This favorite brunch French toast recipe starts with delicious homemade Italian Colomba bread soaked in a silky smooth vanilla bean custard that's topped off with pure maple syrup, a sweet homemade strawberry jam sauce, crunchy toasted pecans, butter, and a drizzle of pistachio cream. It's delicious!
Whether you make your own sweet Italian Colomba bread to use in this recipe or buy it, this French toast recipe is one that the whole family will love (especially your Mom if you surprise her with it ♡ on Mother's Day this year).
What Makes This One of the Best Ever French Toast Recipes?
The vanilla bean custard base for this French toast is really delicious, but it's the homemade Colomba bread that really sets this French toast apart. Add to this a quick 15-minute homemade strawberry jam sauce, and to me, it's a pretty perfect breakfast with easy cleanup.
The texture of Colomba bread is somewhere between the best challah you've ever had, brioche, and cake. This bread takes regular French toast to a whole new level, but feel free to substitute it with your favorite egg-rich bread like challah, brioche, or King's Hawaiian bread.
If you enjoy this brunch favorite, check out these Light and Fluffy Pancakes for Two (or a Crowd) or these classic French crêpes!
Jump to:
- What Makes This One of the Best Ever French Toast Recipes?
- What is Colomba Bread ("Colomba di Pasqua", or "Colomba Pasquale)?
- Vanilla Bean Custard French Toast Ingredients
- How to Make The Best Ever French Toast
- Vanilla Bean Custard French Toast Recipe Step-by-Step Photos
- FAQs
- Let the Kids Help Make French Toast For Mother's Day
- 📖 Recipe
- Vanilla Bean Custard French Toast Tips & Tricks
What is Colomba Bread ("Colomba di Pasqua", or "Colomba Pasquale)?
The bread we use as the base for this French toast is also why it's so delicious. It starts with sweet, homemade, featherlight Colomba bread. "Colomba" means dove in Italian, and the shape is meant to represent the Easter dove. The photo directly above and below are my homemade Olivieri Colomba Copycat recipe!
It's a favorite traditional Italian Easter dessert bread. Almost everyone buys at least one Colomba (large or small) from their favorite local pastry shop (pasticceria) and eats it leading up to the holiday, on the holiday itself, and sometimes for a brief window of time just after Easter, and then it goes away for an entire year.
If you want to learn more about this delicious bread, head over here. If you don't have a Colomba lying around, substitute another egg-rich honeyed Challah, sweet brioche, or even King's Hawaiian bread.
Vanilla Bean Custard French Toast Ingredients
This easy French toast is made with a delicious homemade vanilla bean custard, a good Italian Colomba bread, brioche, or Challah bread and you can't go wrong just be sure it's good and dry first.
vanilla bean custard mixture
- ½ cup whole milk (126g)
- 2 large eggs (100g)
- ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla bean powder (or a few pinches)
- ½ teaspoon blood orange sugar (or sugar + fresh orange zest) (8g)
- a pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon butter (for cooking the French toast) (15g)
- 2 to 3 thick slices of dry Italian Colomba Bread, (or other egg-rich bread)
strawberry jam sauce
- one recipe of 15-minute strawberry jam sauce
How to Make The Best Ever French Toast
French toast is easy to make without a lot of cleanup, which makes it perfect for weekend brunch or larger family gatherings.
- Prepare the custard. Add all of the custard ingredients to a bowl or shallow dish and whisk to combine. Add the sliced Colomba in a single layer and let rest 15-20 minutes total to absorb the custard, gently turning the slices over about halfway through soaking time.
- Prepare the strawberry jam sauce. While the Colomba slices are soaking, add the strawberries and both sugars to a small pot and bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, stirring frequently to avoid scorching, and cook for approximately 15-20 minutes, or until the strawberries are mostly broken down and the mixture coats the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and set aside while you toast the pecans and cook the French toast.
