Classic French Toast
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: French
Transform any leftover, stale bread into a delicious and decadent French Toast! Easy French Toast recipe with step-by-step photos.
Ingredients
For the French Toast
- 4 slices of slightly stale bread, cut about 2.5 cm/1 inch thick (see Kitchen Notes below)
- 250 ml (1 cup) milk
- 4 eggs
- 2 tablespoons caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (or to taste)
- pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
- 4 teaspoons butter
- 4 teaspoons vegetable oil
Serving Suggestions
- cinnamon sugar (mix equal quantities of granulated sugar with ground cinnamon)
- maple syrup, warmed
- icing sugar (powdered sugar)
- strawberries or other berries
Instructions
- Thickly slice the bread to about 2.5 cm/1 inch thick.
- Use a fork to prick the bread all over and on both sides.
- Whisk together the milk, eggs, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl or jug.
- Strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a shallow bowl which can comfortably fit once slice of bread.
- Discard the contents remaining in the sieve.
- Whisk the cinnamon and nutmeg in to the custard mixture. (If you add the spices beforehand, most of it will get caught in the sieve.)
- Start soaking one slice of bread, about 30 seconds per side. Try to ensure that the bread has soaked through to the centre.
- Meanwhile, heat a small non-stick pan over medium heat with the 1 teaspoon of butter and 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil per French Toast.
- Once the butter starts to foam, carefully place a piece of soaked bread into the pan.
- Cook the bread for about 3-5 minutes per side, or until nicely golden. I like to move and turn the bread frequently to ensure an even colouring.
- The French Toast is generally ready and cooked through once you see that the centre has puffed up slightly.
- Repeat with the remaining slices of bread.
- Serve immediately.
Kitchen Notes
MAKE AHEAD TIPS
* Make the custard the night before and keep it covered in the fridge.
* Keep the French Toast warm in an oven on a wire rack at 100°C/212°F.
WHAT TYPE OF BREAD TO USE
I recommend using thickly sliced bread to make French Toast, such as the following:
* French baguette
* Brioche Bread or French Brioche Loaf
* Challah or Butterzopf
* Japanese Milk Bread (Shokupan) or white loaf bread
* Fruit Bread
* thin slices of stale bread work too, but you will need to adjust the cooking time.
COOKING WITH KIDS
This is a great recipe for kids to make on their own, or to make for kids. To help you scale down the recipe, here is what you need for one portion of French Toast:
* 1 thick slice of bread or 2 thin slices of bread
* 60 ml (1/4 cup) milk
* 1 egg
* 1-2 teaspoons caster sugar
* dash of vanilla extract
* pinch of ground cinnamon
* pinch of ground nutmeg
CONVERSIONS
To convert from cups to grams, and vice-versa, please see this handy Conversion Chart for Basic Ingredients.
View the recipe online: https://eatlittlebird.com/french-toast/
