Showing posts with label French Toast. Show all posts
Showing posts with label French Toast. Show all posts
I loved it too, as it was a fabulously tasty way to use up stale bread. Its even better when you use stale raisin bread, and if you cook it in a waffle iron something really magical happens!
You end up with French Toast that is covered with lovely little dimples which are just perfect for capturing all of the butter and syrup that you spread and pour on top.
French Toast made with simple ordinary stale bread is delicious. Its even more delicious when you make it with an artisanal bread such as a stale brioche. Make it with thick raisin bread however and you have reached the pinnacle of French Toast tastiness!
I have always loved toasted raisin bread. I enjoy it warm and spread with butter or sometimes peanut butter. Peanut butter on toasted raisin bread is oh-so-tasty! Almost as good as dessert!
I tasted French Toast for the very first time when I was about 10 years old. My friend at school had been talking about how her mother made French Toast every Friday for lunch. What was this French Toast? As I said, my mother never made this for us.
It sounded deliciously exotic. It was French after all, and wasn't everything that came from France exotic?
One week she invited me to go to her home for a French Toast Friday lunch. It was love at first bite for me. I never was able to convince my mother to make it for us, but when I grew up and had my own family it was something we all enjoyed!
Using Raisin bread to make it really takes it over the top!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE WAFFLED RAISIN BREAD FRENCH TOAST
You will see, that not a lot is needed at all. Its a very simple and uncomplicated breakfast option.
- 2 large free-range eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/4 cup (60ml) whole milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (optional)
- 4 slices thick raisin bread
- butter (if cooking on the stove)
- maple syrup and butter to serve (Bacon or sausage on the side is great!)
I only ever use free-range eggs if I can help it. I want to eat food that has been raised and produced in the nicest way possible. I hate the idea of promoting or supporting any industry that is inhumane or that provides appalling providence.
I would rather not eat eggs at all than to eat eggs from caged hens. I know free-range cost more, but they are worth every penny. We get ours at a place just around the corner from where I live. You can actually see the hens running about in the field. If the hens are happy, I enjoy the eggs more.
This is the raisin bread we like to use. I first saw this at my sister's place. We get it at our local Super Store. It is lovely and thick and chock full of raisins. It is also nicely flavored with cinnamon so there is no need to add extra cinnamon to the French Toast recipe.
It also makes really great regular toast, slathered in butter, peanut butter or, yes, cream cheese. Oh my goodness, cream cheese on it is excellent!
HOW TO MAKE WAFFLED RAISIN BREAD FRENCH TOAST
You will need a waffle iron or machine to make the waffled version, but no worries if you don't have one of those. You can still make it anyways the regular way in a skillet on the stove. It just won't have those crisp edged syrup hugging dimples, which are rather tasty.
Beat the eggs and milk together in a large shallow bowl. (I use a pasta bowl.) (If you are using cinnamon add it now as well.)
Heat your waffle iron according to the manufacturers instructions. Spray with non-stick cooking spray if needed.
Working with one slice at a time, dip your raisin bread into the egg mixture, flipping it over after about half a minute so that both sides are soaked.
Place into your slice of bread into your waffle iron, close and cook until golden brown. Remove and keep warm in a low oven while you cook the remaining slices.
Serve warm with a pat of butter on top and some maple syrup for pouring over top.
If you are cooking it in the conventional way, melt a pat of butter in a heavy based skillet over medium-high heat. Once the butter begins to foam, add the soaked bread.
Cook or 2 to 3 minutes until golden brown on the underside. Flip over and cook the other side for an additional minute until golden brown. If your toast is browning too quickly turn the temperature of the stove down, adjusting the heat as necessary.
Keep warm in a low oven until you have cooked all four slices. Serve as above.
This really does make a lovely breakfast. Whether you enjoy it at the weekend or on a week day, it always goes down a real treat.
You can also double or triple the recipe and freeze the baked waffles on a wax paper lined baking sheet. Once frozen wrap them up tightly and keep frozen for up to six months, ready to take out and pop up for a quick rewarm in the toaster as and when you want to enjoy a nice slice of French Toast.
I enjoyed mine with a side of crisp streaky bacon and some pure Maple Syrup. Sausages are also nice on the side and don't forget the cold glass of orange juice! You are in breakfast heaven!
CHOCOLATE AND CINNAMON FRENCH TOAST - French toast made with a sour dough bread. Dusted with cinnamon sugar when done and then drizzled with a really good quality melted chocolate. This is an excellent version!
RASPBERRY BAKEWELL FRENCH TOAST - A delicious breakfast option which is a fabulous take on the ever-popular Bakewell Tart. Almond flavored French Toast made with buttery croissants, topped with sugar crusted flaked almonds and served with a raspberry syrup.
