Gingerbread French Toast with Pears

Christmas morning breakfast only happens once a year, so why not make it extra special? Gingerbread French Toast with Pears is just that: special, indulgent, and with all the best flavours of Christmas! Thick slices of buttery brioche are soaked in a spiced custard mixture and fried in a pan. Then this Christmas French Toast is served with caramelised pears and drizzled with spiced pear syrup! Add some toasted nuts and you have yourself the most decadent Christmas morning French toast! 

Jump to:

• Ingredients and Substitutes
• Step-By-Step Method
• Tips and Tricks for The Best French Toast
• Reader Review
• Christmas French Toast Variations
• Recipe FAQs
• Other Ideas For Christmas Breakfast
• Gingerbread French Toast with Pears

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Ingredients and Substitutes

For Gingerbread French Toast

• brioche: you will need 1-2 thick slices of brioche loaf per person. We highly recommend our Sourdough Brioche, but it also works beautifully with Sourdough Milk Bread. 
• eggs: 1 large egg per 2 slices of brioche.
• milk: can be substituted with single cream for extra decadence! We used whole milk. 
• light brown sugar: can be substituted with dark brown sugar, maple syrup, honey or agave nectar. 
• warm spices: we used ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. But you can substitute the lot with mixed spice. 
• vanilla bean paste: we love Nielsen Massey Vanilla Bean paste. This can be replaced with seeds from a vanilla pod. 
• butter: unsalted butter is best. It will be used for frying the gingerbread french toast. 
• odourless oil: for frying. 

For The Caramelised Pears

• pears: Choose ripe pears that will soften quickly in the pan. They will need to be peeled, cored and cut into 8 wedges. Read more about the best pears to use below. 
• light brown sugar: can be substituted with dark brown sugar. 
• a pinch of cinnamon and ginger. 

To Serve

• creme fraiche: can be substituted with sour cream or Greek Yoghurt. 
• toasted nuts: optional but a very welcome addition for extra texture. Choose toasted pecans or flaked almonds for the best results.

What Pears to Use?

For the best results, it is important to choose suitable pears to serve with this Brioche French Toast. Of course, you want ripe pears, but what type is best in this recipe?

• Try Williams, Anjou or Conference pears in this recipe: they are soft and sweet and soften further in a short amount of time. 
• Avoid Asian pears, as they are too crunchy and are more suitable for eating raw, than cooking. 

Or if you prefer, you can make this French Toast recipe with Stewed Pears or Stewed Apples. For an extra Christmassy twist, serve French Toast With Mulled Wine Poached Pears!

Step-By-Step Method

Follow three simple steps to make this perfect holiday breakfast recipe that the whole family will enjoy. 

Step 1: Make Caramelised Pears

1. Peel and core the pear. Cut each quarter into 2-4 wedges depending on how large your pears are.  

2. Mix brown sugar and spices in a small bowl. 

3. Dip each pear wedge into the spiced sugar. 

4. Add the pear wedges to a frying pan on medium heat and cook for 5-8 minutes turning them halfway. The sugar will melt, pears will soften and release juices into the pan, creating a beautiful sauce. 

5. Turn the heat off and leave the caramelised pears in the pan whilst you make your Christmas French toast. 

If you wish to make this French toast extra festive, try it with port-poached pears for a truly Chrsitmassy twist!

Step 2: Make Gingerbread French Toast

1. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla paste and spices together. 

2. Arrange the brioche bread slices in a shallow bowl in a single layer and pour the egg mixture over them. Shuffle the brioche around and gently flip them over so that they are fully covered. Leave them to soak for a minute or so.

3. Melt butter in a large non-stick pan. Once hot and starting to bubble, lift the brioche slices out of the soaking mixture and into the pan with melted butter.

4. Fry for 2 minutes without touching the brioche (the slices will need time to firm up, so if you try to move them, they will lose shape and will look all mangled). 

5. Carefully flip each slice of bread over and fry for another 2 minutes until golden brown. 

Step 3: Serving

1. Arrange two slices of brioche French toast on each plate. Add six pear wedges on top and drizzle with the caramel from the pear pan. 

2. Spoon a dollop of creme fraiche on the side and scatter toasted nuts on top! The only thing missing is a hot cup of coffee on the side and Christmas music in the background. 

Tips and Tricks for The Best French Toast

• If you have the time, make the egg and milk mixture the night before and chill it in the fridge overnight. The milk will infuse with the flavours of the gingerbread spices resulting in extra tasty brioche French Toast. 
• Do not use fresh brioche. Take it out of the packet the night before and leave it to go slightly stale. 
• Slice the brioche into thick slices. You want them about 2 cm (¾ in), any thinner and they will be too flimsy after soaking in milk and eggs and hard to flip over in the pan.

• Be very gentle when handling soaked brioche. Lift it into a frying pan supporting the slice from underneath. Also, be careful when flipping it over in the pan. 
• Don't overcrowd the frying pan. Use two pans, if you don't have one that's big enough to fit all the slices with gaps in between. 

Christmas French Toast Variations

• Skip the pears and serve this Christmas French Toast with Salted Honey Caramel or a drizzle of maple syrup. 
• Use stale white bread instead of brioche. Old bread will soak up more custard without disintegrating. 
• Experiment with fresh fruit or fresh berries that you serve with this Gingerbread French Toast: apples, bananas and plums work very well.  
• Add cardamom to your caramelised pears.
• Try this recipe with lower-sugar stewed pears instead!

Recipe FAQs

Other Ideas For Christmas Breakfast

If this Gingerbread French Toast recipe doesn't float your boat, why not try one of our other Christmas Breakfast ideas for the holiday season:

• Our Christmas Breakfast | Spinach & Smoked Salmon Baked Eggs
• Christmas Crepes With Orange Cream and Cranberry Sauce
• Bagels with Asparagus, Poached Eggs and Pistou
• Simple Christmas Pancakes For Festive Breakfast
• Savoury French Toast With Bacon and Eggs