- I use Trader Joe’s Braided and Sliced Brioche for French toast every weekend.
- Each loaf of the TJ’s brioche costs under $4 and soaks up the eggy custard easily.
- Top the French toast with a drizzle of syrup or honey, plus fruit, nuts or your favorite toppings.
On the weekends, my family loves French toast for a special breakfast. Over the years, I’ve tried what feels like every bread on the market to make French toast with crispy fried edges and a custard-like center. There are lots of fun variations on the classic French toast recipe, incorporating flavors like orange in the custard or filling the toast with a rich cream cheese, but we like it simple: eggs, milk and toast.
Since my family likes it “no frills,” the bread needs to be high quality, flavorful and rich. After lots of experimentation, I’ve decided the best French toast bread is Trader Joe’s Braided and Sliced Brioche. Bonus: it’s under $4.
I’ve tried regular white bread, Texas toast and cinnamon swirl breads of many varieties, but now that I’ve found TJ’s brioche, I’m never going back. Plus, I’m not the only one giving it a rave review. Plenty of people on social media agree that this product is amazing—including one person on Reddit who calls it the “best bread ever.” And while this bread would be a great choice for plenty of recipes, from fun veggie sandwiches and grilled cheeses to tender bread puddings, many on the internet agree that it’s especially a go-to choice for French toast.
Some bread is just flour, water, and yeast, but the Trader Joe’s brioche is made with flour, water, sugar, eggs and butter. The high egg and butter content is what makes this specifically “brioche” and the richness of the bread makes it a great vehicle for French toast. Plus, it’s extremely absorbent without falling apart, as long as you use a little finesse while prepping the toast.
And let’s be clear: my French toast recipe isn’t anything groundbreaking. For every two pieces of toast, I beat together one egg with about ¼ to ½ cup of milk in a shallow dish. Some people use cream to make it extra custard-like, but I use whole milk since I typically have it on hand. Sometimes I add a splash of vanilla. Most people use cinnamon, but I don’t bother—I like it plain.
I use a fork to dip the slices of brioche in my egg mixture, making sure both sides of the bread get drenched. I also like to poke the bread with the fork while it’s in the mixture to make sure the bread absorbs the eggy milk. I don’t leave the bread in the mixture for longer than it takes to drench and flip it, as it’ll fall apart if it gets too soggy.
I fry the bread on a buttered griddle turned up to medium high. It only takes a few minutes to get that golden, marbled look on one side. I flip it, fry for another couple minutes, and then plate it right away. We eat it hot off the griddle with maple syrup.
Lots of people serve their French toast with butter, cinnamon sugar or powdered sugar on top and a side of sliced fruit, but, again, we keep it very simple. The high quality brioche makes the custard-like texture of the inside of the bread highly satisfying, especially along with the perfectly golden toasted outside. This bread holds its shape well. Some French toast dries out when you cook the outside, and some falls apart due to too much moisture, but the Trader Joe’s brioche keeps the perfect balance of fried on the outside and gooey on the inside.
And if you are a fan of adding banana or strawberries for a final touch, this brioche would make a perfect canvas for your favorite French toast accoutrements.
One of the biggest perks of the Trader Joe’s brioche specifically is that it’s $3.99 a loaf, while loaves of brioche from other grocery stores can be as expensive as $8—at least in my area. Making the perfect French toast for half the price is nothing to sneeze at these days. My family of three polishes off a whole loaf in one weekend, and it’s a perfect way to start off the weekend feeling special.
