This Challah French Toast is the recipe that started it all. After 15 years of Saturday mornings spent flipping French toast, this is still the one my family loves most, simple, classic, and made with leftover challah from Shabbat challah. With less than 7 ingredients and just 30 minutes from start to finish, it's the kind of cozy breakfast that never goes out of style. Sure, I've played around with versions like my Hawaiian Roll French Toast Casserole, but this original will always be our weekend favorite.
TL;DR - Challah French Toast
- 🍞 Why you'll love it: Soft inside, golden outside, and ready in minutes challah makes the best french toast.
- 🥚 Ingredients: 7
- ✨ Why challah? Unlike brioche or sandwich bread, challah gives this French toast its signature soft center and golden, custardy edges.
- 🔥 How to make: Whisk → dip → cook → serve.
- ⏲️ Time: 20 minutes
- 🍯 Top with: Maple syrup, powdered sugar, fresh berries or homemade applesauce.
- 🥣 More easy weekend brunch ideas: Baked French Toast Casserole or these 2-Ingredient Cinnamon Rolls are both favorites. Serve with lox or smoked fish, carrot bacon, fruit salad, and a refreshing homemade iced mocha or berry smoothie for a full brunch spread.
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Key Ingredients
- Milk: Swap in almond or oat milk to make this dairy-free.
- Challah: If you can't find challah, brioche is a great substitute. I also use leftover sourdough bread in this Sourdough French Toast recipe if you want a different texture.
- Eggs: I always use large eggs but use what you have on hand. The recipe is very forgiving.
- Cinnamon sugar: We make it homemade, but you can use about ½ Tablespoon of each if you don't have it already mixed.
Challah flavor options
Challah is widely available in Jewish bakeries and many grocery stores. Its soft, slightly sweet texture makes it perfect for French toast. Sturdy enough to hold up when dipped and fried, yet light enough for breakfast. We usually use a plain braided challah for French toast, but other flavors add a fun twist. The method for the recipe stays the same no matter what kind of challah you use.
- Apple Challah: Found in Jewish bakeries around Rosh Hashanah.
- Raisin Challah: Available year-round.
- Chocolate Chip Challah: Makes a really awesome sweet breakfast treat.
- Pumpkin Challah: Available during the fall.
How to make the best challah french toast
Step 1: Slice the challah into ½" slices. For thicker French toast, go up to ¾", and for thinner slices, aim for ¼".
Step 2: Prepare the custard by whisking eggs, milk, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon-sugar in a shallow glass pie dish. Hot Tip: If you don't have a round pie dish, use a square or rectangular glass baking dish-just make sure it's shallow enough for easy dipping
Step 3: Heat a large frying pan over medium heat and melt about ½ tablespoon of butter. While the butter melts, dip a slice of challah into the custard, pressing down to soak both sides, then transfer to the hot pan. Repeat until the pan is full.
Step 4: Cook until golden brown, then flip and cook the other side. Repeat the process (melting butter, soaking bread, frying) until all the bread is used.
Marni's Tips for Perfect Challah French Toast
- Use day-old challah. Slightly dry bread absorbs the custard evenly without turning soggy. If your challah is fresh, slice and then let it sit out for 20-30 minutes to dry out.
- Slice thick. Aim for ¾-inch slices, slices that are too thin tend to fall apart easily, while the thicker ones stay creamy inside and golden outside. If you want the perfect size for the kiddos, try making French Toast Sticks instead.
- Quick dip, don't soak. A few seconds per side is enough. Too much time in the custard equals mushy centers.
- Cook on medium heat. Hot enough for browning, low enough to cook through without burning the egg mixture.
- Make ahead. Whisk the custard the night before and refrigerate. In the morning, just dip and cook.
Challah French Toast Topping Options
French toast is delicious on its own, but in our house, we love it topped with cinnamon sugar. Other fun toppings include:
- Nutella
- Homemade applesauce
- Warmed peanut butter for drizzling on top
- Warm maple syrup
- Fruit compote or blueberry puree
- Whipped cream with homemade chocolate syrup (only when we are feeling like being fun parents)
Recipe FAQs
You can! Keep cooked slices warm in a 250°F oven for up to 30 minutes, or refrigerate and reheat in a toaster or oven.
Absolutely. Swap in almond or oat milk for dairy-free and use a gluten-free challah or thick-cut white bread.
Both are rich egg breads, but challah is slightly less sweet and dairy-free, which gives it that light, fluffy texture that soaks up custard perfectly.
More recipes that work well as "breakfast for dinner"
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📖 Recipe
The Best Challah French Toast (5-Ingredients)
Ingredients
- 1 lb Challah (sliced)
- 8 Eggs
- 1 ¼ cup Milk (any kind)
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon-sugar mix
- Butter (for frying)
Instructions
- Slice the challah into ½" slices. (For thicker French toast, go up to ¾", and for thinner slices, aim for ¼".)
- Prepare the custard by whisking eggs, milk, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon-sugar in a shallow glass pie or baking dish.
- Heat a large frying pan over medium heat and melt about ½ tablespoon of butter in the pan. Tip: I like to just unwrap the square side of the butter and run it over the pan to melt.
- While the butter melts, dip a piece of challah into the custard, pressing down to soak both sides, then transfer to the hot pan. Repeat with more challah pieces until the pan is full.
- Cook until golden brown, then flip and cook the other side. Repeat the process (melting butter, soaking bread, frying) until all the bread is used. Transfer to a serving dish and enjoy!
Notes
- Refrigerate: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to five days. Reheat in the microwave (about 10 seconds) or in a toaster oven.
- Freeze: Place fully cooked and cooled French toast in a zip-top bag and freeze. When you are ready to enjoy it, just heat in the microwave for about 30 seconds or pop into a toaster oven and enjoy.
Marni Katz says
This is our "house" french toast recipe and the one that started it all. It's the OG and is made 40+ weeks/year in our house.