Smoked French Toast takes an already indulgent breakfast and gives it a surprising woodfire twist. Instead of exposing the entire dish to smoke, Dad builds the flavor into a sweet cream cheese filling, then layers it between thick slices of custardy brioche with fresh strawberries and pure maple syrup. The result is familiar enough to satisfy a French toast craving, but different enough to deserve a place at the center of breakfast.
The smoke is not supposed to dominate every bite. It settles into the background while lemon, vanilla, strawberry, cream cheese, and maple stay out front. That balance is what makes this more than a novelty. It is a carefully built stuffed French toast with one extra layer of flavor that keeps showing up just when you think you have tasted everything.
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Smoked French Toast
Equipment
- Ninja Woodfire
- Pellet hopper
- Air fryer basket
- Air Fryer Liner
- Knife
- Wire Rack
- Immersion Blender
- Wide Shallow Container
- Hand Mixer With Beaters
- Whisk
- Flat Top
Ingredients
Smoked Cream Cheese Filling
- 2 8 ounce packages Philadelphia Cream Cheese Cold but not frozen
- 1 Lemon Zest Zest of one lemon
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- ⅓ cup Powdered Sugar
- 1 pinch Salt
French Toast Custard
- 3 Large Eggs
- ¾ cup Whole Milk
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ¼ cup Heavy Cream
- 1 pinch Cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons Granulated Sugar
- 1 hefty pinch Salt
- 1 tablespoon Flour
Bread, Cooking, And Assembly
- 6 slices Brioche Bread Cut ¾ to 1 inch thick
- A couple of pats Butter
- 2 cups Fresh Strawberries Sliced
- ¼ cup Powdered Sugar For topping; estimated
- 6 tablespoons Pure Maple Syrup Estimated
Instructions
Smoke And Chill The Cream Cheese
- Fill the Ninja Woodfire pellet hopper and install it. Set the Woodfire to Smoker at 200°F (93°C) for 30 minutes.
- Place the cold, unfrozen cream cheese blocks on an air fryer liner in the basket. Smoke for 30 minutes.2 8 ounce packages Philadelphia Cream Cheese
- Mix the cream cheese so the smoky outer layer is evenly incorporated. Use an immersion blender to blend it thoroughly.2 8 ounce packages Philadelphia Cream Cheese
- Transfer the cream cheese to a wide, shallow container and refrigerate it promptly. Chill it to 41°F (5°C) or colder within six hours without freezing it. Making the smoked cream cheese the day before is recommended.2 8 ounce packages Philadelphia Cream Cheese
Prepare The Bread
- Cut the brioche into slices about ¾ to 1 inch thick.6 slices Brioche Bread
- Arrange the slices on a wire rack and leave them out for a few hours to dry. Alternatively, toast them lightly in the oven. The bread should be dry enough to absorb custard without becoming mushy.6 slices Brioche Bread
Make The Filling And Custard
- Combine the chilled smoked cream cheese with the lemon zest, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, ⅓ cup powdered sugar, and a pinch of salt. Mix with the beaters of a hand mixer until smooth and completely combined. Return the filling to the refrigerator in a flat container until needed.2 8 ounce packages Philadelphia Cream Cheese, 1 Lemon Zest, 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract, ⅓ cup Powdered Sugar, 1 pinch Salt
- Combine the eggs, whole milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, heavy cream, cinnamon, granulated sugar, a hefty pinch of salt, and flour. Whisk thoroughly until no streaks of egg yolk remain.3 Large Eggs, ¾ cup Whole Milk, 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract, ¼ cup Heavy Cream, 1 pinch Cinnamon, 2 tablespoons Granulated Sugar, 1 hefty pinch Salt, 1 tablespoon Flour
Cook And Assemble The French Toast
- Install the flat top and set the Ninja Woodfire to Grill on High. Preheat for at least 10 minutes.
