Spring Brunch Strawberry French Toast (Printable)

A colorful dish with strawberries, brioche cubes, and a creamy custard, perfect for spring gatherings.

# What You'll Need:

→ Bread & Fruit

01 - 1 loaf brioche or challah, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 14 oz)
02 - 2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced

→ Custard Mixture

03 - 6 large eggs
04 - 2 cups whole milk
05 - 1/2 cup heavy cream
06 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar
07 - 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
08 - 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
09 - 1/4 teaspoon salt

→ Topping

10 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
11 - 1/3 cup sliced almonds
12 - 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar or coarse sugar

# Directions:

01 - Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with butter or nonstick spray.
02 - Arrange half of the bread cubes in the baking dish. Scatter half of the sliced strawberries over the bread. Repeat with remaining bread and strawberries, layering them evenly.
03 - In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, heavy cream, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt until well combined.
04 - Pour the custard mixture evenly over the bread and strawberries, pressing gently to help the bread absorb the liquid.
05 - Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or overnight for best results.
06 - Preheat the oven to 350°F.
07 - Uncover the baking dish. Drizzle the melted butter over the top, then sprinkle with sliced almonds and turbinado sugar.
08 - Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the center is set.
09 - Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve warm, optionally with maple syrup or a dusting of powdered sugar.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • You can assemble it the night before, so morning-of stress basically disappears.
  • It feeds a whole table without requiring you to stand over a skillet flipping individual slices like some kind of breakfast acrobat.
  • The custard gets perfectly creamy inside while the top gets just enough golden crunch to make everyone ask for the recipe.
02 -
  • Don't skip the chilling step—I learned this the hard way when I tried to bake it immediately and ended up with bread that was swimming in custard instead of soaked in it.
  • The difference between a good bake and a great one is using day-old bread and actually giving it time to absorb the mixture; fresh bread falls apart and defeats the whole purpose.
03 -
  • If your strawberries are very juicy, slice them just before assembling the bake so they don't weep liquid into the custard and make it watery.
  • Let the baked dish rest those full 10 minutes before cutting—it's the difference between a beautiful slice and a sad scramble.
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