French Toast is a special treat breakfast for me, but when it’s what I want, nothing else will do. This week I found a few slices of homemade baguette in the freezer, and I decided the best way to use them up was to enjoy a French Toast breakfast! I balanced the meal with a kale and egg white omelet and the usual cup of strong coffee.
Cinnamon French Toast
French Toast is bread that has been soaked in a custard and then cooked on a griddle. My custard is a bit different than the usual egg-and-milk in that I add some flour to the mix to give it a bit more body. I think I learned that from a recipe from the Cook’s Illustrated folks. The benefit of this approach is you get more of a batter-like texture to the custard, and the resulting French Toast is coated and crispy, while still being moistened on the inside.
one. Whisk together on a plate or pie pan until it makes a batter:
1 whole egg
3 Tbs. milk or soy milk (I use vanilla soy milk)
1 Tbs. flour
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
A hefty sprinkle of cinnamon
two. Adjust the texture of the batter with a bit more milk, if needed, to make it the consistency of a beaten egg.
three. Place 3-4 slices of bread into the batter, turning it several times to coat it evenly. Let the bread sit there and soak in as much of the custard as possible for 5-10 minutes. (This would be a good time to make yourself some eggs and cup of coffee.)
four. Heat a nonstick pan over medium low heat. Add a bit of butter (I use less than a teaspoon–it’s mostly for the flavor, since the nonstick pan mostly prevents it from sticking.) Place the bread slices into the pan and let it slowly cook until golden on one side, about 4 minutes. Turn them over one time and cook the other side until golden. If you have thick slices of bread, you might need to let them sit a bit longer to be sure the custard is cooked through the middle.
five. Serve with a drizzle of maple syrup, some berries, or whatever you prefer on your French Toast!
yields 2 servings
Progressive Strength 