Coconut Caramel Brioche French Toast with Grilled Peaches and a coconut caramel sauce – golden, coconut-crusted toast with a rich custard-like interior. Jump to Recipe
Baking sets us up for failures. Not every time – but every baker, whether of the home enjoyment variety or a professional, seems armed with stories of overflowing batter, overbaked cookies or cakes that collapse like deflated balloons when removed from the oven. Worse yet are the kind that all outward appearances would suggest were successful, but are cut into at dinner parties only to discover a runny, uncooked centre or a missing ingredient. A story frequently retold in our house involves my grandmother, a skilled cook herself, accidentally replacing sugar in a cake recipe with salt – I can only imagine the faces of those at the table at their first mouthful of the inedible chocolate creation.
Precise measurements, raising agents, the unpredictable nature of yeast (and its many variations), oven temperatures – the number of opportunities to mess up seem never ending. My most recent experience at work is not one I will forget in a hurry.
Charged with slicing up 16 loaves of biscotti and baking them off to dry them out, I was using a different oven to usual and set the temperature to 120°C. At least, what I thought was 120°C. Still a little unsure as I couldn’t see a little arrow on the temperature dial, I took the step of rechecking with the girl in charge of that section, who confirmed it was all okay. Six big trays of fig, coffee and walnut biscotti were loaded into the commercial oven. Though the baking time was up to 20 minutes, being a worrier I checked after 10.
Swinging open the door of the oven, the huge waft of black smoke and acrid smell pouring out forced me backward along with a sense of crushing disappointment and slight shocked humiliation. Completely and utterly blackened biscotti greeted me. Burnt to a crisp. Charred. Toasted. Customers in the cafe peered curiously through the window, thinking there must be a fire as the hazy smoke traveled outside and down the street, while we frantically opened all possible windows and carried out the trays to the rubbish area. Honestly, if they had been left for the full 20 minutes, I think the oven might have been flaming (and probably destroyed).
The dial on the oven temperature had rubbed off, and I managed to turn it around the opposite way – so although it looked like 120°C, it was actually set to about 280°C. Commercial ovens also tend to seal in all the smoke, so while at home you would have noticed the burning smell much earlier, nobody realised until it all poured out on opening the door. I guess it makes a good story now (and I will hopefully be able to laugh about it at some point), but I was SO embarrassed (and annoyed at myself for not being more careful!).
When the next week another baker managed to char-grill sixty chocolate-raspberry bread and butter puddings, a new arrow was penned in on the oven dial to avoid the same mistake occuring again.
Along with the freezer episode, I feel like I have had a few kitchen fails lately – so I needed an uncomplicated recipe. Something that couldn’t fail to rise or set (or burn), and is suitable for summer holidays and the imprecise measurements and old equipment of baches and holiday rentals. Along came this french toast: an enriched brioche loaf, soaked in a coconut milk mixture, coated in shredded coconut and transformed in a fry-pan into a golden, crusty edged toast with a rich custard-like interior. Topped with sweet grilled peaches and a decadent coconut caramel, it is a summery dessert for breakfast (or brunch) option that is hard to get wrong.
In saying this, I had to make it harder for myself (of course!) by making my own brioche loaves – but if bread-making does not sound like fun, a time-saving option to reduce error would just be to buy it. I used this brioche recipe which worked out perfectly. The caramel is the only other tricky thing – the traditional butter and cream is replaced by coconut cream for a healthier option and a strong hit of coconut flavour- but if this is not your thing either, just replace it with maple syrup and a drizzle of coconut cream.
Tips & tricks:
- All the measurements for the peaches and french toast are very flexible, and are very easy to increase or decrease quantities to serve different numbers of people.
- Coconut caramel: I would advise making it the night before and keeping it in the fridge for the morning. Watch the sugar carefully as it caramelises to ensure it doesn’t burn. To avoid the sugar seizing as you add the coconut cream, warm up the cream in a separate pot first, and then whisk constantly as you slowly add it. On the off-chance that it still occurs, just keep it over a low heat and whisk to remelt the sugar. Unless the sugar is burnt, it will be salvageable! I
- You could also cook the french toast itself on the barbecue along with the peaches – just keep it over a low heat and I would probably use a flat plate rather than the grill bars.
- If you want to make your own brioche loaves, this recipe from A Cookie Named Desire worked really well for me.
