinnamon french toast but have never thought of using Brioche before. Stupid me!! My whole family love Brioche and buy the Pasquier brand as it is just so good.
I will be trying this over the next couple of weeks xx
WhatLauraLoves says
OMG this looks absolutely DELICIOUS, totally perfect brunch for me! xxx
Harriet from Toby & Roo says
Ooh my mum would love this as she really loves cinnamon! H x
Leah LS says
French toast is my ultimate comfort food but I am not a fan of cinnamon. I love the idea of bricoche french toast though as I love sweet and savoury. Heaven.
Rachel says
There is something about the way you have described this which makes me want to try french toast this way with the bacon x
MELANIE EDJOURIAN says
This looks delicious I have made various breads before but never a brioche and that fact it has cinnamon is even more exciting!!!!
Tamsin | Eco Fluffy Mama says
I am drooling. These photos are making my stomach grumble so much! Also, happy Blogaversary!
Natasha Mairs says
I really love Pasquier Brioche so i know this must taste really delicious!!
Jazmin Williams says
Ooh, now this sounds like something my stepdad would absolutely love! May show the recipe to my mother for her to make for him 🙂
The London Mum says
That is my idea of the perfect breakfast- I love french toast, but with a little bit of cinnamon it would be so festive!
Yaya says
Happy Blogaversary and Happy Birthday! This recipe looks so simple and delicious. Wish I could tuck into this right about now. x
Susanna | Ordinality says
I’m totally sitting here drooling.. So delicious! I’ve never seen their stuff at the local Tesco; should have a better look as so far I haven’t found a good ready-sliced Brioche!
Jodie says
Lovely post! I love breakfast items despite you getting it at lunch. Looks so yum! X
Ana De- Jesus says
Oh my god this French toast looks absolutely amazing and I love anything that has brioche or cinnamon together. The two together make the perfect combo!
LaaLaa says
I use to buy the Brioche Pasquier sliced brioche loaf, it’s beautiful for sandwiches but I never thought about doing this with it. May have to get some tomorrow x
Miracle Max says
Happy blogaversary. That recipe sounds amazing, I love french toast. I’ll be bookmarking this. Jo x