Yield: makes 4 slices
Waffled Raisin Bread French Toast
Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 10 MinTotal time: 15 Min
I love this easy French toast for breakfast or brunch! Quick and easy to make. I bake it in a waffle iron, but you can also cook it on the stove if you don't have a waffle iron.
Ingredients
- 2 large free-range eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/4 cup (60ml) whole milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (optional)
- 4 slices thick raisin bread
- butter (if cooking on the stove)
- maple syrup and butter to serve (Bacon or sausage on the side is great!)
Instructions
- Beat the eggs and milk together in a large shallow bowl. (I use a pasta bowl.) (If you are using cinnamon add it now as well.)
- Heat your waffle iron according to the manufacturers instructions. Spray with non-stick cooking spray if needed.
- Working with one slice at a time, dip your raisin bread into the egg mixture, flipping it over after about half a minute so that both sides are soaked.
- Place into your slice of bread into your waffle iron, close and cook until golden brown. Remove and keep warm in a low oven while you cook the remaining slices.
- Serve warm with a pat of butter on top and some maple syrup for pouring over top.
- If you are cooking it in the conventional way, melt a pat of butter in a heavy based skillet over medium-high heat. Once the butter begins to foam, add the soaked bread.
- Cook or 2 to 3 minutes until golden brown on the underside. Flip over and cook the other side for an additional minute until golden brown. If your toast is browning too quickly turn the temperature of the stove down, adjusting the heat as necessary.
- Keep warm in a low oven until you have cooked all four slices. Serve as above.
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French Toast is one of those breakfast dishes I like to enjoy at the weekend. although I do live on my own that doesn't mean that I can't still enjoy a special and hearty breakfast at the weekend.
This creme brulééd French toast with caramelized apples is just such a dish. I have sized it to feed two to three people, depending on appetites. I find personally that I am perfectly happy with just one slice. The other two get wrapped and frozen (individually wrapped) for me to heat up another time.
You can also very easily double all of the ingredients to feed more people as well. Its simple really.
The French toast itself is bite after bite of crunchy coated caramelized melt in your mouth deliciousness. On its own with just plain maple syrup, it would be quite satisfying.
Combine that with a Creamy Maple Apple Syrup and you have a combination made in heaven. The two go together just like peas and carrots.
Who wouldn't like an apple topping for French toast? I cannot imagine anyone not liking this delicious combo!! And it's also very quick and easy to do. I call this a win on all counts!
.JPG "French Toast with Creamy Maple Apples")
This is a very autumnal combination. I love this time of year when the shops and farm markets start to get in the fresh crop of apples. They smell so good.
My mother loved to get a fresh MacIntosh apple and then breathe in the scent. I confess, I too love to do the same. It is probably the Nova Scotian in me, but I do have a great love for fresh crisp autumn apples. They are quite simply one of my favorite things!
.JPG "French Toast with Creamy Maple Apples")
The idea of sugar coating my French toast and frying it in butter until it caramelizes is not one I can claim for myself. It is an idea inspired by a French toast recipe which I discovered here.
I have often made cinnamon roll toast in much the same way, but I had never actually thought of doing French toast that way. Its genius! You end up with light and fluffy, custard-middled French toast with a crisp caramelized sugar coating.
.JPG "French Toast with Creamy Maple Apples")
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE FRENCH TOAST WITH CREAMY MAPLE APPLES
There is nothing really complicated needed, unless you consider brioche bread to be complicated. At one time maybe, but these days it is readily available in most places. I adore a good brioche.
For the French Toast:
- 4 thick slices day old Brioche
- 2 large free-range eggs + 1 egg yolk
- 3/4 cup (180ml) half and half (single cream)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla
- 2 1/2 TBS granulated sugar, divided
- butter for cooking
.JPG "French Toast with Creamy Maple Apples")
For the Creamy Maple Apples:
- 2 honey crisp apples, peeled, cored and sliced into wedges
- small knob of butter
- 1/2 cup (120ml) pure maple syrup
- 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
.JPG "French Toast with Creamy Maple Apples")
Make sure your Brioche is at least a day old. That way it will absorb the custard mixture better. If your brioche is too fresh, just take it out of the bag and leave it exposed to the air for half an hour or so.
Don't be tempted to use anything other than real Maple Syrup for the caramelized apples. You will not get the same result. The Maple Syrup works with the cream to give you that caramel style of consistency that goes very well with the apples.
A little bit of the apple cream goes a long way when it comes to enjoying this and goes perfectly with the apples.
I used Honey Crisp apples on this day because that is what I had in the house, but you can use any good firm eating apple that you enjoy.
.JPG "French Toast with Creamy Maple Apples")
HOW TO MAKE FRENCH TOAST WITH CREAMY MAPLE APPLES
It's simple really and goes together very quickly. It only looks complicated on the plate. ☺ Its not really.
