12/06/2011

French Toast

Pin It


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.


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.

Printable Recipe


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

6 comments:

  1. 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.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi! 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

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hey Nicole, your French Toast is a Recipe Guessing Game on Knapkins. Think your friends can win? http://knapkins.com/guess_games/967?source=blog

    Show your foodie love and vote here www.knapkins.com/duel?dish=15556

    ReplyDelete
  4. Challah makes for wonderful french toast! Yum.

    ReplyDelete
  5. "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!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I 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.
    This Jew is happy to see that your challa is paired with bacon ;)

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for visiting my blog! I love hearing from family, friends, and bloggers, so please leave a comment. Happy cooking!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...