Brioche French Toast with Roasted Rhubarb and Ginger Granola
This is the kind of breakfast that justifies getting out of bed on a slow spring morning. Thick slices of brioche, fried in butter until the outside is deeply caramelised and the inside is soft and just set, topped with tart roasted rhubarb, a lightly sweetened vanilla yoghurt and a ginger oat granola that you will find yourself making in batches to keep in the cupboard. It works just as well as a dessert; the rhubarb and ginger keep it from feeling too rich, and the whole thing comes together in about 30 minutes once your components are prepped. You can use a good shop-bought brioche loaf, or make your own. I've written a full recipe for homemade brioche here.
Brioche French Toast with Roasted Rhubarb
A rich, buttery French brioche with a tender, golden crumb. Made with a high proportion of butter and eggs for a deeply flavoured loaf that is excellent for French toast, bread pudding or simply eaten warm with good butter and jam.
Ingredients
- 75g scotch oats
- 40g flaked almonds
- 2 tbsp pumpkin or sunflower seeds, optional
- 30g unsalted butter, melted
- 3 tbsp ginger syrup (from a jar of stem ginger)
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste
- Pinch of salt
- 350g Greek yoghurt
- 50ml single cream, optional
- 50g honey
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- Pinch of salt
- 4 thick slices brioche, shop-bought or homemade
- 4 eggs
- 150ml whole milk
- 75ml single cream
- 3 tbsp golden caster sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Zest of 1 orange
- Unsalted butter, for frying
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170°C fan/180°C conventional. Line two shallow baking trays with baking parchment.
- Mix the oats, almonds and seeds with the melted butter, ginger syrup, vanilla bean paste and a pinch of salt until everything is lightly coated and just starting to clump. Spread onto one of the lined trays and put in the oven.
- While the granola begins to bake, toss the rhubarb batons with the sugar and orange zest on the second lined tray and put in the oven alongside the granola. The granola needs around 20 minutes, turning once halfway through, until deep golden and starting to crisp at the edges. The rhubarb needs around 10 minutes depending on thickness - you want it just tender and still holding its shape with lightly syrupy juices. Remove each tray when ready and leave to cool completely.
- Stir together the yoghurt, cream, honey, vanilla bean paste and a pinch of salt until smooth. Chill until needed.
- Whisk the eggs, milk, cream, sugar, vanilla extract and orange zest together in a shallow dish. Heat a generous knob of butter in a frying pan over a medium high heat.
- One at a time, dip a slice of brioche into the custard for about 10 seconds each side and place straight into the pan. Fry in batches of one or two - overcrowding the pan reduces the heat and makes flipping difficult. Cook each slice for about 3 minutes on both sides until deeply golden and lightly caramelised. Keep finished slices warm in a low oven at around 100°C while you fry the rest.
- To serve, place the French toast on plates. Spoon over a generous dollop of the vanilla yoghurt, lay the rhubarb on top with some of its juices, then scatter over the ginger oat granola. Serve immediately.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
669Fat
38 gSugar
32 gProtein
18 gCarbs
65 gApproximate values per serving
Ingredient Notes
Brioche
You want a brioche with a tight, enriched crumb rather than a very soft, airy sandwich-style loaf, as the latter will fall apart in the custard. A good supermarket brioche loaf sliced thickly works well. If you want to make your own, my brioche recipe is here.
Rhubarb
Outdoor rhubarb is available from around March through to late summer and has a robust tartness that works beautifully here. If you are using forced rhubarb, the slim pale pink variety grown in the dark and available from January through March, it is more tender and naturally sweeter, so reduce the sugar slightly and check it at 8 minutes as it softens much faster than outdoor rhubarb.
Ginger syrup
Use the syrup from a jar of stem ginger rather than a bought ginger cordial, which tends to be overly sweet and lacks the depth of the preserved stem ginger syrup. The syrup does a lot of the work here, coating the oats and almonds and caramelising in the oven to give the granola its clumping and crunch.
Scotch oats
Scotch oats are a medium-cut oat, coarser than rolled oats, which gives the granola better texture and more substantial clusters. Rolled oats will work but the result will be slightly finer and less crunchy.
Greek yoghurt
Full-fat Greek yoghurt is important here. Low-fat versions are too thin and watery and won't give you the thick, pillowy dollop the dish needs. The single cream is optional but loosens the yoghurt slightly and makes it a little more luscious.
Kitchen Notes
Getting ahead
The granola and the rhubarb can both be made ahead. The granola keeps in an airtight container for up to two weeks and actually improves after a day as the clusters firm up further. The rhubarb keeps in the fridge for up to three days. The yoghurt can be mixed the night before. On the day, all you need to do is fry the French toast.
The oven timing
Both the granola and the rhubarb go into the same oven at the same temperature, 170°C fan/180°C conventional. The granola needs around 20 minutes, turning once halfway through. The rhubarb needs around 10 minutes depending on thickness. Remove each when ready.
The custard dip
Dip each slice of brioche right before it goes into the pan. Do not let slices sit in the custard, as the bread will absorb too much liquid and collapse. Ten seconds each side is enough. The brioche should be well coated but still hold its structure.
Frying in batches
Fry a maximum of two slices in the pan at a time. Putting more than two slices in a standard frying pan drops the temperature of the butter significantly, which means the bread steams rather than caramelises and you lose the deeply golden, slightly crisp exterior that makes this worth making. Cook each slice for around 2 to 3 minutes per side until deeply golden and lightly caramelised. Keep finished slices warm in a low oven at around 100°C while you work through the rest.
As a dessert
This works very well as a dessert. The rhubarb keeps the sweetness in check and the ginger adds just enough warmth to make it feel like more than a breakfast dish. Serve slightly smaller portions and add an extra drizzle of honey over the top.
Variations
With strawberries
When rhubarb season is over, roasted strawberries work in exactly the same way. Halve them, toss with a little sugar and a splash of balsamic vinegar and roast at the same temperature for around 8 minutes.
With crème fraiche
Swap the Greek yoghurt for a thick crème fraiche for a slightly tangier, richer result. It works particularly well in the dessert version.
With maple syrup
Replace the honey in the yoghurt with maple syrup for a deeper, more caramel-like sweetness that pairs very well with the ginger granola.
Serving Suggestions
This is best served the moment the last slice comes out of the pan, while the contrast between the hot caramelised brioche, the cool yoghurt and the crunchy granola is at its peak. If you are making this for a group, have everything else ready before you start frying so you can go straight from pan to table.
Zero Waste
Leftover granola keeps in an airtight container for up to two weeks and is excellent scattered over porridge or yoghurt. Leftover roasted rhubarb keeps in the fridge for up to three days or freezes for up to 3 months. Spoon it over porridge in the morning or stir it through yoghurt for a quick breakfast. Cube any leftover brioche and bake in the oven for super crispy croutons.
