What is the secret to making good French toast? This PERFECTFRENCH TOAST RECIPE!
FRENCH TOAST; whenever I say those two words, friends and family get excited. After all, there’s something so comforting aboutthick slicesofegg-soaked bread cooked in a hot skillet, making the outside golden and crispy while its custard-like inside stays soft and rich. Getting this recipe right involved overtime in the test kitchen, but with weekend guests volunteering as taste testers, the process worked like a charm. The end result; this PERFECTFRENCH TOAST RECIPEwe know you’ll be making, and enjoying, again and again.
Here are some of the key questions we get about FRENCH TOAST:
- What’s the secret to getting that richcustardflavour?
- How do I avoid getting burned edges?
- What’s the trick to prevent undercooked centres?
- How do I get fluffy centres?
Now, before we explain how to make thebest French toast, know that this post is a two-for-one special; part one is a step-by-step guide, and the second part breaks down how to take the flavours and presentation from simple to amazing. Entre nous, it’s all very, very good!
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Who’s ready for a PERFECTFRENCH TOAST RECIPE? Let’s go!
INGREDIENTS
Repeat visitors to WATC may experience a bit of déjà vu looking at theingredientsneeded to make PERFECT FRENCH TOAST; the pic is almost identical to theingredientswe used to craft a similar recipe forPAIN PERDU. However, this one uses a dense type of bread, moreeggs, plus honey instead of brown sugar and an equal quantity of milk and 35%cream. These little tweaks all combine to create something very tasty. Fair warning: when you go to enjoy, you’ll want to eat thisdishslowly and savour every single bite. Yum!
THE BREAD
We tested this recipe using everything from sliced white bread and crusty rye to French baguette andsourdough bread. In the end, the best breadto use wasCHALLAH, a rich, slightly sweet bread made with flour,eggs, oil, yeast and honey. This bread works perfectly in this application as the centre of the bread is slightly firm – ideal forsoakingup theegg mixture. The outside of the bread is also great because it’s not too crusty or chewy.Briochewill also work well in apinch.
Additional tips regarding our PERFECT FRENCH TOAST RECIPE are to purchase theloafof bread and slice it by hand when you’re ready to make thedish; cut slices 1- to 1½-inches thick to create those pillowy, cloud-like fluffy centres; and leave the sliced bread out on the cutting board to dry out a bit, yielding crispier slices of French toast.
EGGCUSTARD
Three key components are the secret to creating a rich and flavourfulegg mixturethat turns soft ascustard when cooked. First, it’s about theeggstocream/milk ratio; 1eggto every ¼ cup of liquid, and mix equal partscreamand milk. So for this post (8 slices of bread), we whisked 4 eggs into a cup of liquid, ½ cup of 35%creamplus ½ cup of whole milk.
The second key component is to use honey in the mixture instead of granulated or dark brown sugar. The honey melts into theeggsperfectly, giving the mixture thatcustardflavour. Last thing is towhisktheeggswell before adding thecreamand milk, preventing egg white streaks when the toast cooks and giving the centres a soft, silky texture.
SKILLET AND TEMPERATURE
Using the correct skillet set at the correct temperature works wonders in this recipe. We suggest using a non-stick skillet or non-stick griddle for this PERFECT FRENCH TOAST RECIPE. Cast iron and stainless pans caused the toast to stick and created those dreaded burnt edges. We’ve listed purchase links for non-stickpanoptions down below; buy one and say goodbye to burnt edges forever!
Regarding the best temperature topan fryor griddle cook this FRENCH TOAST, we thinkmedium heat, typically between 350°F and 375°F works best. Leave the toast to cook for 2 minutes per side, atotal timeof 4 minutes. This will yield that richgolden browncolour we so love, plus it ensures cooked centres.
TO SERVE
We’re always cool with you putting your own twist on our recipes to make it your own. Whether you’re tweakingingredientsor finessing the way you serve it, we love knowing you’re enjoying it just the way you like it. So with our PERFECT FRENCH TOAST RECIPE, feel free to enjoy it with whippedcream and sliced fruit, sprinkle it with sugar, spread on somejam,or just have it plain with nothing at all.
But, and this is me telling it like it is, there’s something exceedingly perfect about a slice of French toast, fresh from the skillet, hit with a knob of softbutterthen drizzled with puremaple syrup,maybe a few berries sprinkled on top for good measure. Seriously, it might very well be one of the top ten breakfast and brunch creations of all time. Enjoy it as is!