- Toast the pecans. Heat a skillet to medium-high heat and add the pecans, toast until fragrant and just lightly browned, remove from heat, and set aside to cool.
- Cook the French toast. Add a large pat of butter to a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet or other non-stick pan and melt over medium heat. Gently add the slices of Colomba to the pan, turn the heat to low, and cook for about 5 minutes without moving the French toast once they've hit the pan. When the French toast begins to turn golden brown, gently flip them over. Continue cooking on the second side until lightly browned, about 4-5 minutes more. Turn the slices back over and cook a little longer until they're cooked all the way through and springy to the touch.
- Serve the French toast. Once the French toast is cooked through, remove it from the pan to a serving platter, spoon the strawberry jam sauce over the top, drizzle with pistachio cream (or Nutella), add the toasted pecans and pistachio crunchies, and serve. Feel free to drizzle with pure maple syrup and add a side of bacon or eggs. Enjoy with your favorite sparkling wine for a brunch or lunch celebration, or with coffee or tea for breakfast.
Vanilla Bean Custard French Toast Recipe Step-by-Step Photos
FAQs
French toast has soaked long enough when it's absorbed most of the custard without starting to fall apart, usually after about 15 to 20 minutes.
French toast is done when the middle is still soft but firm, and the outside is golden brown. You should be able to press on it lightly, and it should feel spongy and spring back, not cave in and stay caved in.
Yes! You can make it up to 24 hours in advance and keep it in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use. Freeze any leftover batter for up to 3 months. Simply thaw in the fridge overnight and use it in the morning.
Always cook French toast over medium-low heat. When you first add the French toast to the buttered skillet, it should bubble slightly and never smoke. Low and slow is the name of the game. You want a firm but soft, cooked-through center with a golden brown exterior. If your heat is too high, turn it down. If it's not cooking quickly enough, turn the heat up only slightly. Play with the temperature until you figure out what works perfectly for you.
If your French toast is still raw in the middle but the outsides are perfectly golden brown, place it in a preheated 350°F (176°C) oven and cook for a few minutes until the middle is cooked through. Cover with foil if needed to avoid further browning. Another option is microwaving for about 30 seconds, which will cook the middles quickly but may also make the French toast slightly rubbery.
Always use dry bread and allow it to soak in the custard. Use fresh eggs and make sure each slice is evenly cooked and golden brown. Cook in butter or a combination of butter and a neutral oil like grape seed oil. Add something crunchy on top like nuts or toffee for texture, and use 100% maple syrup instead of a fruit or caramel sauce if you're going the syrup route.
Let the Kids Help Make French Toast For Mother's Day
This is a really easy French toast recipe for kids to help with, and make it the most memorable and delicious Mother's Day for Mom.
Let's get started!
Print📖 Recipe
Italian Colomba French Toast Recipe
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 2-3 servings depending on the hunger level
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This French toast recipe has it all! It starts with a sweet delicious Italian bread soaked in a vanilla-bean custard, cooked until golden brown, then topped with a homemade strawberry jam sauce, creamy dreamy pistachio drizzle, and golden toasted pecans. This is a house favorite and we're betting you're gonna love it as much as we do!
Ingredients
vanilla bean custard mixture
- ½ cup whole milk (126g)
- 2 large eggs (100g)
- ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla bean powder (or a few pinches)
- ½ teaspoon blood orange sugar (or sugar + fresh orange zest) (8g)
- a pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon butter (for cooking the French toast) (15g)
- 2 to 3 thick slices of dry Italian Colomba Bread, (or other egg-rich bread)
strawberry jam sauce
-
- one recipe 15-minute strawberry jam sauce
Get Recipe Ingredients
Instructions
- Prepare the custard. Add all of the custard ingredients to a bowl or shallow dish and whisk to combine. Add the sliced Colomba in a single layer and let rest 15-20 minutes total to absorb the custard, gently turning the slices over about halfway through soaking time.
