This Trader Joe's Bread Is The Only Kind I Make French Toast With Now

Trader Joe's is the go-to spot for all kinds of tantalizing fresh and frozen breakfast items. With so many choices, it can be hard to determine what to pick up and what you should just leave on the shelf. After all, there may be gems like scrumptious egg bites that rival Starbucks' hidden in its aisles. Similarly, there are many tips to consider for the absolute best French toast — the first of which is to try out various breads. That's certainly the case with the Cinnamon Swirl Bread from Trader Joe's, which you can find among its bakery breads.

Like me, you might not have even been aware of TJ's Cinnamon Swirl Bread since it's range of breads tends to be stacked, stuffed, and hidden. I'd always confused the Cinnamon Swirl Bread with the Cinnamon Raisin Bread since because the packaging is nearly identical.  Although Trader Joe's raisin bread is actually the best store-bought cinnamon raisin bread, it's Cinnamon Swirl Bread is truly a stand-out for when you want to amp up your French toast. It's wonderfully cinnamon-y but dense and slightly eggy to make it the perfect base for brunch.

Trader Joe's Cinnamon Swirl Bread is nothing like your basic white bread because of its buttery, rich flavor. Here, we already have the makings of a flavorful French toast foundation without much added effort, aside from the grocery store run. The bread is made from ingredients such as cinnamon, eggs, unsalted butter, brown cane sugar, vanilla extract, and even milk. It's like it's made for this specific dish, which typically has all of those ingredients to get the classic custardy texture. The best part? There are no raisins to muck up the texture with their chewiness.

The Cinnamon Swirl Bread from TJ's is dense enough that you don't have to wait until it's stale to whip up the dish; you can use it a day or two after purchase since it holds up in the French toast's liquid. I'd recommend keeping the slices whole rather than attempting any kind of French toast sticks. This is because the Cinnamon Swirl Bread's swirly interior can unravel or break apart toward the middle, so those sticks may fall apart into even smaller pieces before you even get a chance to cook them. There's a better type of bread for homemade French toast sticks to opt for, anyway. 

If you want to make your French toast superior to anything you've ever made at home or potentially tried from a restaurant, then Trader Joe's Cinnamon Swirl Bread is a decadent must-try. Top it with berries, compote, crème fraîche, or keep it classi — either way, your homemade French toast just got a major TJ's upgrade.