- 6 thick slices of brioche loaf
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup light coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- pinch of cinnamon
- a couple of handfuls of shredded coconut for dipping
- a tablespoon or two of butter and olive oil to cook the french toast (or just oil if dairy-free)
- a punnet of fresh blueberries
- icing sugar to dust
- 1/3 cup toasted coconut chips
- 4 ripe peaches , quartered
- 3 tablespoons of melted butter or olive oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 cup caster sugar
- 190 mL coconut cream (just over 3/4 cup)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
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Heat the coconut cream in a small pot over a low heat.
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Meanwhile, heat the sugar in a medium pot over medium-high heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. It will form clumps and start to melt into an amber liquid - watch carefully, ensuring it doesn’t catch/burn.
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When it is melted and golden-brown, slowly drizzle in the warm coconut cream, whisking constantly until fully combined (1-2 minutes). Remove from the heat.
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Stir in the vanilla and salt to taste. Leave to cool.
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Heat the grill bars on a barbecue on low.
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In a bowl, stir together the melted butter (or oil) and vanilla, and add the peaches, tossing to coat them. Sprinkle with brown sugar.
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Place the peaches cut side down on the grill and cook for 3-5 five minutes or until caramelized. Flip and cook another 3-5 minutes, coating them with the leftover butter/vanilla/brown sugar mixture.
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Remove and place in a bowl for serving.
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Slice the brioche thickly (see photos).
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Whisk together the eggs, coconut milk, sugar and cinnamon until frothy.
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Heat a non-stick saucepan on medium with a bit of butter and oil. Dunk each slice of brioche into the eggy mixture, turning so each side is fully coated and it has soaked through the bread (about 30 seconds-1 min per side, but may need longer depending on how stale and dense your loaf is - you want it to be completely soaked through the bread).
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Spread the shredded coconut out on a plate and coat the soaked brioche with it on both sides.
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When the butter is bubbling, add brioche slices to the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden. Keep warm in a low oven while you cook the rest of the french toast (add more butter and oil to the pan between each batch).
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Serve the french toast with coconut caramel and grilled peaches, dust with icing sugar, and scatter with blueberries and toasted coconut chips.
I don’t know whether to laugh or feel sorry for you… hahahaha! To be fair, it wasn’t really your fault! It will make a great story later, anyways 😛
Btw, this looks great and your photography is getting SO good! Brioche looks totally perfect and you’ve really done justice to that amazing coconut caramel! Really wishing for a plate of this right now.
Maybe both? Probably better to laugh though, I’ll survive (and always religiously check oven temperatures in future haha!!).
Thanks Hannah – the photography is definitely a work in progress, but I got a tripod for Christmas so am having lots of fun (and a bit of frustration haha!) trying to use it properly – at the moment it just seems like a lot of fiddling around…
Hope you have a lovely week xx
Oh my oh my this looks incredible!! I love your styling too and the contrast of colors with the bright orange and darker blue. And I love your story! Failures in the kitchen are to be expected, and it’s best we just laugh it off and don’t make too big of a deal about it, right? One time my husband did the same thing your grandma did. He was making cinnamon rolls and swapped the salt for the sugar! Thankfully, we caught it before actually eating it, but it was still a bummer, but now a good story!
Thank you!! They are always a bit of a disappointment at the time, but I agree – I figure the many many beautiful things that emerge from the kitchen are well worth the odd failure and probably the quicker we can laugh and move on the better! And they make good stories, that is so true!
This is one seriously GORGEOUS plate of french toast! I’m drooling over here – it looks absolutely amazing. Especially with those juicy grilled peaches!
I read this thinking, boy I sure have been there! I have mostly worked in an office but I have still had my fair share of embarrassing moments – re: starting a fire in the microwave and not realizing I had sat on a melted Lindt ball. Yup, that’s me! But I do have to say your photography is the most beautiful thing ever. Seriously, I cannot even express how stunning your photos are, your make the food jump right off the plate. Truly scrumptious. Pinned!
My parents oven is the same way. The temperature dial numbers are worn off, and I always have to guess.
But kitchen failures aside, this french looks like a winner to me!
Oooh, this french toast looks AMAZING. I love the coconut caramel flavor here. And your photos are totally beautiful! As for the kitchen fail – well, I wouldn’t really call it a fail, that was the ovens fault, not yours!
