The Best Bread For French Toast, According To Geoffrey Zakarian

French toast is the ultimate brunch dish. It's perfectly sweet with an added hit of protein from the custardy batter and is generally a crowd-pleaser. You can give French toast a savory twist, or stuff it with Nutella; there are endless ways to enjoy it. It's hard to imagine how you could improve French toast, but the kind of bread you use could take this breakfast dish to the next level. Geoffrey Zakarian, co-host of "The Kitchen," revealed his bread of choice to Tasting Table.

"I like a dense brioche loaf, cut into thick slices," said Zakarian. "The sweetness of the bread goes well with the slightly browned butter in the pan and the thickness is perfect for soaking up the batter."

An authentic brioche bread is considered a French pastry. This bread has a high amount of butter and eggs for an almost cake-like flavor and consistency. The decadence of brioche makes it a perfect option for this breakfast recipe. Plus, the puffy bread soaks up the eggy batter and retains moisture while it cooks, which makes your French toast perfectly crisp on the outside but fluffy and rich on the inside.

As pointed out by Zakarian, thick slices are ideal for using brioche as French toast. The thicker slices absorb the batter and infuse the bread with cinnamon and vanilla flavor throughout the slice of bread for a balanced bite. Since this bread is so soft, when you slice it, you'll want to be cautious not to squish it. A double-serrated knife will give you the cleanest slice and maintain the integrity of your loaf. You can also use slightly stale bread for French toast. Your batter will rehydrate the bread and give it a fresh flavor. Plus, the staleness helps the toast retain its shape.

Before you begin cooking your French toast, let the butter cook for a bit. By allowing your butter to slightly brown, you end up with a nutty, deeper flavor from the butter that adds to the taste of the dish overall. To best achieve this, let your butter melt for a few minutes over a lower temperature, and continue to cook your toast over this same lower temperature so you don't accidentally burn your breakfast.