French toast-- it's a Sunday morning favorite in our house and after years of tinkering with egg to milk to sugar ratios, I am finally sharing "the one". I like my french toast thick with a good texture; crunchy on the outside and tender, but not soggy on the inside. The bread that soaks up the custard makes a big difference as well. The best bread I have found is challah. If you are a regular reader, you might have already figured that I use my homemade challah. It bakes up big, with a buttery, sweet flavor and a crumb that soaks up the custard just right. I add some vanilla, brown sugar, and a touch of ground cinnamon for sweetness and spice. Since we are a family of five, I fry up a large batch and refrigerate or freeze any leftovers for a quick weekday breakfast that warms up nicely in the toaster. If you do not want a large batch, you can certainly halve the recipe.
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I like to use a cast-iron skillet to fry up the soaked bread slices. It makes for a golden, crunchy crust. Dust with confectioners' sugar and serve with a good drizzle of real maple syrup. Oh and don't forget bacon on the side.
French Toast
12 slices
12 large slices of day-old challah, homemade or good quality
6 extra large eggs
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 Tablespoons packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Butter for frying
Confectioners' sugar for dusting
Accompaniments
Maple syrup
Bacon
In a shallow bowl or baking pan, whisk together the eggs. Add the milk, vanilla, cinnamon, brown sugar, and salt and whisk until well blended. Turn the bread slices, two at a time, in the egg mixture until thoroughly saturated, but not falling apart, about 20 seconds per side. Heat a large skillet (I like to use a cast-iron) over medium to medium-low heat and add 1 tablespoon of butter. When foaming subsides, add the soaked bread slices and cook until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes. Turn the bread and continue to cook until the second side is golden brown, another 3-4 minutes. Serve immediately or keep warm in a 200º F oven while you finish the remaining bread slices. Dust with powdered sugar and serve with maple syrup and bacon. Enjoy!
Source: The Galley Gourmet
This is almost exactly my formula for french toast - I use homemade challah too. I had never thought to use vanilla, though. Will have to try that next week.
ReplyDeleteHi! i chanced upon your blog when i was saw your gingerbread latte on foodgawker. yours is the kind of blog i'd enjoy reading. from what i see, the kind of recipes you post are what i'd like to try. :) have you enabled subscribing thru rss feeds so i can place you on my google reader? :) cheers! - gio
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Challah makes for wonderful french toast! Yum.
ReplyDelete"the one" reminds me of Matrix and soulmate. I bet this would taste good... A little precision and you've got a perfect french toast! nothing could have been better!
ReplyDeleteI came upon your blog from the kitchn link to your eggnog cheesecake bars, but oh my god was I jonesing for some french toast this morning. Challa makes amazing french toast! I saw a recipe that uses a tbs of Gran Marinier in the egg/milk mix, and it also adds a nice touch.
ReplyDeleteThis Jew is happy to see that your challa is paired with bacon ;)