French Toast
French toast is a classic breakfast dish made by dipping slices of bread in a mixture of beaten eggs, milk, and often sugar and spices like cinnamon or vanilla. The soaked bread is then fried in butter until golden and crispy on the outside, while remaining soft and fluffy inside. French toast can be served with a variety of toppings, including maple syrup, fresh fruit, powdered sugar, or whipped cream. It is a comforting and versatile dish that can be enjoyed as a sweet or savoury treat, perfect for breakfast, brunch, or even dessert.
In this blog post, you will learn how to make French toast.
How to Make French Toast
In a shallow bowl, add all of your eggs and whisk them. Once the eggs are whisked, add the flour, granulated sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and milk. Whisk all of the ingredients together. The flour can get a bit clumpy so if you want to put it through a flour sifter before adding to the egg mixture, it will make the egg mixture smoother or use a blender. A hand held mixture is just as effective as a whisk.
Place a slice of bread into the mixture and once it has soaked up the egg mixture and is saturated, flip it over with a pair of tongs and let the other side of the bread soak and become saturated as well. Once the slice of bread is coated well, place it onto a heated frying pan and cook on one side until golden brown. Flip the slice of bread over and do the same to the other side. Repeat these steps until you have the desired amount of French toast. Serve with maple syrup, Nutella, or powdered sugar and fruits.
The Secret to Crispy French Toast
The secret to making crispy French toast is by using flour in your French toast mixture helps thicken the batter, allowing it to adhere better to the bread. It creates a slightly sturdier, more custard-like coating, giving the toast a richer texture when cooked. Flour also helps prevent the bread from becoming too soggy, resulting in a more evenly crisp and golden exterior.
Best Bread to Use
The best types of bread for French toast are those that are slightly dense and can absorb the custard mixture without falling apart. Here are some of the top choices:
- Brioche: Rich, soft, and slightly sweet, brioche adds a luxurious texture and flavour.
- Challah: Similar to brioche, but less sweet, challah is soft and slightly airy, making it a great sponge for the mixture.
- French Baguette: A firmer option that holds up well, especially if slightly stale, providing a nice contrast of crispy crust and soft interior.
- Texas Toast: Thick and sturdy, this bread absorbs the custard well without becoming mushy.
- Sourdough: Offers a slight tanginess that complements the sweetness of French toast, with a good balance of firm texture.
Day-old or slightly stale bread is best because it soaks up more of the egg mixture without getting too soggy. However, if you do not have day old bread or you just have white sandwich bread, do not worry just use that. This recipe will taste just as good!
French Toast Recipe for 1
The French toast recipe below serves 4 people with each person receiving 2 slices of French toast. I have already done the calculations so that you can enjoy making French toast for 1 person. Just use the values below and follow the instructions in the recipe. Enjoy!
2 slices of bread
1 egg
1/4 c. milk
1 tbsp. flour
1/2 tbsp. sugar, granulated
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. vanilla
Pinch of salt
French Toast Recipe for 2
The French toast recipe below serves 4 people with each person receiving 2 slices of French toast. I have already done the calculations so that you can enjoy making French toast for 2 people. Just use the values below and follow the instructions in the recipe. Enjoy!
4 slices of bread
2 eggs
1/3 c. milk
1/8 c. flour
1 tbsp. sugar, granulated
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. vanilla
Pinch of salt
Ingredients
Slices of Bread: bread serves as the base for French toast, absorbing the egg mixture to create a rich, custardy interior. Thick slices like brioche, challah, or Texas toast are ideal for their ability to hold up well during soaking and cooking.
Eggs: eggs form the foundation of the batter, providing structure and helping the mixture adhere to the bread. They give this dish its signature creamy texture and help the bread achieve a beautiful golden-brown colour when cooked.
Flour: flour is sometimes added to the egg mixture to create a slightly thicker and more consistent batter, resulting in a crispier exterior.
Sugar: sugar adds a subtle sweetness to the custard mixture, helping to caramelize the toast as it cooks. It also balances the other flavours.
Milk: milk, combined with the eggs, creates a smooth, creamy batter that soaks into the bread. Whole milk is typically preferred for its richness, but other types can be used.
Cinnamon: cinnamon brings warmth and a hint of spice to this dish, adding depth and aroma that complements the sweetness.
Vanilla: vanilla enhances the flavour profile of the French toast, providing a fragrant sweetness that pairs well with the cinnamon.
Salt: Salt is a key ingredient that balances the sweetness and enhances the overall flavour, preventing the toast from tasting overly sweet or flat.
Tips
- The flour can be a bit clumpy once added to the egg mixture so put it through a flour sifter before adding to the mixture.
- Using a flatter, shallower bowl helps the bread slices to lie flatly and soak up the egg mixture more evenly.
- Instead of using non-stick spray to keep the toast from sticking to the pan, use butter for a richer dish.
French Toast Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- 3/4 c. milk
- 1/4 c. flour
- 1/8 c. sugar granulated
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- 8 slices of bread
Instructions
- In a shallow bowl, add the eggs and whisk together. Once they are whisked together, add the flour, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, milk, and a pinch of salt. Whisk all the ingredients together.
- Once whisked together, take a slice of bread and place it into the bowl on one side. Once the slice of bread has absorbed the mixture and is saturated, flip it over onto its other side and do the same.
- Place the piece of bread onto a heated frying pan and fry on medium-low heat until the one side is a golden brown which takes about 1 minute. Flip the bread over and repeat on the other side.
- Continue to do steps 2-3 until the desired amount of slices of French toast is reached.
- Serve with either maple syrup, Nutella, or powdered sugar and fruit and enjoy!
Notes
In this blog post, you learned how to make French toast.