This strawberries & cream stuffed French toast is no ordinary breakfast recipe. It's made with a homemade brioche loaf, stuffed with a sweet cream cheese filling and fresh strawberries, soaked in a milk, egg mixture, and then cooked until golden & crispy. Just when it seems like it can't get any better, this decadent brioche French toast is topped with homemade whipped cream, more fresh strawberries, and a generous drizzle of maple syrup.
I think French toast gets a bad rap for always being soggy, eggy, or not fluffy. As someone who was strictly a pancake or waffle girl for many years, and believed all of the above about French toast, I made it my mission to make a recipe that defied these common unfavorable outcomes.
So what's the key to a thick, fluffy, and crispy French toast that has a balanced sweetness, and never tastes eggy? Make your own brioche bread! My recipe makes one pillowy soft loaf that bakes up with an enriched, buttery flavor and subtle sweetness.
Most store-bought loaves are filled with preservatives and other additives that have a fake, processed taste. If it's a pre-sliced loaf, it could be cut too thin, which will ultimately result in a soggy, eggy French toast. By making your own brioche, you can use high-quality ingredients for the best flavor, texture, and overall result!
What makes this French toast even more special is the fact that it's stuffed with a luscious cream cheese filling and fresh strawberries for that classic strawberries & cream combo. The cream cheese filling adds a touch more sweetness, while the strawberries and whipped cream balance out the richness from the filling, brioche, and maple syrup. The intricacies of the flavors, as well as the red and white colors, make it a recipe that's just as stunning as it is delicious.
For more brunch recipes, try Ultra Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes, Small Batch Buttermilk Blueberry Muffins, and New York Style Bagels.
Jump to Recipe
Why you'll love this stuffed French toast
- Homemade Brioche: As an enriched bread, my homemade brioche loaf has a pillowy soft texture with a beautiful even, tender crumb. Its buttery, slightly sweet, and balanced yeasty taste makes it perfect for French toast!
- Strawberries & Cream Flavor: The unassuming combination of fresh strawberries and homemade whipped cream is one that will never cease to amaze me. The juiciness paired with the light, velvety topping is so simple, yet so satisfying. And what better way to enjoy it than in this stuffed French toast recipe?!
- Make Ahead Brunch Recipe: With the homemade brioche, this recipe can seem a little too time-intensive to be enjoyed in the morning, but I promise it can be done! Bake the brioche, make cream cheese filling, and slice the strawberries the day before. The day of the brunch, whip up the milk, egg mixture, assemble the stuffed French toast, cook, and enjoy!
Ingredient Notes
- Brioche: Obviously I'm biased, but I think my Overnight Brioche Bread makes the best French toast! But I completely understand if you'd prefer to use store-bought brioche or challah to simplify the recipe.
- Salt: Add kosher or fine sea salt to the milk, egg mixture to enhance the flavors in the French toast.
- Milk: Use whole milk for best flavor!
- Powdered Sugar: A small amount of powdered sugar is mixed into the cream cheese filling to add just the right amount of sweetness.
- Eggs: Bring your eggs to room temperature quickly by placing them in a bowl of warm water for about 10 minutes.
- Vanilla: Use a high-quality pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste! I opted for the latter in the cream filling so you could see those gorgeous flecks of vanilla.
- Fresh Strawberries: Juicy, ripe strawberries that are in season take this French toast over the top! Of course, you could also swap them out for your favorite fresh berries, such as blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and individual quantities.
Step by Step Instructions
Here are step by step photos and instructions on how to make this overnight brioche bread recipe! For the full ingredient list and method, see the recipe card at the end of this post.
STEP 1: Make the cream cheese filling. In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla bean paste. Use an electric mixer to cream until fully combined and smooth.
STEP 2: Assemble the French toast. Spread a generous amount of the cream cheese filling onto one side of each brioche slice. Arrange an even layer of strawberries on half of the slices, then sandwich with the paired brioche slices. Set aside.
STEP 3: Make the milk egg mixture. In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt until fully combined.
STEP 4: Soak the stuffed French toast & cook. Dip each stuffed brioche into the milk, egg mixture, fully coating the sides, as well. Add a small pat of butter to the pan, then add the stuffed brioche. Once the brioche is evenly golden, after about 2-3 minutes, flip over onto the other side. Don’t forget the sides of the brioche too! Repeat with the remaining stuffed brioche.
