I present to you the Perrine sweet Hawaiian rolls beer French toast bake! Featuring an extraordinary bourbon oak aged blackberry Altbier and fresh blackberries. And brown sugar, of course. Way to have beer for breakfast!
It is so sweet and so moist that you may not remember the maple syrup. The crunch of the caramelized sugar on top contrasts the softness of the rolls, seconded by the blackberries, which even though having released a lot of their juices during baking manage to stay in one piece and somewhat firm.
We make this specific version of beer French toast bake with store bought sweet Hawaiian rolls, but if you have a good recipe for those, by all means bake your own. Nothing like homemade. It is a good idea to let the rolls sit on the counter covered with a cotton towel for a few hours before you use them. Only so that they can dry out a little bit before use. The loss of moisture is much to the advantage of this recipe - it is later replenished by the beer, eggs and a tiny amount of cream that flavor this bake.
More about Altbier
Chris brewed an extraordinary bourbon oak aged blackberry Altbier. He had wanted to make an Altbier for a long time and when he finally did just had to age it in bourbon soaked French oak chips and use blackberries in the second fermentation.
He did great, the beer tastes divine...I definitely lucked out in marrying him. This brew (his latest if not counting the Dunkelweiss that is currently being bottled conditioned) is one of his best ever. It rivals the Cherry Bourbon Ale he made last spring. Remember the Croissant French Toast Cups we prepared with it?
Altbier is a German style dark ale, top fermented by a special yeast strain that actually functions very well in cooler temperatures. A lagered beer with ale yeast in other words. It originated in the German town of Düsseldorf a few centuries ago and for the longest time didn't have a formal name. In 1838 it was labeled Alt (literally 'old') by the proprietor of Düsseldorf's Brauerei Ferdinand Schumacher - the town's oldest brew pub.
The Altbier name gained popularity and is still used to describe the style today. In general Altbiers are dark, smooth, yet crisp and clean, with good carbonation and soft fruitiness. Low hop flavor and not very boozy. Average ABV tends to be just below or just over 5%.
Suggested Beer Options for Hawaiian Rolls Beer French Toast Bake
Clearly, we urge you to try Altbier when making this beer French toast bake if you can lay your hands on some. But since it is not the most popular style out there, use any one of the options we offer below as an alternative and select the fruit you want to add according to the yeast esters and aromas of your chosen beer. Or use nuts. Or coconut shavings.
Just make sure the bitterness of your brew is very subdued or absent.
- Brown ale (look for ones on the sweet side, they are often fruit flavored nowadays)
- Bock
- Doppelbock
- Amber ale (look for ones on the sweet side)
- Milk/sweet stout
- Chocolate, coffee, coconut of vanilla flavored stouts
- Fruit flavored stouts (ie. raspberry, orange)
Recipe
Beer French Toast Bake (with Hawaiian Rolls, Blackberries and Beer)
Ingredients
- 12 sweet Hawaiian rolls sold packaged by the dozen
- 3 eggs
- ¼ cup cream
- 1 cup Altbier substitute with sweet amber ale or brown ale
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter cut in approximately 8 small pieces
- 6 oz fresh blackberries if on the large side, consider slicing them in half
- 4 tablespoon dark brown sugar
Instructions
- In advance take out the sweet Hawaiian rolls form the package, cover them with a cotton towel and leave them on the counter for a few hours or preferably overnight to dry out.
- Slice each roll in half and separate the bottoms from the tops.
- Heat oven to 350°F.
- In a bowl whisk the three eggs, add the cream as you continue to whisk and then the beer.
- Place the bottom halves of the rolls into a non-stick round cake baking pan (8 inch is a perfect size) or another non-stick baking pan of similar size.
- Disperse the butter pieces and the blackberries over the rolls and sprinkle with half of the brown sugar.
- Pour half of the egg, cream and beer mixture.
- Arrange the top halves of the rolls - try to match the bottom halves.
- Pour the rest of the egg, cream and beer mixture, sprinkle the remaining brown sugar and gently press with your fingertips to make sure the rolls get submerged in the liquid and absorb it.
- Bake in the 350°F oven for 15 min, then reduce the temperature to 300°F and bake for another 15-20 mins.
- Once the rolls have risen nicely above the rims of the pan, the brown sugar has caramelized and the liquid appears to have been fully absorbed, take the pan out of the oven and let cool off for at least 5 mins before serving.
Nutrition
lianne
Oh my! This looks amazing! Yum 🙂
Lianne | Makes, Bakes and Decor
Jess
I bet this is heavenly! 🙂
I would love for you to share this with my Facebook Group for recipes, crafts, tips, and tricks: https://www.facebook.com/groups/pluckyrecipescraftstips/
Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J!
Amber Harrop
This looks amazing and I am not sure I should have it for breakfast but I would want it
Marvellina | What To Cook Today
omg...omg....! the sound of this !!!! and that crust on top of the rolls! I wish I could grab it out from the screen! what a disappointment that I couldn't 🙁
CraftBeering
🙂 I am sure you can make them pretty fast! Thank you, Marvellina!
Miz Helen
What a fabulous Brunch dish, this is awesome! Thanks so much for sharing with us at Full Plate Thursday. Come to next weeks Thanksgiving party on Tuesday at 8:00 am, CST, see you then!
Have a bountiful Thanksgiving!
Miz Helen
Natalie A
Your pictures do this recipe justice. The pictures are so good, that I want to eat this right now! This looks so delicious, and the recipe is so unique with the ingredients!
CraftBeering
Thanks Natalie! We do eat with our eyes first:)
Leslie
Mmmm. I keep saying I want to start eating healthier and get back into shape...but then I keep seeing your recipes! Yum. Thanks so much for sharing at the #happynowlinkup!
Roseann Hampton
These look wonderful with the fresh blackberries! Thanks for sharing at The Blogger's Pit Stop! Roseann from http://www.thisautoimmunelife.com
Kim | The Baking ChocolaTess
Whoa! These look sooo amazing! Beautiful and mouth-watering! 🙂
CraftBeering
Thank you, Kim!
Nicoletta @sugarlovespices
What an amazing version of a French toast! Love the crispy top, and that wonderful moisture of the rolls with the beer, cream and blackberries! I wish I had it this morning for breakfast!
CraftBeering
It is mildly addictive:) Since its so easy to put together. Thank you, Nicoletta!
cakespy
WHAT. This looks like the most beautiful thing. This is so creative and I am loving the flavors coming together in this unique casserole!
CraftBeering
Thank you!
Sue Ready
what an intriguing recipe with unusual ingredients-sounds like a great brunch item-love Hawaiiann rolls
annie@ciaochowbambina
I can almost hear that crunch! I love blackberries and anything made with Hawaiian rolls is always a winner! Always! Good good stuff! Great video!!
CraftBeering
Thank you, Annie! Crunch was great:)
Georgie | The Home Cook's Kitchen
wow! this looks amazing! would be amazing for a saturday brunch with friends!!!!
CraftBeering
Thank you, Georgie!
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers
Beautiful! I just spent the weekend in Buffalo and Hawaiian rolls where everywhere. Sadly, they aren't a thing here in Canada (at least not that I've ever found). That said, I've never shied away from baking my own rolls, so I will definitely be trying this one 🙂
CraftBeering
Gosh, I am sure your rolls will turn out waaay better. I kind of want to try your Hawaiian rolls French toast bake:)
Kelsie | the itsy-bitsy kitchen
I hope you’re planning on serving this tomorrow because I’m on my way to your house right now. This looks sooooooooo good! Blackberries are my favorite and all I want to do right now is a face plant right into that dish!
CraftBeering
For you always, Kelsie!