Orange Vanilla Brioche French Toast is the perfect way to start a fall morning!
This one has such perfect beginning of fall notes.
The base is a vanilla brioche loaf. I’l be honest, I found this while strolling the Walmart aisles on a whim. I didn’t even know it existed.
But it’s sooo good. The brioche loaf is swirled with vanilla custard and makes the whole bread extra soft and sweet. The perfect base for a French toast!
Then, we make the custard. We have hints of cinnamon spice bringing the fall flavors into this. And I added the zest of an entire orange as well as just a tablespoon of the juice.
I think the zest really adds so much more flavor than the juice sometimes AND it adds color which I love. :)
Now before pouring that custard over the chopped up vanilla brioche, we need to add one more element of orange flavor.
Orange marmalade!
When I tell you this is what MAKES it.
I purposely kept the custard from being too sweet because I knew the orange marmalade would bring the sweetness. And boy is it perfect!
I think from now on I’ll always be adding some marmalade to my fruit French toasts because it really brings it to another level.
After adding the dollops of marmalade throughout the top of the French toast, the custard is poured over the top and then sits in the fridge overnight.
In the morning, bake it off and you will have the softest, sweetest French toast that is perfect for a fall brunch!
What you’ll need:
- Vanilla Brioche: okay, this might be hard to find. Shockingly, my local Walmart carries it. If you don’t find it, you can use a regular brioche loaf. But if you find it in your area, the vanilla adds such a great flavor.
- Cream cheese: full fat is always my favorite, but any will do.
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Milk: full fat if possible. You can use cream here if you’d like too!
- Orange: we’re using the zest of one whole orange as well as a tablespoon of the juice.
- Orange Marmalade: This is where a nice bit of sweetness comes in. The orange marmalade ties in the flavors.
How to make your own Orange Vanilla Brioche French Toast:
Grease a 9x9inch baking dish and add your chopped up vanilla brioche loaf.
Add dollops of orange marmalade throughout the top of the dish. I like to tuck them between pieces to hide extra fun bites.
Now whisk together all of the custard ingredients until the eggs are fully broken up. Another option is to blend it up real quick for a perfectly smooth custard.
Pour that over the top, then cover and refrigerate overnight.
In the morning, let it come to room temperature for 30 minutes while the oven preheats. Bake it off and then let it rest for about 15 min before slicing into it.
To be extra fancy, you can serve it with a dollop of whipped cream and an orange slice on top. :)
How long does this last after it’s done?
I’d say 2-3 days at most. But good luck getting it to last that long. ;)
Can I use bottled orange juice?
If you don’t have fresh oranges, I’d suggest using 2-3tbsp of orange juice instead of the zest and fresh juice.
Can I use a different type of bread?
yes, you definitely can! Another favorite way to make these is with Costco croissants. Yum!
Orange Vanilla Brioche French Toast
Ingredients
- 1 15oz loaf of vanilla Brioche
- 8 oz full fat cream cheese softened
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- zest of one orange
- 1 tbsp orange juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup Orange marmalade
Instructions
- Chop the vanilla brioche and add to a greased 9×9 inch baking dish. Add dollops of orange marmalade all over the top and between the pieces.
- In the cup of a blender, add the cream cheese, sugar, eggs, milk, orange zest and juice, and vanilla. Blend until fully combined and then pour over the brioche. Cover with foil and let it sit in the fridge for a few hours or ideally overnight.
- In the morning, remove from the fridge 30 minutes before baking. Preheat the oven to 350 and then bake for 35-45 min or until a toothpick inserted in the center custard comes out clean. Let it rest for 15 min and then dust with powdered sugar and enjoy!