Top each strawberries & cream stuffed french toast with whipped cream, more fresh strawberries, and maple syrup.
Expert Baking Tips
- Prep the day before: Bake the brioche, make the cream cheese filling, and slice the strawberries the day before. The day of the brunch, whip up the milk, egg mixture, assemble the stuffed French toast, cook, and enjoy!
- Cut the brioche into 1" slices: For the optimal bread to filling ratio, as well as achieving a non-soggy/eggy result, cut the brioche into one inch thick slices!
- Make the whipped cream just before serving: Whipped cream will deflate and turn liquid again if left out for too long. To make sure it's fresh for topping, hold off on making it until after the French toast has been cooked. It only takes a few seconds!
Recipe FAQs
Mascarpone would make a great substitute for the cream cheese, and result in a more mild tasting, yet equally delicious filling!
Place the French toast on a wire rack on top of baking sheet. Keep warm in a 200 degree F oven until ready to serve.
Swap out the strawberries for pecans or walnuts, or change up the filling completely and stuff the brioche with peanut butter and jelly!
Store any leftover cooked French toast (without whipped cream or maple syrup) in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Baking in Grams
All of the recipes on this blog are carefully developed with gram measurements so you can easily recreate them in your own kitchen with success. Volume measurements are extremely inaccurate and leave room for significant errors. Not all measuring cups are made equally, so your one cup of flour will be different from my one cup of flour. By providing precise measurements in grams (aside from minor ingredients, which are given in tsp/tbsp), you can make these recipes accurately and with less cleanup! All you need is this kitchen scale.
If this still isn't enough to convince you, I have provided volume measurements in the recipe card. If you are interested in understanding the conversions, this is the best conversion chart.
But trust me, once you try baking in grams you'll never turn back!
Happy baking! x
Other brunch recipes to try
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📖 Recipe
Strawberries & Cream Stuffed French Toast
Equipment
Ingredients
For the strawberries & cream filling:
- 227 g (8 oz) block-style cream cheese, cold
- 38 g (⅓ cup) powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 12 oz fresh strawberries, + more for topping
For the french toast:
- 1 brioche loaf, cut into 1” slices
- 227 g (1 cup) whole milk
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
For the whipped cream:
- 113 g (½ cup) heavy cream, cold
- 12 g (1 tablespoon) granulated sugar
Instructions
For the strawberries & cream filling:
- In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla bean paste. Use an electric mixer to cream until fully combined and smooth. Set aside.
- Cut the strawberries into small pieces. Set aside.
To assemble the french toast:
- Spread a generous amount of the cream cheese filling onto one side of each brioche slice. Arrange an even layer of strawberries on half of the slices, then top with the paired brioche slices. Set aside.
To make the french toast:
- Place a large skillet over low-medium heat.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt until fully combined.
- Dip each stuffed brioche into the milk, egg mixture, fully coating the sides, as well.
- Add a small pat of butter to the skillet, then add the stuffed brioche. Once the brioche is evenly golden, after about 2-3 minutes, flip over onto the other side. Don’t forget the sides of the brioche too! Repeat with the remaining stuffed brioche.
For the whipped cream:
- In a glass measuring cup, add the cold heavy cream and sugar. Use an electric mixer to beat until soft peaks form.
To serve:
- Top each strawberries & cream stuffed french toast with whipped cream, more fresh strawberries, and maple syrup.
Notes
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- Prep the day before: Bake the brioche, make the cream cheese filling, and slice the strawberries the day before. The day of the brunch, whip up the milk, egg mixture, assemble the stuffed French toast, cook, and enjoy!
- Cut the brioche into 1" slices: For the optimal bread to filling ratio, as well as achieving a non-soggy/eggy result, cut the brioche into one inch thick slices!
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- Make the whipped cream just before serving: Whipped cream will deflate and turn liquid again if left out for too long. To make sure it's fresh for topping, hold off on making it until after the French toast has been cooked. It only takes a few seconds!
Angel says
This was delicious!!! I added a strawberry coulis on top!
Thank you for sharing!
Dawn Harwell says
This is legit the best thing I’ve ever made and I’ve been cooking for 40 years. OMG! Thank you for this amazing recipe 💜💜💜💜