- Add a couple of pats of butter to the flat top and move the butter around the cooking surface.A couple of pats Butter
- Dip a slice of brioche into the custard and let it soak briefly. Flip it, let the excess custard drain, and place it on the flat top. Repeat with another slice.3 Large Eggs, ¾ cup Whole Milk, 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract, ¼ cup Heavy Cream, 1 pinch Cinnamon, 2 tablespoons Granulated Sugar, 1 hefty pinch Salt, 1 tablespoon Flour, 6 slices Brioche Bread
- Cook for a couple of minutes per side, flipping as needed, until beautifully golden brown. Close the lid briefly for convection if the thick slices need help cooking through. One batch of two slices took about three minutes in the video, so use color as the primary guide.6 slices Brioche Bread
- Transfer the cooked French toast to a wire rack and repeat until all the slices are cooked.6 slices Brioche Bread
- Place one slice on the plate and spread on a healthy amount of smoked cream cheese filling. Add sliced strawberries and top with a second slice of French toast.2 8 ounce packages Philadelphia Cream Cheese, 1 Lemon Zest, 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract, ⅓ cup Powdered Sugar, 1 pinch Salt, 6 slices Brioche Bread, 2 cups Fresh Strawberries
- Finish with powdered sugar and pure maple syrup.¼ cup Powdered Sugar, 6 tablespoons Pure Maple Syrup
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Tried this recipe?Mention @DadGotThis or tag #DadGotThis!Why Smoked French Toast Starts With the Filling
Despite the name, Dad is not placing finished French toast in the smoker. He starts with cold cream cheese and smokes it on the Ninja Woodfire at 200°F (93°C). The original test ran for 90 minutes, but there was an important discovery after filming. The smoke flavor became stronger as the cream cheese cooled and rested. Because of that, Dad's final recommendation is to begin with a 30 minute smoke and consider no more than 60 minutes if a stronger result is desired the next time.
That correction is part of what makes the recipe useful. Smoke does not have to announce itself loudly to improve a dish. Here, it works best as a supporting flavor. Starting with 30 minutes gives the cream cheese character without asking the berries, lemon, vanilla, and maple syrup to fight their way through breakfast.
Once the cream cheese comes off the Woodfire, Dad mixes it so the darker smoky exterior is incorporated throughout. An immersion blender helps distribute that outer layer instead of leaving isolated pockets with different levels of smoke. The cream cheese is then transferred to a wide, shallow container and refrigerated promptly. Dad wants it to reach 41°F (5°C) or colder within six hours, getting as cold as possible as quickly as possible without freezing and damaging the texture.
The Bread Makes a Major Difference
Regular sandwich bread is not the right choice for this build. Dad cuts six substantial slices from a soft loaf of brioche, each about three quarters of an inch to one inch thick. Those six slices make three stuffed French toasts with enough structure to support the cream cheese filling, strawberries, sugar, and syrup.
Fresh brioche is soft and eager to absorb liquid, which can become a problem when it meets the custard. Dad places the slices on a wire rack and leaves them out for a few hours so they can dry. A light trip through the oven is another option mentioned in the video. Either way, the goal is bread that can soak up custard without collapsing into mush.
Perfectly matching slices are helpful, although Dad's slices did not all cooperate. That imperfection fits the recipe just fine. The important part is making sturdy pairs that can become a tall stuffed sandwich once everything is cooked.
Building the Lemon Vanilla Cream Cheese
The chilled smoked cream cheese becomes a sweet filling with the zest of one lemon, vanilla extract, powdered sugar, and a pinch of salt. The powdered sugar helps give it a pleasant consistency, while the lemon brings the brightness that keeps such a rich breakfast from feeling flat.
Dad first tries a spoon and the whisk attachment on a hand mixer before landing on the regular beaters as the tool that works best. Once the mixture is smooth and completely combined, it goes back into the refrigerator in a flat container so it stays cold until assembly.
The custard carries another layer of vanilla along with eggs, whole milk, heavy cream, cinnamon, granulated sugar, salt, and a tablespoon of flour. It needs to be mixed thoroughly enough that there are no visible streaks of egg yolk. That smooth custard is what gives the thick brioche its rich center.
Cooking Smoked French Toast on the Woodfire
For the cooking stage, Dad switches the Ninja Woodfire to Grill on High with the flat top installed. After at least 10 minutes of preheating, a couple of pats of butter go onto the hot surface and are moved around to coat it.
Each slice of dried brioche is dipped into the custard, allowed to soak briefly, flipped, and drained before going onto the flat top. Cooking is guided by color rather than a rigid stopwatch. The slices can be flipped as often as needed until they develop the beautiful golden brown exterior Dad wants. If especially thick pieces need help cooking through, the lid can be closed briefly to bring convection into the process.
The finished slices rest on a wire rack while the remaining bread cooks. This keeps the workflow moving and gets every component ready for the final stack.
Assembly is gloriously straightforward. One slice of French toast forms the base, followed by a healthy amount of smoked cream cheese filling and fresh sliced strawberries. A second slice goes on top, followed by powdered sugar and pure maple syrup. It is tall, messy, and exactly the kind of breakfast that deserves both a knife and a little commitment.
The first bite delivers the intended contrast. The center of the French toast stays custardy, the strawberries add freshness, and the smoke remains in the background instead of taking over. The final verdict is simple: Dad may tell horrible jokes, but he makes some pretty great French toast.
Ingredient and Equipment Links:
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