Everybody is familiar with the expression, “Waste not, want not.”
And everybody knows that when your bananas start getting too ripe, you either make banana bread or end up throwing them all away…
…but don’t stop there…
..also stop wasting your stale bread…by making French toast out of it.
French toast is great because it only requires ingredients that most of us keep stocked always…or have to go to the store or add to our Instacart account quickly…
The perfect French Toast is fluffy, soft, and cinnamon-y,
French toast is also so darn easy to make….and can be made in less than fifteen minutes….and you really fon’t need a recipe…but there are a few tips that are worth knowing.
\So let’s talk about these tips…
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The Ingredients
Two of the types of people that I envy the most are those people who can play the piano by ear…and those people who can cook without a recipe.
I am an accountant. I have to know exactly how much of each ingredient to use whenever I am cooking ANYTHING…My husband always laughs at me for this fact.
I have made French toast that has turned out soggy or egg-y way too many times to wing it like almost everybody else..
This is what I have found works best for me, for six slices of bread…but of course if you are bold enough to color outside the lines, feel free to experiment until you have found the perfect batter that you yourself like best.
- 1/4C heavy cream
- 3 eggs
- 1/4C milk
- 2Tbsp sugar
- 1tsp vanilla
- 3/4tsp ground cinnamon
- dash salt,,,(yeah, i hate it when recipes use words like that to specify amounts…if you’re gonna specify an amount, be specific…right?!)
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THE BREAD
We’ve already said that you can use whatever bread you have on hand to make French toast…
But like anything else…. the better the ingredients, the better the food will turn out.
You want a bread that will easily soak up the batter…and breads that are thicker than typical loaf bread seem to work best.
Slightly stale bread…bread that has been sitting around for a few days…seem to work better also.
Breads such as brioche, challah, Italian bread, French bread, challah or brioche tend to make the best French toast.
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The Eggs
As far as eggs go, the most important thing to remember is to make sure you beat the batter until you no longer see any traces of egg white or egg yolks….otherwise you’re actually frying an egg that just happens to be attached to a piece of bread…and you’re gonna end up with something that looks like a mini fried egg on the outside of your French toast….go figure?!!
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The Milk
Obviously milk is milk…you would at least think…
But this is not always the case.
In fact, heavy cream will make your French toast taste even better because it has a higher fat content.
And be considerate of those people who are vegan or lactose intolerant…
Other milks or milk substitutes that you can use for making French toast include almond milk, coconut milk, half and half, and oat milk
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The Seasonings and Spices
The Cinnamon…but, of course…
The Sugar…As far as making your French toast sweeter, you have several options…including maple syrup, honey, coconut sugar, powdered sugar, and simply sugar. Realize that the flavor profile will sllghtly change based on which sweetener you choose.
The Vanilla…Adding vanilla to your batter will make it taste to much better…In fact, the more, the merrier….and use “real” sugar instead of fake or imitation stugar.
The Salt…Salt adds both flavor and sweetness,
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The Toppings
Terrific toppings include…
- brown sugar
- coconut
- fresh berrie
- jam or jelly
- maple syrup
- Nutella
- powdered sugar
- whipped cream
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The Prep Work
Melt butter in a large skillet or on a griddle over medium-high heat.
Butter will add more flavor, encourage a golden brown color, and prevent the French toast from sticking to the pan.
Make sure that your pan or skillet is at the right temperature before starting to cook your French toast.
If the temperature is too low when you add the bread, your French toast will take too long to cook and can even dry out.
If the temperature is too high, your French toast will burn the outside while being soggy in the center.
If you are using a griddle, you should wait until the griddle is at 350 degrees before slapping your bread on it.
Whisk together your batter ingredients—eggs, milk, sweetener, vanilla, cinnamon—in a shallow dish that is wide enough to allow you to dip your bread into, such as a pie plate.
Make sure your eggs are completely scrambled so that you don’t end up with streaks of egg on the outside of your French toast after it has cooked.
Quickly stir your batter before dipping another slice of bread. This will ensure that all of the ingredients are mixed together completely and make sure that the bread is evenly coated on all sides.
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Cooking
Place each slide of bread onto your griddle or into your skillet as soon as you finish dipping into the batter.
Cook for three or four minutes on each side, until the bottom of the bread starts to get golden brown.
Finish cooking all of the slices of bread that you dipped into the batter.
Spray your pan or melt more butter on your griddle between cooking each batch or piece of bread.
Serve warm,…topped with butter, syrup, powdered sugar, fresh berries, and/or whatever toppings you chose earlier.
If you want to keep your French toast warm while you finish cooking all of the bread, stick it into the preheated oven…but don’t leave it in there for longer than about thirty minutes.