Fancy Nancy French Toast

I always said I didn't like French toast because it tasted like scrambled egg toast anytime I had it. When we visited some great friends in D.C. in November they made great French toast that I didn't want to stop eating! The toast was made so that the inside was soft but the outside was crisp and sweet.

Usually one morning of the weekend I like to make a big breakfast for all of us. When mom was here over Christmas break I took advantage of having someone to herd dogs and Lily and set off to the kitchen. I utilized a recipe from Cook's Illustrated that was detailed and long but well worth the process. I used challah bread fresh from the DeKalb Farmer's Market that I cut into big slices and it was amazing! I tried to sell Lily on eating it by calling it Fancy Nancy French Toast but it didn't work. Good thing since we ate all of it!

Since this was a long holiday weekend with lots of time to be in the kitchen I decided to make it for Lily and Marvin this morning. I will admit that if I had made this with the flimsy Italian bread I used this morning I would never make it again! I discovered for this you truly need a really thick, dense bread and make sure that you warm the butter! This mornings experience certainly got eaten, but I feel like I am continuing to refine how to make this great. I have included the regular recipe but also added the suggested add-ons they had. Enjoy!

French Toast

Serves 4

8 large slices of hearty white bread

1 1/2 cups milk, warmed

3 large egg yolks

3 T. light brown sugar

1/2 t. ground cinnamon

2 T. unsalted butter, melted, plus 2 T. for cooking

1/4 t. table salt

1 T. vanilaa

Maple syrup

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Place bread on wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet. Bake bread until almost dry throughout (center should remain slightly moist), about 16 minutes, flipping slices halfway through cooking. Remove bread from rack and let cool 5 minutes. Return baking sheet with wire rack to oven and reduce temperature to 200 degrees.

2. Whisk milk (make sure its warm!), yolks, sugar, cinnamon, 2 T. melted butter, salt and vanilla in large bowl until well blended. Transfer mixture to 13 by 9 inch baking pan.

3. Soak bread in milk mixture until saturated but not falling apart, 20 seconds per side. Using firm slotted spatula, pick up bread slice and allow excess milk mixture to drop off; repeat with remaining slices. Place soaked bread on another baking sheet or platter.

4. Heat 1/2 T. butter in 12 inch skillet over medium low heat. When foaming subsides, use slotted spatula to transfer 2 slices soaked bread to skillet and cook until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip and continue to cook until second side is golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes longer. (If toast is cooking to quickly, reduce temperature slightly). Transfer to baking sheet in oven. Wipe out skillet with a paper towel. Repeat cooking with remaining bread, 2 pieces at a time, adding 1/2 T. butter for each batch. Serve warm, passing maple syrup separately.

NOTES:

I used 1% milk and cage free eggs for the mixture. Whole would make it richer but isn't needed. I saved the egg whites to add to our scrambled eggs giving a bit of health to our breakfast! After the last pieces were in the oven, I switched my upper oven to a convection bake for about 5 minutes at 200 degrees while I finished the scrambled eggs and bacon up. That convection portion added a bit of crunch to the toast which I liked a lot. As I was eating it I thought it would also be good to maybe roast some walnuts or pecan pieces to top the toast with. You could also sprinkle a bit of powered sugar if you wanted but it really is sweet enough, especially once you add the warm maple syrup!

Extra Crisp French Toast:

Process 1 slice hearty white sandwich bread or challah, torn into 1 inch pieces, 1 T. light brown sugar and 1/4 t. ground cinnamon in food processor until finely ground, 8 to 12 one second pulses. You should end up with about 1/2 cup of crumbs. Follow recipe for French Toast, sprinkling 1 T. bread crumb mixture over one side of each slice of soaked bread. Cook, as directed in step 4, starting with crumb mixture side down.

Almond Crusted French Toast:

Process 1/2 cup slivered almonds and 1 T. light brown sugar in food processor until coarsely ground, 12 to 15 one second pulses. You should end up with about 1/2 cup of crumbs. Follow recipe for French Toast, adding 1 T. Triple Sec and 1 t. grated orange zest to milk mixture in step 2. Sprinkle 1 T. nut mixture over one side of each slice of soaked bread. Cook, as directed in step 4, starting with nut mixture-side down.