Sick of the same boring weekday protein shake and take-out coffee? Elevating your weekend breakfast experience is easier than you think. With just a few simple ingredients, you can take your breakfast from meh to fire. Today, we’ll concentrate on a household favorite: French toast.
Surprisingly, French toast didn’t originate in France. In fact, the basic recipe is pretty old and was a clever way to use up stale bread. There is no definitive name origin; some attribute it to immigrants bringing Old Country recipes to America, while others say it’s just marketing. Whatever the reason, it’s really easy to make.
The ingredients are simple and likely things you will have on hand when the mood strikes. This recipe is extremely adaptable and can be adjusted to feed one person or 20 people. I have listed the amounts of the ingredients I personally use below, but you can use more or less depending on your preference.
What You’ll Need
Ingredients:
- Bread – 1 – 2 pieces per person
- Eggs – 1 egg will usually cover up to 4 pieces
- Milk or cream – 2 tablespoons for every 2 pieces
- 1 tablespoon butter for frying
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
- Toppings: Maple syrup, powdered sugar, fresh berries, whipped cream, or jam/jelly
Gear:
- Frying pan or skillet
- Spatula
- Shallow bowl or plate
- Fork or metal whisk
Techniques and Terms
Here are some techniques and terms you should know before we get started.
Breaking an egg: Tap your egg gently on the counter to make a crack. Using your thumbs, break the shell open over your container to release the yolk and egg white. Discard the shell.
Whisking: Use a fork or wire whisk to beat the egg and any other ingredients together.
Mise en place: (meez ahn plahs) This is just a fancy term for preparing and organizing ingredients and tools before you start cooking.
Having everything ready is a good habit to get into; it’s frustrating when you realize you’re out of something after you’ve already made half the recipe. It also makes sure everything is prepped when it’s time to start cooking. Preparing ingredients while water is boiling over or the butter is burning is stressful.
Preparing the French Toast
Using mise en place, pull out your ingredients and tools. Then read through the directions before you start.
Break the egg(s) into your dish. If a shell breaks off into the bowl, just use (clean!) hands or a bigger piece of the shell to pull it out.
Add milk or cream to the eggs. You can add more or less cream depending on preferences. If you need to make a lot and egg prices are stupid, you can stretch the batter by adding a little more liquid.
At this point, I like to add about a teaspoon of vanilla extract for a little extra flavor, but it’s entirely optional.
Mix it all up: Whisk your ingredients together using a fork or whisk. Make sure the egg white is well blended; it tends to get goopy.
Heat the pan: Put your frying pan or skillet on medium-low. Butter has a low smoke point, which means it will burn at higher temperatures.
Add about a tablespoon of butter to the pan: If the pan you’re using is non-stick, you probably don’t need that much. As the butter melts, coat the bottom and side with your spatula.
Dip the bread: Coat both sides of the bread with the batter by dipping it briefly into the egg mixture. If you’re using bread that’s on the stale side, let it soak a little to absorb the batter.
Fry: Set the dipped bread onto the hot pan and butter. Let it cook for a few minutes. Here, you can probably bump up the heat a bit to medium, but keep an eye on it. Remember, you can cook something longer, but you can’t unburn it. Depending on the size of your pan, you may be able to put two pieces of bread in the pan at once.
Flip: After a couple of minutes, flip the bread to cook the other side. Repeat until both sides are golden brown.
Since I make enough to feed my household, I put the cooked pieces onto a sheet pan I have warming in my oven at 170 degrees while I finish the rest. If you’re not feeding an army, it’s time to garnish.
Traditional toppings are butter and maple syrup, but make it your own! Other topping ideas are powdered sugar, fresh berries, whipped cream, or jam/jelly.
Bon appetite! What is your favorite way to enjoy French toast? Let me know in the comments!
