Our readers keep the lights on and my morning glass full of iced black tea. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.5 Best Bread For French Toast | Skip the Soggy Slice

Check Price on Amazon

The bakerly Sliced Brioche is the closest you can get to a Parisian bakery loaf without leaving your kitchen. This four-pack delivers 52.92 ounces of pre-sliced brioche with a high egg and butter content that creates the ideal base for French toast. The crumb is tight enough to hold a generous custard bath for fifteen to twenty seconds without falling apart, and it toasts to a deep golden brown with a caramelized sugar crust. Many customers report that the slices are cut to the perfect thickness — roughly 3/4-inch — which allows the interior to set into a soft, almost bread-pudding texture while the exterior crisps up.

What sets bakerly apart is its short ingredient list. There is no high fructose corn syrup, no bleached flour, and no artificial flavoring. The dough relies on simple components enriched with eggs, milk, and a touch of sugar, which means the final French toast tastes like real butter and toasted bread, not a chemical sweetener. The extended shelf life — 28 days after thaw — comes from freezing, not preservatives. Bakerly ships the loaves frozen and dry, so you can stash them in the freezer and pull out a loaf whenever a craving hits.

Because brioche is made with dairy, this loaf is not suitable for a pareve kosher meal. The sweetness level is moderate — not cloying like a danish, but definitely sweeter than classic challah. If you like to top your French toast with syrup or powdered sugar, this bread lets you cut back on added sweeteners because the natural richness of the butter and eggs already carries the dish.

Check Price on Amazon

Green’s Braided Egg Challah is the heavyweight contender for anyone who wants a brioche-like texture without the dairy. This challah is baked daily in a nut-free and dairy-free facility and carries OK Kosher and CRC supervision as kosher pareve (no dairy or meat). The three-pack gives you 48 ounces of bread, and while the loaves are not pre-sliced, the braided structure yields slices that are naturally dense and chewy once you cut them. The crumb is noticeably tight, with a slight sweetness from the eggs and oil that mimics the richness of butter-based brioche.

Customer reports consistently highlight how well this bread holds up to a custard soak. The egg content is high enough that the bread doesn’t disintegrate even when you leave it submerged for thirty seconds. After the pan fry, the exterior develops a crispy brown shell while the inside transforms into a soft, almost pudding-like consistency. Many home cooks mention that the residual heat in the center remains warm for a long time, which is a sign of a dense crumb that retains thermal energy. The challah also works exceptionally well for bread pudding because the structure does not collapse when baked in a water bath.

The main drawback is that this is a fresh artisan product with a short shelf life. Customers recommend freezing the two extra loaves if you are not using the entire order within two or three days. Because the loaves are not sliced, you will need a good serrated knife to cut even 3/4-inch slices. Some buyers note that the loaves can arrive slightly squished in transit, but the bread recovers its shape after sitting out for an hour.

Check Price on Amazon

Stern’s Bakery Traditional Braided Challah is the benchmark for simple, straightforward egg bread. Each 15-ounce loaf is braided and baked fresh daily in a dairy-free, nut-free facility certified kosher pareve (Pas Yisroel and Kemach Yoshan). The recipe uses freshly sifted flour, sugar, whole eggs, and yeast — no artificial preservatives or dough conditioners. The resulting crumb is soft but sturdy enough to hold a custard soak for ten to fifteen seconds. Because it is slightly less rich than brioche, the bread absorbs the egg mixture more readily, which is ideal if you prefer a more traditional, less butter-heavy French toast.

Customers consistently praise the freshness of the loaves. Stern’s hand-packs each challah in a dedicated bread bag to preserve moisture, and the loaves arrive with a soft, pliable crust. When sliced into 3/4-inch rounds and soaked in a standard custard of eggs, milk, cinnamon, and vanilla, the bread stays intact during the flip. The exterior browns evenly without burning because the sugar content is moderate. The 15-ounce loaf yields roughly eight to ten slices, making it a practical choice for a family breakfast or a single batch with leftovers.

The challah is not pre-sliced, and some buyers find the loaves are a bit smaller than they expected. The texture is not as decadent as a butter-laden brioche, so if you want that extra richness, you may need to add a pat of butter to the pan after the custard sets. Still, for a reliably good egg bread that does not contain dairy or nuts, this is one of the most versatile options on the market. It also works as a dinner roll or a base for bread pudding, so you are not locked into French toast duty.

Check Price on Amazon

If you enjoy a touch of natural sweetness in every bite, Stern’s Raisin Challah delivers. This two-pack provides two 16-ounce braided loaves studded with raisins throughout the dough. The raisins bring bursts of caramelized sugar when the bread hits the hot pan, creating a mild candy-like effect without any added syrup. The crumb texture is similar to the traditional Stern’s challah — soft, eggy, and dense enough to hold a custard bath. The raisins add a slight amount of extra moisture, so the bread does not need to soak as long as a plain challah to develop a custardy center.

These loaves are also certified kosher pareve, dairy-free, and nut-free, making them suitable for households with common allergens. The raisin distribution is fairly even, so you avoid the problem of sinking fruit that plagues some commercial raisin breads. When used for French toast, the raisins brown and soften into a jammy texture that complements the cinnamon-vanilla custard. Many customers repurpose the leftover bread for bread pudding or a simple toast with butter, which extends the utility of the purchase.

The raisin content means this bread is inherently sweeter than a plain challah or brioche. If you prefer to control the sweetness level of your French toast with added syrup or a dusting of powdered sugar, the raisins can push the total sugar load past your preference. The loaves are not pre-sliced, so you will need to cut them into uniform slices. Some customers report that the raisins can sometimes pop out of the crumb during slicing, leaving small gaps in the bread surface that may cause uneven absorption.

Check Price on Amazon

Stern’s Challah & Challah Rolls Combo Pack is the most versatile entry in this list because it gives you one full braided loaf and a pack of individual challah rolls. The full loaf is 370 grams (roughly 13 ounces) of the same traditional crumb found in the other Stern’s offerings, while the rolls are smaller, pre-formed rounds that are perfect for mini French toast bites or sliders. The rolls have a higher crust-to-crumb ratio than a full slice, which means they crisp up faster in the pan and deliver a crunchier exterior with a softer center — something many home cooks prefer for a quick weekend breakfast.

Both the loaf and the rolls are baked in a dairy-free, nut-free facility and certified kosher pareve. The ingredient list mirrors the other Stern’s challahs: flour, sugar, whole eggs, yeast, and water. The rolls are dense enough to handle a custard soak without collapsing, and they brown evenly on all sides since they are spherical. If you are preparing a large brunch spread with both sweet and savory items, the combo pack allows you to reserve the loaf for French toast and use the rolls for mini sandwiches or even garlic butter toasts.

The combo pack is the most budget-friendly entry in terms of unit count, but the total weight is lower than the three-pack options. Some buyers wish the loaf were pre-sliced, and the rolls can vary in size from batch to batch. Because the rolls are smaller, they cook faster, so you need to adjust your soaking and frying times to avoid overcooking the exterior before the custard sets. Still, for a family that wants variety without committing to a giant quantity, this combo is a smart buy.