- Prepare the strawberry jam sauce. While the Colomba slices are soaking, add the strawberries and both sugars to a small pot and bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, stirring frequently to avoid scorching, and cook for approximately 15-20 minutes, or until the strawberries are mostly broken down and the mixture coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and set aside while you toast the pecans and cook the French toast.
- Toast the pecans. Heat a skillet to medium-high heat and add the pecans, toast until fragrant and just lightly browned, remove from heat, and set aside to cool.
- Cook the french toast. Add a large pat of butter to a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet or other non-stick pan and melt over medium heat. Gently add the slices of Colomba to the pan, turn the heat to low, and cook for about 5 minutes without moving the french toast once they've hit the pan. When the french toast begins to turn golden brown, gently flip them over. Continue cooking on the second side until lightly browned about 4-5 minutes more. Turn the slices back over and cook a little longer until they're cooked all the way through and springy to the touch.
- Serve the french toast. Once the french toast is cooked through, remove them from the pan to a serving platter, spoon the strawberry jam sauce over the top, drizzle with pistachio cream (or Nutella), add the toasted pecans and pistachio crunchies and serve. Feel free to drizzle with pure maple syrup and add a side of bacon or eggs. Enjoy with your favorite sparkling wine for a brunch or lunch celebration, or with coffee or tea for breakfast.
Notes
- When the French toast is soaking be very gentle when you turn them over. Use tongs or a spatula to assist you when turning over the slices especially as they begin to absorb the custard and become soft. This provides support for the soft custard-soaked bread and helps keep them from falling apart.
- Help ensure the middle cooks perfectly. Cooking French toast on low and occasionally lifting them with a spatula throughout the cooking process (to check for even browning) will help ensure the middle cooks through and the outsides become nicely browned without burning.
- If you don't have the Tarocco orange sugar, no problem! Substitute with regular sugar and add a little fresh orange zest.
Vanilla Bean Custard French Toast Tips & Tricks
- How do I know when my French toast has soaked long enough in the vanilla bean egg custard mixture? French toast has soaked long enough when it's absorbed most of the custard or egg mixture, usually after about 15-20 minutes.
- How do I know when French toast is done? French toast is done when the middle is still soft, but firm and the outside is golden brown. You should be able to press on it lightly and it should feel spongy and spring back (not cave in and stay caved in).
- Can you save French toast batter/custard? Yes, you can. You can also make it up to 24 hours in advance and keep it in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use. Freeze any leftover batter for up to 3 months. Simply thaw in the fridge overnight and add use it in the morning.
- What temperature should my pan be when making French toast? You should always cook French toast in a medium-low pan. When you first add the French toast to the buttered skillet, it should bubble slightly and never be smoking. Low and slow is the name of the game here. You want a firm but soft and cooked-through center with a golden brown exterior. If your heat is too high, turn it down. If you feel it's not cooking quickly enough, turn the heat up only slightly. Play with the temperature until you figure out what works perfectly for you.
- What do I do if my French toast is still raw in the middle after I've cooked it? If your French toast is still raw in the middle but the outsides are perfectly golden brown, you can do one of two things: Place it in a preheated 350°F/176°C oven and cook for a few minutes until the middle is cooked through (cover with foil if need be to avoid further browning) OR you place it in the microwave for 30 seconds or so, although I've never done this I'm certain it would cook the middles quickly, it may also make the French toast rubbery.
- How do I make sure French toast is good? Always use dry bread, allow the bread to soak in the custard or egg mixture, always use fresh eggs, make sure it's evenly cooked and golden brown on top, use butter to cook it in or a combination of butter and a little vegetable oil like grape seed oil, add something crunchy in texture to the top (nuts, toffee, etc.), and use 100% maple syrup if using syrup instead of a fruit or caramel sauce.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Breakfast + Brunch
- Method: Skillet
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ¼
Made the Recipe? Tell Us What You Think!