Name: Strawberry stuffed French toast recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 4 slices bread; 2 eggs; ½ cup (or 100 ml) milk; ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1 teaspoon sugar; 1 tablespoon butter; ⅓ cup (or 75 grams) mascarpone cheese; 4 ounces (½ cup or 80 grams) strawberries (hulled and sliced); 1 teaspoon sugar

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This strawberry stuffed French toast recipe is a perfect dish for a special occasion breakfast or a family brunch. Slices of bread are dipped in a cinnamon infused egg mixture, cooked golden brown in butter and afterwards layered with creamy mascarpone and sugar sweet strawberries.

long view of strawberry stuffed french toast on a white plate and a cup of coffee

Most recipes for stuffed French toast call for cream cheese. Mascarpone however is a creamier and sweeter alternative which goes really well in this French toast recipe. The combination of French toast with strawberries and mascarpone can only be a winner. Who does not want to be woken up in the morning with freshly made strawberry French toast with mascarpone?

What bread to use for French toast?

You can use lots of different types of bread to make French toast, as long as you make sure the bread is dry and at least 1 day old and slightly stale. Dry stale bread absorbs the egg batter better when dipped in it and the French toast will be crispy and golden on the outside while soft and fluffy on the inside. Types of bread that do well for any French toast recipe are brioche bread, Texas toast, French loaf and challah.

blue plate with french toast stuffed with strawberries and mascarpone

Which ingredients to use

For the French toast:

Bread: Use thick slices of dry and stale bread. The type of bread is to your personal choice.
Eggs: In order not to end up with soggy French toast, make sure to have more egg than liquid in the batter. I use 2 eggs for 1/2 cup (or 100 ml) of milk. Whisk the eggs well to make the batter.
Milk: Use either whole milk or reduced fat (2%) milk. Rather avoid skim milk as it will make the mixture too watery and not creamy enough for a rich flavoured French toast.
Cinnamon: A dash of cinnamon adds a nice flavour. You can also use cardamom instead.
Sugar: I use a teaspoon of granulated sugar, but feel free to use more if you like it sweet. Powdered or confectioners’ sugar is also a great option to mix with the batter.
Butter: I use butter to fry the French toast slices golden brown and crispy on the outside. You can use salted or unsalted butter, as per personal choice. Any kind of cooking oil will do as well.

For the filling:

Strawberries: Fresh and ripe strawberries are deliciously sweet with a hint of sour.
Sugar: A spoonful of sugar is enough to macerate the strawberries. The sugar will soften the fruit by releasing its juices and creating a syrup.
Mascarpone: It is an Italian cream cheese mainly known for making tiramisu. It is similar to cream cheese but is richer and sweeter in taste and it has a smooth, velvety structure making it easier to spread. If you cannot find mascarpone, cream cheese is a great substitute for the recipe.

long view strawberry french toast stuffed on a white plate with a cup of coffee

How to make stuffed French toast

Prepare the strawberries: Wash the berries under cold running water, remove the stem and cut in slices. Make sure the slices are not too thin so you still taste the strawberries between 2 slices of French toast. Transfer the sliced strawberries into a bowl, add sugar and toss gently to coat. Leave to stand for about 10 minutes. This will allow the strawberries to lose some of their liquid making them nice and soft.
Make the French toast: In a shallow bowl, combine the eggs, milk, sugar and cinnamon and give it all a good whisk. Melt some butter in a non-stick skillet or pan on medium heat. Dip the bread in the mixture and leave it for a few seconds so the bread can properly absorb the liquid. Before placing the bread in the pan, hold the bread above the bowl to let the excess liquid drip off. Cook each side of the toast for 2 minutes in the butter until golden brown. Repeat for the remaining slices of bread.
Assemble the toast: Spread a layer of mascarpone cheese on one side of each French toast. Layer half of the toasts with the strawberries and place the other toast on top. Serve with extra fresh strawberries.

Best tips for making French toast

Stale bread: Make sure to use stale bread instead of fresh for making French toast. The reason is that fresh bread contains more moisture and the French toast will become soggy and break apart. Stale bread is dryer and has a firmer texture which is perfect for making this toast.
Egg mixture: The time to leave the bread to absorb the egg mixture will depend on the type of bread. Some will absorb fast and other types of bread takes some time to fully absorb the batter to the core.
Cream cheese: When using cream cheese as a substitute for mascarpone, give it a good whisk to make it is more spreadable and mix some extra sugar or honey into it to give it a sweeter taste.
Don’t burn the toast: Make sure to use a non-stick pan and don’t turn up the heat too much. Cook the toast on medium heat in order to have the inside still soft and fluffy and the outside golden brown and crispy.

stuffed french toast with strawberries and a cup of coffee on a white plate with flowers

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close up of stuffed french toast strawberry with fresh strawberries and a cup of coffee

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