Balthazars Brioche French Toast Food

FRENCH TOAST

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar and set aside briefly.
• In a 10-inch or 12-inch skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk together cinnamon mixture, eggs, milk, and vanilla and pour into a shallow container such as a pie plate. Dip bread in egg mixture. Fry slices until golden brown, then flip to cook the other side. Serve with syrup.

BALTHAZAR BRIOCHE FRENCH TOAST

Steps:

• In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, and milk. Add cinnamon and nutmeg; whisk to combine.
• Layer bread slices in a shallow baking dish and pour over egg mixture; let stand until bread begins to absorb liquid, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn bread slices and let bread absorb liquid on the opposite side, 2 to 3 minutes more.
• Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Place a baking sheet or ovenproof serving platter in oven.
• Working in batches, coat the bottom of a medium skillet with some of the clarified butter and heat over medium-high heat. Add 3 to 4 slices of soaked bread and cook until golden brown and crisp. Turn bread and cook until golden brown and crisp, adding butter as necessary to help browning and to give the French toast a nutty flavor. Transfer French toast to baking sheet in oven to keep warm. Repeat process with remaining clarified butter, soaked bread, and butter.
• Serve French toast immediately dusted with confectioners' sugar, syrup, and fresh fruit or bacon, if desired.

BRIOCHE FRENCH TOAST WITH FRESH BERRY COMPOTE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 225 degrees F.
• In a medium saucepan, combine fresh berries with 1/4 cup sugar and the water and bring to a simmer.
• Cook over moderate heat , stirring occasionally, until the berries have softened and released their juices and the sugar has dissolved completely, about 8 minutes.
• In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the heavy cream, the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar and the cinnamon, ginger and allspice.
• Transfer the cream and egg mixture to a 9x13 baking dish.
• Heat a large cast-iron griddle over moderate heat and lightly butter it.
• Working in batches, dip half of the brioche slices in the cream and egg mixture, turning them once, until the slices are moistened but not soggy.
• Transfer the soaked brioche slices to the griddle and cook them over moderate heat, turning once, until they are golden on both sides and cooked through, about 4 minutes.
• Transfer the finished French toast to a baking sheet, cover loosely with foil and keep warm in the oven while you soak and cook the remaining brioche slices.
• Transfer the French toast to plates and serve right away, accompanied by the warm berry compote and creme fraiche.

BALTHAZAR'S BRIOCHE FRENCH TOAST

Steps:

• In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, and milk. Add cinnamon and nutmeg; whisk to combine.
• Layer bread slices in a shallow baking dish and pour over egg mixture; let stand until bread begins to absorb liquid, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn bread slices and let bread absorb liquid on the opposite side, 2 to 3 minutes more.
• Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Place a baking sheet or ovenproof serving platter in oven.
• Working in batches, coat the bottom of a medium skillet with some of the clarified butter and heat over medium-high heat. Add 3 to 4 slices of soaked bread and cook until golden brown and crisp. Turn bread and cook until golden brown and crisp, adding butter as necessary to help browning and to give the French toast a nutty flavor. Transfer French toast to baking sheet in oven to keep warm. Repeat process with remaining clarified butter, soaked bread, and butter.
• Serve French toast immediately dusted with confectioners' sugar, syrup, and fresh fruit or bacon, if desired.

BRIOCHE FRENCH TOAST

Steps:

• For brioche: place all ingredients except the butter in a mixer equipped with a dough hook (preferably a kitchen aid k5). Mix on slow speed for 7 minutes until the dough has come together and is elastic and smooth Increase the speed of the mixer to medium and gradually add the butter in small pieces waiting for each piece to be absorbed in the dough before adding the next. This process will take at least 7 more minutes until all the butter is incorporated in the dough. When finished the dough will be very smooth, elastic, velvety and extremely soft. It is important not to add more flour to the dough, it should be extremely soft. Place dough in refrigerator overnight or for at least 6 hours. After dough has rested divide in 2 pieces and shape into logs of 8 inches long and 3 inches across. Place in a warm draft free place approximately 80 degrees and cover with a damp cloth It will take at least 2 hours for the bread to double in volume, eggwash with a mixture of whole eggs and heavy cream and bake in a 375-degree oven for 50 minutes until golden brown and hollow sounding. The bread should completely cool before slicing. It would probably be best if brioche be made the night before the French toast is to be made.
• For the French toast: Blend all ingredients together, place in a low flat-bottomed baking dish large enough to accommodate the whole slices of brioche. Slice brioche to 1 inch thick slices, soak in egg mixture, be sure the slices are saturated. Heat a large cast-iron skillet to medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of butter and cook Fench toast for about 3 minutes on either side until golden brown. Serve immediately with warm maple syrup.

