French toast is a weekend morning classic, in part because it’s a crowd-pleaser, but also because it’s quick and unfussy. Made with basic ingredients that you likely have on hand (bread, milk, eggs, sugar), it's a quick and fuss-free dish. While this process may seem straightforward, there are still some helpful pointers to consider along the way.
This warm, slightly sweet French toast is crispy and brown on the outside and creamy on the inside. Serve it drizzled with maple syrup, and you’ll wish every day were Sunday.
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Essential Ingredients
Bread: Choose bread with a fine, dense crumb and a soft crust. Try challah, brioche, or a hearty white sandwich bread. these are perfect for soaking up the batter, and they produce luxuriously soft results. Breads with large air pockets and a hard crust, like ciabatta, won’t absorb the batter evenly and will give your French toast tough, chewy edges.
Milk:
Cinnamon and vanilla: Cinnamon adds subtle warming notes, while vanilla enhances sweetness and gives a greater depth of flavor to the batter and bread.
Recipe tips
- Go with fresh bread, not stale. Although stale bread may absorb somewhat more batter, fresh bread, which is softer to begin with, makes more tender French toast.
- Bring your eggs and milk to room temperature. This keeps the butter in the batter melted so that it can be readily absorbed by the bread. Milk and eggs straight from the refrigerator would cause the butter to harden into small bits.
- Use one large egg for every ⅓ cup milk in the batter. this makes a milk-heavy batter, which will give your French toast a creamy, custard-like interior. A batter with a greater proportion of eggs to milk will produce firmer, chewier French toast with a stronger egg flavor.
- Preheat the Pan: Preheat your skillet or griddle over medium heat and add a little butter or oil to prevent sticking and add flavor.
- Don't Crowd the Pan: Cook the French toast in batches, leaving enough space between slices to allow for even cooking. Crowding the pan can result in uneven browning and soggy toast.
- Flip Carefully: Use a spatula to carefully flip the French toast once the bottom is golden brown and crispy. Be gentle to avoid breaking the toast apart.
- Clean the skillet between batches. French toast is fried in butter, which burns easily. Use a paper towel to wipe out the pan between batches and start each batch with fresh butter to avoid a scorched flavor.
8 Tasty French Toast Toppings
1. Fruit Compote: Top your French toast with a warm fruit compote made from berries, peaches, apples, or any fruit of your choice. Simply cook the fruit with a bit of sugar and lemon juice until soft and syrupy.
2. Nutty Crunch: Add a crunchy texture by sprinkling chopped nuts like almonds, pecans, or walnuts over the French toast before serving. You can toast the nuts beforehand for extra flavor.
3. Whipped Cream: Dollop some fluffy whipped cream on top of your French toast for a luxurious touch. You can sweeten the whipped cream with a bit of powdered sugar and vanilla extract.
4. Chocolate Drizzle: Drizzle melted chocolate or chocolate sauce over the French toast for a decadent treat. You can also spread some Nutella over the cooked toast.
5. Caramelized Bananas: Slice bananas and cook them in a skillet with butter and brown sugar until caramelized and golden. Top your French toast with the caramelized bananas for a sweet and gooey addition.
6. Savory Twist: Turn French toast into a savory dish by topping it with crispy bacon or prosciutto, sautéed mushrooms, and a sprinkle of grated cheese. Finish with a drizzle of maple syrup for a sweet-savory contrast.
7. Citrus Zest: Grate some lemon or orange zest over the French toast before serving to add a bright and refreshing citrus flavor. You can also squeeze a bit of fresh citrus juice over the toast for extra zing.
8. Flavored Syrups: Elevate your French toast with flavored syrups like maple-pecan, coconut, or cinnamon-infused syrup. These add an extra layer of flavor and sweetness to the dish.
Recipe FAQs
This recipe can be easily doubled or tripled. Be sure to keep the toast warm in the oven, as directed in the recipe.
Cut the bread slices into three or four pieces, then soak the bread sticks in the egg mixture for just 30 seconds so they don't fall apart. Cook them in butter, turning the sticks so they cook on each side, until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes on each side.
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Classic French Toast
Ingredients
- 6 Tbs. butter, or more as needed
- 2 cups milk, at room temperature, preferably whole (or soy)
- 6 large eggs, at room temperature
- 3 Tbs. granulated sugar
- 1 Tbs. pure vanilla extract
- ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 8 3⁄4-inch-thick slices challah, brioche, or hearty white sandwich bread
- Maple syrup, heated, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 250°F. Place 2 baking sheets on the oven racks.
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. In a medium bowl, combine the melted butter, milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt and whisk until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Transfer the mixture to a large baking dish.
- Working in batches, add 2 or 3 slices of bread (or as many as will fit in your skillet in a single layer) to the mixture and soak, turning once, until saturated but not falling apart, about 2 minutes total.
- In a large skillet, melt about 1⁄2 Tbs. butter over medium heat. When the foam subsides, use a slotted spatula to add the soaked bread in a single layer. Cook, turning once, until golden-brown, 1 1⁄2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a baking sheet in the oven, arranging the pieces in a single layer, to keep warm.
- Repeat with the remaining bread, briefly rewhisking the batter before soaking, and wiping out the skillet and adding fresh butter between batches. Serve drizzled with maple syrup.
Notes
Nutrition
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