Don't Use Brioche: Turn This Bakery Bread Into The French Toast Of Your Dreams

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

French toast is one of home cooking's simplest delights. All you need is a bit of bread, butter, eggs, milk, and whatever sweetener, warm baking spice, and liquid flavoring you have on hand to create the quintessential brunch dish. It's terrifically adaptable, and that includes the bread. While some folks swear by slightly stale slices, brioche is a fairly common upgrade for those seeking a richer, fluffier finish. And it can be great! But babka, an enriched Eastern European dessert bread, transforms what is already a pretty decadent dish into something even more sumptuous.

Babka dough is typically stuffed with sweet fillings like chocolate or cinnamon before being rolled into cylinders, braided, and baked (to oversimplify what can be a pretty elaborate process for the purpose of this French toast discussion). This nets a plush, buttery sweet loaf swirled inside with the flavor of its baker's choosing to kaleidoscopic effect. It's great on its own, but it's even more giddily gourmet when transformed into a warm, custardy, texturally dynamic French toast. And you can do so pretty much how you'd make any other plate — with just a few adjustments to taste.

If you have a great babka recipe, then you should go right ahead and make it. But being that French toast is all about lazy Sunday morning ease (regardless of what the calendar reads), store-bought works great. We almost always have a loaf or a few frozen slices of Russ & Daughters in my home, and the New York City staple also ships nationwide. Brands like Green's Bakery Babkas, which took the No. 3 spot in Chowhound's NYC chocolate babka taste test, also sell online. Whether you're a cinnamon, chocolate, fruit, or knee-weakening Nutella babka lover, it's going to be sweeter than your typical French toast base, so you will likely want to cut out any extra sugar you might have otherwise used in the custard.

You also want the flavor of the babka itself to really shine, so you might consider walking back your cinnamon and vanilla extract as well. A little of each is fine, but if you'd normally pile 'em on to enhance your plain slices, you really don't need to in babka's case. Definitely include a pinch of salt, however, since it always enhances sweetness. You can whisk it right into your egg and milk mix, dip your babka slices, and sizzle in a bit of butter in a pan over medium on the stovetop until they're lightly crisp and golden. Even extra toppings are optional in this case, but real maple syrup also happens to go great with a classic chocolate or cinnamon babka.