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Blackberry Altbier & Hawaiian Rolls French Toast Bake

| Updated February 27, 2021 by

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!

Hawaiian rolls beer French toast bake

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.

 

Hawaiian rolls beer French toast with Altbier and blackberries

Beer French Toast with Hawaiian sweet rolls and blackberries. And beer, duh!

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%.

Beer French toast with Hawaiian rolls and blackberries.

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)
Beer French Toast Bake (with Hawaiian Rolls, Blackberries and Beer)

Beer French Toast Bake (with Hawaiian Rolls, Blackberries and Beer)

Yield: 6 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

Sweet Hawaiian rolls drenched in a sweet beer, eggs and cream mixture, joined by blackberries, butter and brown sugar and baked to perfection. Tough to share.

Ingredients

  • 12 sweet Hawaiian rolls, sold packaged by the dozen
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/4 cup cream
  • 1 cup Altbier, substitute with sweet amber ale or brown ale
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter, cut in approximately 8 small pieces
  • 6 oz fresh blackberries, if on the large side, consider slicing them in half
  • 4 tbsp dark brown sugar

Instructions

  1. 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.
  2. Slice each roll in half and separate the bottoms from the tops.
  3. Heat oven to 350°F.
  4. In a bowl whisk the three eggs, add the cream as you continue to whisk and then the beer.
  5. 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.
  6. Disperse the butter pieces and the blackberries over the rolls and sprinkle with half of the brown sugar.
  7. Pour half of the egg, cream and beer mixture.
  8. Arrange the top halves of the rolls - try to match the bottom halves.
  9. 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.
  10. Bake in the 350°F oven for 15 min, then reduce the temperature to 300°F and bake for another 15-20 mins.
  11. 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 Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 757Total Fat: 29gSaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 295mgSodium: 394mgCarbohydrates: 92gFiber: 7gSugar: 36gProtein: 21g

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© CraftBeering
Cuisine: American / Category: Cooking with Beer

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Comments

  5. Miz Helen says

    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

    Reply

  6. Natalie A says

    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!

    Reply

  7. Leslie says

    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!

    Reply

  11. cakespy says

    WHAT. This looks like the most beautiful thing. This is so creative and I am loving the flavors coming together in this unique casserole!

    Reply

  15. Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers says

    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 🙂

    Reply

    • CraftBeering says

      Gosh, I am sure your rolls will turn out waaay better. I kind of want to try your Hawaiian rolls French toast bake:)

      Reply

  16. Kelsie | the itsy-bitsy kitchen says

    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!

    Reply

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