How to Make French Toast

• Also try: Mahalo's Guide to French Toast

Guide Note: French Toast is a mouth watering breakfast and brunch staple. Learn how to make French toast here!

Table of Contents:

• Introduction
• Before You Begin
• Step 1: Assemble Your Ingredients and Tools
• Step 2: Prepare to Make French Toast
• Step 3: Cooking French Toast
• Step 4: Other Ways to Make French Toast
• Step 5: Serve with Style
• Resources

Introduction

• French toast isn't particularly French, nor is it really toast. But most people still love the egg-battered bread concoction. And it's so delicious and elegant in its simplicity, these instructions will have you racing to the stove!

Before You Begin

French toast with all the trimmings. (Creative Commons photo by Joshua Wickerham)

• French toast is comprised of two main things: the egg batter and the bread.

• The egg batter can be made in endless ways, in endless combinations, but it generally includes:
  • Eggs
  • Milk
  • Cinnamon
  • Vanilla extract

• You can use almost any type of bread, but favorites include:
  • Challah or any other egg bread
  • Cinnamon swirl bread
  • Cinnamon raisin bread
  • Croissants
• There's nothing wrong with making French toast with whatever bread you happen to have on hand, including regular sandwich bread.
• For best results, use bread that is a little stale, so the batter gets soaked into every pore.

• As you're cooking, remember that French toast is one of those foods where you don't really need a recipe at all. If you want to add a new spice or use a different bread, just go with your instincts and you'll usually find something that really works.

Step 1: Assemble Your Ingredients and Tools

Egg bread cut into thick slices is a key ingredient. (Photo by Mahalo)

• For basic fried French toast for two people you will need:
  • Two eggs
  • 1/2 cup milk, half and half, or half cream, half milk (Soy milk or similar will also work)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • Nutmeg to taste (optional)
  • 4 slices day-old thick egg bread, such as challah or brioche
  • 1/2 tablespoon butter, or cooking spray
  • Fork or Whisk
  • Shallow bowl
  • Spatula
  • Good sized frying pan (Nonstick is easiest for clean-up)
  • Toppings

• Note: This recipe can be expanded almost infinitely. Depending on how many hungry people you have, you will want at least two pieces of toast per person.

Step 2: Prepare to Make French Toast

Whisk the ingredients together. (Photo by Mahalo)

Let the bread soak up all of the delicious batter. (Photo by Mahalo)

1. Break the eggs into a shallow bowl wide enough to put the bread into. Lightly beat with a fork or whisk.
2. Add the milk and other ingredients as desired. Beat again until combined.
3. Add 1/2 tablespoon butter your frying pan, coat the bottom with it, and leave it to warm over medium heat.
4. Set each piece of bread one at a time in the batter and turn over so the batter covers it all and has a chance to get absorbed in the bread.

Step 3: Frying French Toast

Sizzling French toast. (Photo by Mahalo)

• The fastest method, though not for large batches, is to fry up your toast in a frying pan on the stove. It can be difficult to cook for a large crowd on a single frying pan, so either have more than one pan going, or start early and make the toast in batches.

1. When the pan is hot but not smoking, carefully place the soaked bread in the pan with a little room between each slice. You should hear the batter sizzle when it hits the pan. If you don't, turn up the heat slightly.
2. Fry the pieces of bread at least a minute on each side, flipping the bread over with a spatula. Depending on the bread's thickness, start checking for doneness when they look golden brown. You want the bread to be almost crispy on the outside, and hot all the way through.
   • If the pan begins smoking at any point, turn down the heat.
3. You may need to add more butter or cooking spray to your pan between batches. Using a nonstick pan will cut down on the need for butter.

Step 4: Other Ways to Make French Toast

• The frying pan is not the only way to make French Toast. You can also bake and stuff your breakfast treat.

Baked French Toast

• Most baked French toast recipes are premade casserole-type recipes where you leave the bread soaking in the egg batter overnight and then stick the tray in the oven in the morning. You get almost custard-like French toast as a result.

French toast in the oven. (Creative Commons photo by Jeff Sandquist)

1. Prepare your baking dish by buttering the inside.
2. Whisk together the wet ingredients as above. Slice your bread in slices so the slices can cover the pan evenly.
3. Place the bread slices in the buttered dish. Pour the batter over the bread slices.
4. Depending on your recipe, you will need to refrigerate the soaked bread from one to twelve hours and may keep it up to 24 hours before baking.
5. In the morning, preheat your oven, let your chilled bread/batter mixture come to room temperature and bake until the bread slices are set and golden.

• Try these highly rated baked French toast recipes:
• Epicurious.com: Baked French Toast 
• All Recipes: Baked French Toast

Stuffed French Toast

Decadent stuffed French toast. (CC photo by Kim Scarborough)

• Stuffed French toast is a decadent twist on the French toast theme. A soft filling is pushed into a pocket in the middle of the slice of bread, then the the bread is soaked in the batter and fried as usual. Check out these stuffed French toast ideas, or come up with your own fabulous filling:
• Nook & Pantry: Nutella Stuffed Brioche French Toast
• Fer Food: Mascarpone Stuffed French Toast
• Food Network: Stuffed French Toast
• Epicurious.com: Banana-Stuffed French Toast 

Step 4: Serve with Style

French toast topped with maple syrup. (Photo by Mahalo)

1. When your French toast has been cooked, either on the stove, in the oven, or fried with a filling, serve it warm on a plate, about two slices per person.
2. Offer yourself and your guests a variety of toppings to choose from.
   • You can serve French toast with almost any breakfast or dessert condiment including:
     • Butter
     • Syrup
     • Fruit, such as strawberries
     • Powdered sugar
     • Chocolate sauce and whipped cream
     • Yogurt
     • Jam or jelly
3. French toast pairs well with scrambled eggs, fruit, and juice.
4. Relax, enjoy, then return for seconds.

Resources for How to Make French Toast

• Wikibooks: French Toast
• Slate Magazine: Is French Toast Really French? (September 16, 2003)  
• Chowhound: Best Bread for French Toast?
• Alton Brown: French Toast Recipe
• Food Network: French Toast Recipes  
• All Recipes: French Toast Recipes
• YouTube: Fried then Baked French Toast (Time: 3:44)
• Simply Recipes: French Toast Recipe
• VideoJug: How to Make French Toast with Berry Coulis (Time: 2:53)

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