French Toast Advice needed

[larry_stewart]

My wife wants French toast this weekend.
I'm not a big fan, but she has been craving it lately.
I don't think Ive ever made it before, and if I did, it was so long ago that I forgot.

Just wondering if anyone has any tips, suggestions, advice to give me.

Thanks in advance,

Larry

 

[GotGarlic]

The recipe is pretty basic: make a custard with eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla extract and a pinch of salt; cinnamon is a good add-in. Soak the slices well in the mixture. My big tip is baking it rather than cooking it in a pan, so the toasts are done all at once. Preheat the oven to 500F and bake for about five minutes per side till browned. Easy and delish!

 

[Aunt Bea]

I like french toast made using one of the Pepperidge Farm Swirl breads or raisin bread.

If you are not a fan of french toast it would be easy enough to make a grilled cheese sandwich stuffed with some thinly sliced fruit or vegetables for you and french toast for your wife.

 

[Kayelle]

I do mine about the same as GG, but my best advice is to let the thick stale bread slices soak overnight in the custard. I think it makes all the difference. I like a heavy French bread.

 

[Rocklobster]

Like Kayelle says, heavy or stale bread works better. I like to fry mine. Medium high heat..If you soak it for a long time, make sure to check it to make sure the inside has cooked through. If you aren't into French toast, you could make yourself a Monte Cristo Sandwich. It is basically a grilled cheese made with two pieces of French Toast.I would omit the cinnamon for this recipe, though .. Many classic recipes call for ham, but you could just leave that out. You are a vegetarian, right? Check out some recipes ...https://www.google.ca/search?tbm=isch&q=monte+cristo+sandwich+recipe&ei=dChdVZTyHIb4yASIpIOgDw

 

[taxlady]

GG, I really like the idea of baking the French toast. Thanks for that tip.

 

[Rocklobster]

Back when I did brunch buffets for my restaurant, I used to do a great recipe for upside down pineapple french toast. Line the bottom of a buttered baking pan with pineapple rings then lay your french toast down, pour a bit more of your egg/milk mixture down and bake until done. If you were lucky You could tip the whole thing out on a flat cookie sheet and cut it up in single serving portions....

 

[larry_stewart]

Great tips guys and gals, keep them coming.

 

[Kayelle]

Rock sure has the right idea with a Monte Cristo sandwich for you Larry. A filling of Brie cheese, a tomato slice and fresh basil leaves between the French toast slices wouldn't have even me missing the classic ham.

 

[Dawgluver]

My mouth is watering. And I want French toast right now!

 

[larry_stewart]

Although kind of change of subject, i was watching the chew a few weeks ago, and they were doing different grilled cheese sandwiches. The one which made me most curious was a grilled cheese using brie, a smear of jam, chopped walnuts and thinly sliced green apples .

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Although kind of change of subject, i was watching the chew a few weeks ago, and they were doing different grilled cheese sandwiches. The one which made me most curious was a grilled cheese using brie, a smear of jam, chopped walnuts and thinly sliced green apples .

Oh Man!!! It's too late for me to eat. That sounds great Larry!

 

[Cheryl J]

Just to add to the great advice you've gotten here Larry, I haven't seen nutmeg mentioned - I LOVE a little sprinkle of nutmeg on my French toast. Never knew how good it was until I tried it, then I was hooked!


Just a tip for a quick and easy seasoning on the spur of the moment, if you don't have syrup or whatever, and want something on the fly.

 

[larry_stewart]

Oh Man!!! It's too late for me to eat. That sounds great Larry!

I haven't had the pleasure of trying it yet, buts its definitely on my list of things to make/ try. My Aunt always made a baked brie, and I have a few times ( I love it). When I saw them making this brie grilled cheese, I had one of those " Why didn't I think of that " moments.

 

[CWS4322]

Challah works well for French toast. The best French toast I ever had was in England. It was deep-fried. I haven't made French toast in years...and since I don't eat bread, I probably won't eat it for years. Another thing I liked to add was grated orange rind and ground cardamom.

 

[Kayelle]

Although kind of change of subject, i was watching the chew a few weeks ago, and they were doing different grilled cheese sandwiches. The one which made me most curious was a grilled cheese using brie, a smear of jam, chopped walnuts and thinly sliced green apples .

Thanks for the reminder Larry, I had a sandwich just like that once in a restaurant. It was wonderful but would be perfect with French toast!!!

 

[RPCookin]

Thanks for this thread. It was the perfect answer to the question "What's for breakfast?" I was in the throes of indecision until I read this thread.

My French toast is pretty basic. Batter made from eggs, milk, vanilla and cinnamon (no sugar in mine, because I prefer it with pancake syrup and that's all the sweet it needs). I don't soak it long, but then I usually only have fresh bread on hand. Today it was Sara Lee whole wheat bread. I usually get 6 slices (when I'm alone like today, I eat 3 and put 3 away for later in the week) from a batter made with 4 eggs. To batter the bread I dip it, flip it, flip it again then into the pan prepared with melted butter. Today I had it with a Hillshire Farms American Craft jalapeno cheddar sausage on the side.

 

[CharlieD]

Use good Chalah bread for toast, maybe a couple of days old, especially if you are planing to make it "sweet".
I like my toast savory and do not use sugar or cinnamon, just a little bit of salt.

To make it a bit more interested, soak the bread, put it on a frying pan, cover with some sliced strawberry and cover with another slice. Fry on one side then flip and fry the other side. Just like grill cheese, serve with some chocolate syrup drizzled on the top, or whip cream, or better yet both.

 

[Zhizara]

Mmmmmm what a delicious thread. I'd better get a drool rag handy for all the luscious ideas.

One thing I've noticed on the cooking shows (okay, Diners, Drive-ins & Dives) is that they use thick slices of dense bread.

I really like the idea of baking this dish. It actually reminds me of a baked strata custard. If you can do it with pineapple rings (mmmmm) then the addition of ham slices sounds good too.

Also, Allspice is a great condiment to use. I make my cinnamon toast with Allspice instead. To me, it tastes even better.

 

[Zhizara]

CharlieD, I like your idea of making your French toast savory. Savory sounds very yummy.