Forget Hazelnut Spread: Stuff French Toast With This Savory Side For A 100% More Filling Breakfast

Hazelnut spread is one of the best ingredients to stuff French toast with, satisfying sweet tooths and chocolate lovers alike, but the popular brunch food isn't limited to sweet fillings. For a savory, luxurious twist, try stuffing your French toast with smoked salmon. 

Like hazelnut spread, smoked salmon is a premade product ready to eat right out of the package, making it easy to add to French toast. Smoked salmon is already a breakfast and brunch favorite that we usually enjoy atop a bagel with cream cheese. You can also reimagine a savory French toast formula by swapping sweeteners, baking spices, and vanilla extracts for herbs, aromatic powders, and savory spice blends. In addition to a delicious, smoky, umami-rich flavor and silky, melt-in-your-mouth flaky texture, smoked salmon is a great source of protein.

A 100-gram serving of smoked salmon contains up to 23 grams of protein, so you're in for a much more filling French toast breakfast to fuel the rest of your day. You can enjoy smoked salmon as a French toast topping, or you can make it a stuffing by simply adding a second slice of bread on top.

Whether you want breakfast, brunch, or dinner, salmon-filled French toast is sure to become a recipe you'll make on repeat. You can draw inspiration from our many smoked salmon recipes, or start with the obvious twist on bagel and lox. For the French toast custard, swap the baking spices and vanilla in the egg-and-milk mixture for fresh dill, black pepper, salt, and minced garlic. After soaking and skillet-cooking the bread, top with a hearty slathering of whipped cream cheese, smoked salmon, thinly sliced red onion, and capers. Try brioche for French toast, topped with creme fraiche, smoked salmon, diced scallions, and a poached egg for more protein. Rye or pumpernickel also make excellent bread bases.

Give French toast an Italian makeover by spiking the custard with Italian herbs, garlic powder, and cracked red pepper, and rolling the custard-soaked bread in Parmesan cheese before griddling it. This brings a scampi-like flavor that pairs with the umami richness of the smoked salmon. Then top it with cherry tomatoes, fresh parsley, dollops of ricotta cheese, and a finishing drizzle of fresh pesto.