Classic French Toast

Growing up, French toast was always a Sunday morning kinda lazy day meal cuz it took a little time to prepare and in the franticness of getting kids out the door most people didn’t have the time or patience to prepare it. However, the truth is, it’s fairly quick and easy and puts a smile on your face with its deliciousness.

There is a trick to making it properly and I will show you exactly.

The most important part of French toast is the bread and I particularly like to use my day old challah after Shabbat. It’s important to note that when you use slightly stale bread (challah, brioche or any rich bread preferably) , it will absorb the egg mixture better and that’s the key to good French toast.

So start with your day old bread and slice it in generous slices, not too thin.

Lop off the end’s bit to get better absorption too. K. Now you can use fresh orange juice or frozen.

I had an orange that I used up the peel in a cake just waiting to be juiced. Only use about 2 tablespoons and save the rest for something else.

K take a bowl and put your eggs, o.j., milk, cinnamon and vanilla in and whisk till smooth.

Now take a pan, cover with parchment paper and you will dip/submerge the bread slices into the egg mixture.

Then put on the prepared pan.

Okay. Notice how the egg mixture was just sucked up into the bread? So here is the trick to this. Take the remaining egg mixture (which you will have, no worries) and gently puddle some mixture on each piece of bread like so:

Now don’t drown them in the egg mix, since you’ll probably have some leftover in the bowl, just add the bit extra and let it absorb into the challah/bread. The effect of the extra “soaking” of the bread produces an almost souffle’ like effect, fluffy inside with the crispy on the outside.

While it absorbs, about 2-3 minutes, get your pan ready and while I’m not one to often indulge in butter, here it really matters. The flavor adds so much so no cheating, use both butter and oil. You need the oil also since butter has a low smoke point meaning it’ll start to burn during the cooking period without the oil.

Use a nice pat of butter. K, bring to medium heat and lay the slices of bread in the pan.

Fry until nicely browned on the bottom and gently flip and fry on the other side.

Remove to plates, no need to drain them and if your bread is already sweetened, like my challah, you may eschew extra sugar or maple syrup as DH and I did. If not, go for it, maple syrup or powdered sugar are both a nice topping, as is cut up fresh fruit. Brew your coffee or tea and sit down to a wonderful breakfast, brunch or light dinner!

Classic French Toast

Day old bread/challah/brioche cut into 6 thick slices
2 tablespoons orange juice (fresh if you can)
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 large eggs
Nice sized pat of butter (about 2 tablespoons)
1-2 tablespoons oil, as needed

Directions:

Put the orange juice, milk, vanilla and cinnamon in a bowl with the eggs and whisk till smooth. Prepare a pan with parchment paper to hold the egged bread and get a skillet on the stove with a pat of butter and a tablespoon of oil in it but don’t heat it yet, set aside.

Take the bread slices and dip or submerge into egg mixture one at a time, letting excess drip back into bowl and lay on parchment paper. When you’ve done them all, take about an additional tablespoon of leftover egg mixture per piece of bread and puddle onto the egged bread. While it absorbs (2-3 minutes) heat your pan with butter and oil to medium hot. Lay 3 pieces at a time (don’t crowd them) and fry till golden brown on bottom, gently flip over with spatula and fry on other side till golden brown and crisped. Serve immediately with maple syrup or powdered sugar as desired, and cut up fresh fruit is nice too.