CORNFLAKE-CRUSTED BRIOCHE FRENCH TOAST

Steps:

• Slice brioche loaf into eight 1"-thick slices with a serrated knife.
• Using a 3" round cookie cutter, cut each slice into a circle and set aside. (Reserve bread scraps for bread crumbs.).
• In a shallow dish, whisk together half and half, sugar, cinnamon, salt, orange zest, and eggs.
• Put cornflakes into another shallow dish.
• Working with 1 circle of brioche at a time, dip in the egg mixture, allowing brioche to soak for 10 seconds on each side, then coat in the cornflakes.
• Transfer to a sheet tray lined with waxed paper.
• Heat 3 tablespoons of the butter in a 10" nonstick skillet over medium heat until just foaming.
• Transfer 4 slices of brioche to the pan and cook, turning once, until both sides are golden brown, about 4 minutes.
• Divide the french toast between 2 serving plates.
• Wipe out skillet, add remaining butter, and repeat process.
• Dust the french toast with confectioners' sugar and drizzle with maple syrup.
• Serve with berries and sliced fruit, if you like.

STUFFED BRIOCHE FRENCH TOAST

Steps:

• Arrange six slices of the brioche in a baking pan large enough to fit them all comfortably in one layer. Spread each slice with 1 ounce of cream cheese, leaving a one-half-inch border at the edges. Spread each of the other six slices with a heaping tablespoon of jam, and then invert them onto the halves with the cream cheese, making sandwiches.
• In a large bowl whisk the eggs, milk, half-and-half, sugar, vanilla, orange zest, and salt. Pour the mixture over the sandwiches, and let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes, turning the sandwiches once.
• Lightly spray the peaches with oil.
• Prepare the grill for direct and indirect cooking over medium-low heat (about 350°F).
• Brush the cooking grates clean. Tip one sandwich on its side so that any extra liquid runs off. Spray both sides with oil and then place on the grill. Repeat with the remaining sandwiches. Grill over direct medium-low heat, with the lid closed as much as possible until browned on both sides, 6 to 8 minutes, turning once. Move the sandwiches onto a piece of foil placed over indirect medium-low heat, close the lid, and continue cooking until the sandwiches are firm in the centre, about 5 minutes. At the same time, grill the peaches over direct medium-low heat until the flesh is marked and the peaches are warm, 5 to 10 minutes, turning once or twice. Remove from the grill and cut the peach quarters in half lengthwise.
• Serve the sandwiches hot with the peaches on top.

FRENCH BRIOCHE BREAD IN BREADMAKER

Steps:

• Add yeast and flour to breadmaker. .
• In a microwave safe bowl, combine water, salt, sugar, and butter and microwave until butter is melted (about 3 minutes and 30 seconds). Mix butter mixture with a whisk and add to the breadmaker. .
• Turn breadmaker on to "dough mixing mode". After dough has been mixed together (about 1 minute after turning on "dough mixing mode") add eggs. Add more flour to mixture if dough is too sticky one tablespoon at a time. .
• Allow breadmaker to run through cycle. After cycle is complete, let dough rise in breadmaker until it rises to the top of breadmaker canister (about 1 hour).
• Grease a 9 x 4 inch loaf pan with butter.
• Dust the surface of the dough with flour. On a floured counter, pat the dough into a 7 by 14 inch rectangle. (If necessary, use a bench scraper to loosen dough and add more flour underneath the dough so it doesn't stick.). .
• Using your bench scraper to cut the loaf in half lengthwise. Gently roll each half into a 14" tube. Pinch the two ends of the dough together and braid dough by laying the left piece over the right until pieces of dough are tightly twisted. Pinch ends together. Transfer loaf to prepared loaf pan. .
• Cover pan loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled in size. Top of the loaf should rise about 1 inch over the lip of the pan. Could take up to 3 hours. (Tip: Turn oven to 110° then turn off. Let dough rise in warmed oven. Dough will rise in about 1½ hours.) .
• Before baking, beat 1 egg to create an egg wash and spread over top of bread. (You will not use entire egg for egg wash.).
• Preheat oven to 350º. Bake approximately 25 minutes until the crust is golden brown and internal temperature registers 200º. .
• Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan on a wire rack. Remove loaf from pan and cool completely on a wire rack before slicing, about 2 hours.