Stuff French Toast With Ube Jam For A Vibrant Breakfast

While French toast with a drizzle of syrup or a sprinkle of powdered sugar is a tasty breakfast on its own, you can level up its flavor and appearance by stuffing it with an interesting filling — and we're here to put our vote in for ube jam. Ube is a kind of yam that's particularly popular in the Philippines. Known for its purple hue, it's transformed into a jam called ube halaya when boiled and combined with sugar, butter, and some type of milk. Some recipes call for condensed milk and others for coconut milk. While fillings like berry jam and cream cheese are delicious, opting for something a little more unique is guaranteed to wow whoever is joining you for breakfast.

The first thing that likely catches your eye when looking at this condiment is the vibrant purple color, which really pops against the backdrop of something like French toast (or a variety of other baked goods, such as ube jam cheesecake). However, it's also a great pairing because of its unique flavor profile. If you're envisioning something that tastes like the yams you'd use for savory dishes, think again — ube has a bit of nuttiness and a natural vanilla flavor that works beautifully as a subtle yet delicious filling for your French toast.

So, you've gotten your hands on a jar of packaged ube jam or whipped up your own version, but you're not exactly sure how to go about making stuffed French toast? Don't worry, it's a lot easier than you might think. You don't need to painstakingly hollow out several slices of bread — you'd be in the kitchen for hours.

Basically, all you need to do is create a sandwich of sorts, layering your ube jam between two slices of bread that you then submerge in your egg and milk mixture until well coated. When that eggy mixture browns in the pan, it'll kind of seal everything together and create the appearance of an single extra-thick piece of French toast with a vibrant purple surprise when you cut into it.

To further elevate your French toast, think of a bread selection that would pair well with ube. Brioche is a good choice for the dish, because the inclusion of eggs and butter makes it incredibly rich yet light and fluffy at the same time. We have a great brioche French toast recipe that can serve as your base. And, if you want to add a textural component, you can accentuate the coconut aroma ube has by sprinkling some toasted shredded coconut or coconut flakes atop your filling — or even over your completed dish, depending on your preference.