Most people are under the impression that stale bread is great to use for breadcrumbs or French toast. Although this is a great way to use up old bread, it doesn’t yield the best results. Stale bread will taste stale no matter what you do with it. Fresh bread yields toast that’s crispy on the outside and light and fluffy on the inside.
The secret to A-MAZ-ING French toast is to dry FRESH bread in the oven so that it will soak up all the yummy flavors of your egg mixture. Or, as the French call it, custard. This sounds like an extra step that’s not worth the effort, but trust us when we say by the time you prepare the custard, your bread is ready to go and so worth this little step. Enjoy!
French Toast Recipe
- 1 loaf bread, (such as challah, cinnamon or Hawaiian bread), sliced into ½"(8–10 slices)
- 3 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 2 Tbsp powdered sugar, plus more for dusting
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon, (omit if using cinnamon bread)
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 2 tsp unsalted butter
- 2 tsp oil
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
- Slice bread into ½" thick slices (8–10) and place on a wire rack over a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes (turn them over halfway through if you don’t use a rack). Let cool for 5 minutes.
- Whisk eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and salt in pie plate or medium-sized bowl until all the ingredients are well combined.
- Heat a non-stick skillet or griddle over medium-low heat. Add 1 tsp each of butter and oil and heat until they shimmer. It’s better to cook slowly on medium-low heat and not rush it; this gives it enough time for the egg to cook all the way through and keeps the edges from burning.
- Dip each slice of bread into the mixture, allowing it to soak completely through but not so much that it falls apart. Place wet slice onto skillet and repeat with the other slices as you soak them. Do not overcrowd the pan.
- Cook for 2–3 minutes or until the toast is nicely browned. Flip slices over and repeat.
- Remove toast from skillet. Place it back on the cooling rack and loosely tent with foil. Wipe skillet out with a paper towel, add the remaining butter and oil and repeat the process with remaining slices.
- For less mess, dust toast with the powdered sugar over the drying rack. Plate the French toast and serve warm with butter and maple syrup!
If you're a fan of breakfast on the go, try making our portable baked French toast muffins!