Wow Claudia, your photography is soooooo stunning! I’m always blown away by all of the beauty you create on your blog. You are so talented! This recipe looks amazing too, and I love that it’s dairy free! The coconut caramel sounds incredible!
Thank you so much Harriet, that means a lot!! I never thought a vegan coconut caramel would match the creamy, buttery version, but I was so wrong – and it is even better for the fact that you don’t get that slightly sick feeling after indulging in a little too much.. (which is me all the time!). x
Oh girl I totally feel you on the occasional baking fail! I love your story though it’s totally fun to look back isn’t it?! And this french toast is blowing my mind – so pretty and sounds amazing with the coconut and the caramel!!! <3 <3
This french toast looks A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. I’ve always been a pancake person, but these look like they could change my mind (plus my man loves french toast). And anything with grilled stone fruit is a total bonus!
Thanks Sarah!! Oh I’m the opposite – but maybe I have only been exposed to bad, gluggy thick pancakes haha!
Omg, my most epic fails have been when baking. And on occasion, I thought a baking disaster may land me in the psych ward. Needless to say, I’m not much of a baker. But… I do LOVE to bake my own bread. That, I seem to be ok with. And I’ve been thinking about making my own brioche – man I love that stuff!
Creating a French toast and paired with those grilled peaches sounds like an incredible combination!
Hahahaha there have definitely been a couple of times that my family has thought I was overreacting and crazy over a burnt cake or some other fail – but it is so disappointing! and YES I have just been really getting into bread making – I am trying my own sourdough today with some of the starter from work, and really want to attempt ciabatta. Fingers crossed they work! Thanks Kathleen x
This looks absolutely incredible, Claudia! I love the caramel twist and the pairing with the grilled peaches. I would LOVE to wake up to this <3
So sorry about the incident at work with the biscotti…that's so frustrating knowing you put the time and effort to making the dough and then having the oven go and be annoying like that! ugh! but you're right…it happens to all of us, so all we can do is laugh about it and move on! 🙂
Fantastic job, my dear! <3 XO
Thanks Beeta! I figure every baker must have must have a few incidents like that – it does make a good story, that’s for sure! Lovely to hear from you x
Baking fails definitely happen to the best of us, girlfriend! But you totally got it right with this french toast!! The flavors in here just sound over the top delicious! LOVE LOVE LOVE the coconut, caramel and grilled peaches! Now THIS is breakfast heaven! Cheers!
Oh no! I hate when recipes fail and I feel your pain over the biscotti! But such is life, right?
This French toast, however, looks and sounds incredible! And the brioche looks fantastic if I do say so myself!!
Exactly – with everything amazing comes the odd mishap, so I’ll live with that! Thanks so much Amanda – I have just started making my own breads and just love it!
Ok I’m writing out the list of ingredients right now so I can get it all in my next grocery shop because THIS is what I’m having for breakfast on Saturday! It looks fantastic Claudia – what a great combination of flavours – and as always, so do your photos! Love how it’s all presented. Can’t wait to try it out! Haha I love your story about your oven fail (I’m also gathering a little collection of kitchen errors!) and your grandma swapping sugar for salt made me laugh. I guess it’s pretty easy to do if you happen to have that much salt to hand?!
Oh thank you!! How did it go? And I guess my grandmas salt swap happened maybe 40 years ago now, so maybe then they just had a big bag of salt and sugar next to each other, I don’t know! Hope your week is going well 🙂
I ended up giving in and making this for dinner last week as I had a night in on my own and man oh man it was sooooo good! I’m hoping to make it again the next time I have a lazy Saturday. The only thing I didn’t make was the caramel, just because I was trying to be good, but otherwise it was just perfect!
Oh yay, so good to hear!! Breakfast for dinner is the best, especially when it involves french toast. x
OMG, Claudia! this looks amazing. I loooove Brioche bread more than any other bread. Did you bake the brioche too?
I brought a bakery machine from Japan but having problems to find a good recipe, I have Japanese recipe of brioche but because everything including weather and room temp etc…. I can’t not make it right:( I must try your recipe!
Hello! This looks delightful! I have a question, what is the difference between getting coconut milk and coconut cream? Can I use canned coconut milk for the custard and the coconut caramel?
Dina
Hi Dina! Coconut cream just has a higher percentage of coconut in it than coconut milk, so it has a higher fat content. You could definitely substitute coconut milk in though, especially for the custard!