Tomorrow, we’re using a quarter of a brioche loaf at breakfast to make eggy bread - the UK is tending towards using the American term “French toast”, but I’m a traditionalist in these things.
So, that’s a lot of brioche left And now I’m after ideas for using it. Bread & butter pudding is another traditional idea that immediately came to mind but, in truth, I’m not that fond of it. Any ideas, please
Could you cube it and bake it with some butter, garlic and Italian seasonings (of your choice) to make some fancy croutons??
You could make or prep a french toast / savory bread pudding casserole and freeze it,
Here’s an example (but of course it can be much simpler 
). Also this Nigel Slater one you had recommended to me.
I like the crouton idea too, though they’d be a bit delicate to use in something like panzanella, but maybe for salads.
The Zuni-ish bread salad with roast chicken is delicious, and would probably work with other proteins.
Or you could just slice and freeze the rest for future eggy bread.
There’s an indian savory twist that’s quite delicious — masala french toast.
Croque Madame, Croque Monsieur. Have you heard of a Monte Cristo?
Croutons? Grilled cheese? Patty melt?
There’s a toast thread here somewhere that might inspire…
Is the background “sweetness” of brioche going to work with these savoury suggestions?
Brioche here isn’t that sweet – it’s also formed into hot dog and burger buns.
If yours is very sweet, ymmv.
Are you open to other styles of bread pudding?
I like a Portuguese recipe that tastes a lot like custard tarts,
and a German bread pudding made with cherries.
They are quite distinct from the British type.
I like using brioche for grilled cheese or toasties.
I recently used brioche in a bread stuffing.
I haven’t made this yet, but David Lebovitz has never let me down.
Use it for the base, toasted, for a eggs bennie thing, with lox of course.
I’ve eaten it as a burger bun and am not convinced it’s an improvement on “normal” bread
Not good for a sandwich either; the texture is wrong.
The best I’ve seen a brioche turned into was what a patisserie here called “brioche aux fruits”. The top knot of a whole, large brioche was sliced off, the insides scooped out, a coating of chocolate applied inside as a “sealer”, then filled with pastry cream and a mix of fruit. The top knot was then replaced. I’ve made it a couple of times. Very tasty.
I like this idea. It’d be a sweet version of “bunny chow” which I’ve had in Durban, South Africa. The insides are scooped out and replaced with curry. It’s very good.
By the by, have you got a good use for the insides that you’ve taken out?
I dont buy true brioche (light as air sweet bread) because I would stand in front of the toaster gobbling warm toasty slices slathered in butter as they emerge
But bread pudding is an excellent use. Not a fan of brioche in savoury applications as the sweetness tilts the flavor too far for me.
(By the way…savoury bread pudding is dressing for most of us in a couple of weeks)
I like sandwiches made with sliced brioche. It’s easier to chew than a lot of multigrain and sourdough breads.
This week, I used it for chicken sandwiches. I also used it for spinach dip and cheese sandwiches.
I would use brioche anywhere I would use egg bread or challah.
I like that that brioche has a softer crust for sandwiches.
You just eat it as you scoop it out!
The insides of bread, cut into strips or cubed , can be used for dipping. On North America, those cubes are often used with spinach dip, or a warm artichoke and cheese dip.
Or for chocolate fondue, or cheese fondue.
I like Brioche, if not too sweet, for a lobster/crab/or shrimp roll.
I do, too.
The lobster roll at Au Pied de Cochon in Montreal uses an enriched bread roll.
I don’t think this will be up Harters’ alley.
For those of you who like brioche in savoury situations, I really enjoyed my first Eggslut sandwich in Tokyo.
