French toast just met its match.
If you love almond croissants, you’ve GOT to try bostock. Rich almond cream and sweet blackberry jam are spread over sliced brioche, topped with more blackberries and sliced almonds, and baked until golden brown and toasty on top.
Bostock was created in France, most likely by pastry chefs seeking to repurpose and profit from day-old brioche and leftover frangipane (the almond cream used in classics such as almond croissants, frangipane fruit tarts, and more). Traditionally, the brioche was soaked in a simple syrup to help rehydrate it, and the almond cream was spread directly on top and sprinkled with a few almonds.
For this blackberry-topped version, I decided to boost the almond flavor by adding almond extract to the simple syrup, and I also added a layer of jam just below the almond cream to enhance the blackberries scattered over the top. Basically, my goal was to add almond and blackberry flavor in as many places as possible.
The trickiest part of this (still pretty simple) recipe is actually spreading the almond cream over the jam. Even if the cream is soft and spreadable, it still tends to mingle with the jam or push the jam to the edges of the brioche when you’re trying to spread it on top. To avoid this, I recommend dolloping teaspoons of almond cream over the edges of the jam layer and then gently spreading it in toward the center. This will help achieve an even layer of almond cream perfectly encasing the jam.
Because brioche bread is already lightly sweetened and we’re also soaking it with simple syrup, bostock browns quickly on the bottom as it bakes and can tend to over-toast (i.e. burn). To avoid this, bake the bostock on a light colored metal baking sheet and white parchment paper and keep a close eye on it after the first 15 minutes of baking. If the bottom seems to be getting too brown but the top isn’t quite done, try broiling it for 30 seconds to a minute, or until you get that gorgeous golden brown crust on top.
Enjoy!
Blackberry Bostock
(Makes 10)
¾ cup (150 g.) granulated sugar, divided
¼ c. water
½ tsp. almond extract
113 g. unsalted butter, softened
½ tsp. kosher salt
1 large egg
½ tsp. almond extract
1 ¼ cup (120 g.) finely ground almond flour
10 (3/4”-thick) slices brioche bread
2/3 cup blackberry jam
25 blackberries, halved
1/3 cup finely sliced almonds
2 tbsp. powdered sugar, for dusting
Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, rack in the middle position.
In a small pot, combine ¼ cup sugar and water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in almond extract. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat butter, remaining ½ c. (100 g.) sugar, and salt with a hand mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat just until combined, then add almond extract and almond flour and beat just until incorporated. Set aside.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange brioche bread on top. Brush each slice evenly with simple syrup; spread with 1 tablespoon of jam, leaving a ¼” border all around the sides.
Dollop 3 tablespoons of almond mixture over jam on each slice and carefully spread over jam, taking care to not let them mix. Press 5 blackberry halves into almond mixture, cut-side-down, and sprinkle with sliced almonds.
Bake until the top is puffed and golden around the edges, 20-25 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar and serve immediately.
Originally posted August 26, 2023.
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