Stuffed French Toast With Fresh Fruit Wellplated Com

One of my “in another life” careers is to own a bed and breakfast. We’d have a wrap-around porch, five-star rating on Trip Advisor, and be renown for our homemade breakfasts. The house special: stuffed French toast. Now that our lives are busier, cooking an all-out breakfast isn’t something I do often for just Ben and myself (or if I do, it’s a 100% make-ahead option like Overnight French Toast). The weekend I was testing this stuffed French toast, however, it was just the two of us. I channeled my inner B&B host and threw in a side of Oven Baked Bacon to seal the deal. SO. FUN. Indulging in a big breakfast turned a normal weekend at home into a memorable, relaxing day spent in PJs just because. Whether you need a special breakfast for a crowd, someone’s birthday or Mother’s Day, or just because, this stuffed French toast will put you in a happy mood that’s sure to last the day through.

How to Make Stuffed French Toast

This creamy stuffed French toast recipe is on the decadent side but (per usual) I used a few simple swaps to lighten it up. Go ahead, have another piece! I tested both a stovetop method and a baked stuffed French toast. We both preferred the stovetop method.

Cooking French toast on the stovetop helps the outsides to turn golden and crisp and the extra thick French toast “sandwich” to cook through evenly.For a baked French toast option, check out this Blueberry French Toast Casserole.

The Ingredients

Bread. It’s not French toast without it! For a healthy stuffed French toast, use whole wheat bread (just like I do for French Toast Sticks). Whole grains offer additional fiber and nutrients compared to white bread. Plus, this French toast has so much going on, the swap doesn’t take away from it.

Eggs + Milk. I found 1% milk gave us a French toast that was plenty rich. For even more decadence, use whole milk or swap part of the milk for half-and-half.Strawberries + Banana (or fruit of choice). French toast topped with fruit is tasty but French toast stuffed WITH bananas and strawberries is next level! Feel free to use one or both fruits.

Cream Cheese. I used reduced fat cream cheese, and the filling was every bit as creamy as I dreamed.

Jam. Instead of sweetening the cream cheese filling with sugar, I used pure fruit jam.

The Directions

Side Dishes that Go Well with French Toast

Fresh fruit. Slice up whatever is in season, or serve this Fruit Salad for a special meal.Yogurt + Granola. For a double hit of creaminess, serve plain or vanilla Greek yogurt with a sprinkle of Healthy Granola (or the Ridiculously Addictive Maple Quinoa Granola from my cookbook) on top for crunch.Egg Muffins or Breakfast Casserole. Rather than tossing more carbs into the mix (delish, but this stuffed French toast has them covered), serve your French toast alongside protein-rich Egg Muffins, this Healthy Breakfast Casserole, or this veggie-packed Vegetarian Breakfast Casserole.Air Fryer Bacon. The sweet and savory combo of bacon and French toast is a forever favorite.

Storage Tips

To Store. Place leftovers in an airtight storage container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.To Reheat. Gently rewarm French toast in a nonstick skillet until cooked through.To Freeze. Tightly wrap individual stuffed French toast “sandwiches.” Freeze for up to 1 month. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

Recommended Tools to Make this Recipe

Stovetop Griddle. Plenty wide to cook multiple pieces of this French toast or Oatmeal Pancakes.Cast Iron Skillet. Pre-seasoned and perfect for baking this Sweet Potato Hash, and also searing, sautéing, broiling, braising, or frying.Knife Set. Quality steel and ergonomic grips in this 7-piece set, include a bread knife for this French toast.

Serve up this stuffed French toast at your own pretend family “B&B.” It’s 5-star review guaranteed!

An electric griddle like this one (which doubles as a panini press—I LOVE this model!) will allow the most control over the heat.For a stovetop option, try a longer, griddle-shaped skillet like this one, which will allow to you cook more French toast pieces at the same time.Determined to cook in a cast iron skillet? Be sure to melt a generous amount of butter to prevent sticking (but not so much butter that your French toast turns soggy; it’s a balance).

A smear of almond butter or peanut butter (the ultimate healthy stuffed French toast option).A different mild, creamy cheese. Stuffed French toast with mascarpone would be particularly heavenly.For chocolate stuffed French toast, spread your bread slices with Nutella or add a few mini chocolate chips.

Your bread is too fresh. The best bread for French toast is day-old bread. Because it’s dry, it can absorb the custard but won’t become soggy. (No day-old bread? Simply toast your slices in the oven for a few minutes first to help dry it out.)You let the bread sit too long in the custard. It’s a fine line. You want the bread to be moist almost all the way through, but you don’t want it completely wet or falling apart.Your pan is too hot. If your French toast is burning outside before the inside is cooked, lower your skillet heat. For extra-thick stuffed French toast sandwiches like these in particular, you need low-to-medium heat to ensure the custard cooks all the way though.

Leave a rating below in the comments and let me know how you liked the recipe.