THE UPGRADE
And then we were like, but what could we do to elevate a perfectedclassic French toast recipe? Here are a few suggestions to take this from simple to amazing:
SUGAR AND SPICE
Hats off to my friend Heather Lynn who planted the seeds for this finishing touch when she sugared and spiced up this recipe. First, you grind up star anise and allspice then stir it up with granulated sugar. Flip the cooked French toast slices in the sugar and spice mix to coat.
OVENBAKE
After you’ve added that heady sugar and spice mix, bake the French toast slices in a 375°Fovenuntil they plump up and the outside gets extra crispy.
BERRY SYRUP
Next up, a super simple MIXED BERRY COULIS that we made for this recipe using raspberries only. It but can also be crafted with strawberries,blackberries,blueberriesor a mixed berry concoction – delicious!
CREAMY YOGURT
Who knew Devoncream, thick Greek yoghurt, lemon and sugar would be so fabulous with homemade French toast? We did! Wait until you take that first bite and get the subtle sweetness of the spices, plus the richness of thecreamand yogurt and then the pop offresh berries, sublime.
FINAL TOUCH
I love serving this upgrade with a side bowl of even more fresh berries. Also works with a cup of strong coffee and some O.J.
This PERFECTFRENCH TOAST RECIPEis yours for the making. Enjoy!
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Perfect French Toast Recipe
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Ingredients
- 1 challahloaf, 8 slices
- ½ cup whole milk
- ½ cup 35%cream
- 4 largeeggs, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoongroundcinnamon
- 1 teaspoonvanilla extract
- 1 pinchofnutmeg
- ½ teaspoonkoshersalt
- 4 teaspoons butter
- 4 teaspoonscanola, vegetable or corn oil
- To serve:
- butter
- puremaple syrup
- assortedfresh berries
- Upgrades:
- Sugar and spice mixture:
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon star anise
- 1 tablespoonallspice
- fresh berry coulis blueberry, raspberry, strawberry or mixed berry
- Creamy yoghurt:
- ½ cup Devon cream
- ½ cup plain Greek yoghurt
- 2 teaspoonsgranulated sugar
- zest from 1 lemon
Directions
- Prepare bread: Slicechallahinto 1- to 1½-inch slices. Leave the bread on the cutting board to dry out while you prepare the rest of theingredients.
- Prepare sugar and spice mix, if using: Place spices in grinder and zip to grind. Add 1 teaspoon of ground spices to sugar, stir to combine. Try then add more to taste. Stir again then spill onto a large plate.
- Prepare creamy yogurt, if using: Place Devon cream and yogurt into a small bowl. Add sugar and lemon zest thencreamtogether using a hand mixer. Cover and refrigerate until use.
- Prepareeggbatter: Placeeggsin a medium-sized liquid measure orbowl. Add honey,cinnamon, vanilla andsaltandwhiskto combine, making sure there are no streaks ofeggwhite within the mixture. Add the milk andcreamandwhiskagain to combine. Pour theegg mixtureinto a pie plate or shallowdish.
- Cook the French toast: Preheatovento 250°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Bring a large non-stick skillet to temperature on moderate heat.
- Place 2 slices of bread into theegg mixtureletting itsoakfor about 2 minutes. Flip the bread andsoakthe other side for 2 minutes. Add 1teaspoonofbutterto the hot skillet and melt, then add 1teaspoonof oil and stir or movepanto combine. Add the soaked bread and cook for 2 minutes on each side until nicely browned. Totalcook timewill be 4 minutes. Place the cooked French toast on the sheetpanand keep it warm in theoven. Fry the remaining soakedbread slices, wiping thepanand adding newbutterand oil each time.
- For regular French toast: Serve hot withbutter,maple syrup, andfresh berries.
- For upgraded French toast:
- Remove warm cooked French toast to your work surface. Increase oventemperature to 375°F. Transfer the cooked pieces of bread onto the plate with the sugar and spice mixture. Flip the bread to coat each side. Return bread to parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Once all of the bread is transferred to the baking sheet, bake in the preheatedovenfor 20 minutes, rotating thepanhalfway through.
- Serve hot with a generous dollop of creamy yogurt and a drizzle of fresh berry coulis. Sprinkle mixed berries around the toast.
Related by Recipe Type
- Breakfast
Related by Ingredient
- 35% Cream
- Blackberries
- Blueberries
- Blueberry Syrup
- Butter
- Challah Bread
- Cinnamon
- Eggs
- Fresh Berries
- hom*ogenized Milk
- Honey
- Maple Syrup
- Nutmeg
- Pure Vanilla Extract
- Raspberries
- Strawberries
- Vegetable Oil
