French toast is a breakfast favorite, and in this post, I’m briefly sharing the best bread for french toast and what makes these options the optimal choice.
Nearly every week, I make a batch of french toast for my oldest son as a quick breakfast. At this point, I could probably make it blindfolded or in my sleep, and over the years, I’ve learned a thing or two on how to make a beautiful stack of golden french toast, including the right type of bread.
What Bread Makes the Best French Toast
The best bread for French toast comes down to the bread’s texture, thickness, and flavor. It is originally made with slightly stale day-old bread because it’s better at absorbing the liquid mixture and creates a deliciously soft and crispy bite with maple syrup.
While you can make french toast with any bread, some varieties are better than others. Below, I’m sharing my top 5 bread choices for the perfect french toast, including a gluten-free option.
1. Brioche
The bread is soft, slightly sweet, and buttery, with a texture that holds its shape after soaking in the liquid. It usually comes in large loaves, but you can also buy it presliced.
2. Challah
Very similar to Brioche but made without butter. It’s less sweet and a bit denser but it’s a great bread option for incredible French toast.
3. Texas Toast
This is basically thickly sliced white bread that’s very soft and does a terrific job absorbing the liquid mixture. It won’t need as long as other bread to soak in the egg mixture, about a minute per side.
4. French Bread / Loaf Bread
French bread has a soft, pillowy center with a crispy exterior. You’ll find it in long loaves in the bakery section of the grocery store, which means you can choose how thick to slice the bread, I recommend ½-inch thick slices.
5. Gluten-Free White Bread
For a recipe like this, I would use the thickest sliced gluten-free bread you can find. I like this one. Since gluten-free bread is slightly drier than regular bread, it nicely absorbs the liquid egg mixture and gets those golden, crisp edges.
Best French Toast Recipes
Now that you know which bread to use, here are a few incredible french toast recipes to test them out with:
Steven
Back in the 70’s when I was working in a service station there was a small diner nextdoor. I sometimes ate there for lunch. On occasion I would have french toast, They bread they use said “French Toast Bread” on the package and since it was a loaf of unsliced bread, the cook had to cut the slices by hand. It was from a bakery that supplied bread for restaurants. I believe the brand is called Pechter’s. That bread made the best french toast I’ve ever had. Now that I’m thinking of it I’m going to see if they sell there bread online.