First make the French Toast. Have the oven heated to a low temperature to keep the French Toast warm while you make the apples.
Whisk together the eggs, egg yolk, cream, vanilla and 1/2 TBS sugar together in a half sheet pan.
Place the bread slices in the pan and allow them to soak in the egg mixture for 3 to 4 minutes. Flip them over and soak on the other side.
Heat a large heavy bottomed skillet over medium high heat. Add a knob of butter. Add the Brioche slices (you will probably need to do this in batches). Sprinkle the top of each slice with 1/2 TBS of sugar.
When the underside is golden brown flip over and cook the other side until caramelized and golden brown. Remove to a plate, caramelized side up. Repeat until you have cooked all of the French Toast.
Keep the French toast warm in a low oven while you do the apples.
.JPG "French Toast with Creamy Maple Apples")
Wipe the pan out with a piece of paper towel. Add another knob of butter and then the apple wedges. Cook over medium heat until they are golden brown on both sides and crispy tender.
Add the maple syrup and allow it to bubble up. Add the cream, whisking and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and whisk in the vanilla.
Serve the French Toast with some of the creamy caramel apples spooned over top.
.JPG "French Toast with Creamy Maple Apples")
And that's it basically. You are now able to enjoy something which tastes rich and delicious but is so simple to prepare that it will become a favorite way to enjoy your French Toast, even if you skip the caramel apples and just apply the method of caramelizing sugar on the surface.
I am thinking a dollop of whipped cream would also be very nice served on top of this fabulous breakfast dish. Am I wrong or am I right? You decide!
I think you will find it to be quite tasty and delicious any way you decide to serve it!
.JPG "French Toast with Creamy Maple Apples")
Some other delicious ways to enjoy your French toast are:
BUTTERMILK FRENCH TOAST -Crisp on the outside and rich on the inside with a soufflé-like buttermilk custard that is oh so delicious! Thick slices of bread are soaked in a lemon and vanilla buttermilk custard and then left to sit on a wire rack over a baking sheet so that the custard has time to settle before frying in butter. Once fried to a crisp golden brown, the toast is baked for a few minutes longer in a moderate oven.
FRENCH TOAST FINGERS - you can use any kind of crisp breakfast cereal to coat them. Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Captain Crunch, Cookie Crisp, etc. If it is crisp and can be crushed, it is perfect for this use. Using cereal like this to coat the French Toast Sticks also has the added appeal of being a tad bit naughty. Children love dipping these.
Yield: 3
French Toast with Creamy Maple Apples
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 30 Min
Melt in your mouth Brulééd French Toast served with a lush and creamy maple apple syrup. This is fabulous.
Ingredients
For the French Toast:
- 4 thick slices day old Brioche
- 2 large free-range eggs + 1 egg yolk
- 3/4 cup (180ml) half and half (single cream)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla
- 2 1/2 TBS granulated sugar, divided
- butter for cooking
For the Creamy Maple Apples:
- 2 honey crisp apples, peeled, cored and sliced into wedges
- small knob of butter
- 1/2 cup (120ml) pure maple syrup
- 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- First make the French Toast. Have the oven heated to a low temperature to keep the French Toast warm while you make the apples.
- Whisk together the eggs, egg yolk, cream, vanilla and 1/2 TBS sugar together in a half sheet pan.
- Place the bread slices in the pan and allow them to soak in the egg mixture for 3 to 4 minutes. Flip them over and soak on the other side.
- Heat a large heavy bottomed skillet over medium high heat. Add a knob of butter. Add the Brioche slices (you will probably need to do this in batches). Sprinkle the top of each slice with 1/2 TBS of sugar.
- When the underside is golden brown flip over and cook the other side until caramelized and golden brown. Remove to a plate, caramelized side up. Repeat until you have cooked all of the French Toast.
- Keep the French toast warm in a low oven while you do the apples.
- Wipe the pan out with a piece of paper towel. Add another knob of butter and then the apple wedges. Cook over medium heat until they are golden brown on both sides and crispy tender.
- Add the maple syrup and allow it to bubble up. Add the cream, whisking and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and whisk in the vanilla.
- Serve the French Toast with some of the creamy caramel apples spooned over top.
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No doubt about it when it comes to the weekend, most people like to pull out the stops a bit when it comes to breakfast and brunch. There is no better way to do this than to prepare your loved ones a delicious hearty breakfast with French Toast and some bacon, or sausage or both. A bit of Maple Syrup on the side and you can't ask for a more delicious breakfast!
French toast at its very basic is a dish composed of stale bread soaked in a sweet, rich, eggy custard and then fried in butter until crisp and golden brown on the outside. Kind of like a fried bread pudding. The insides all soft and soufflé like. The outside crisp and buttery. Altogether, the combination begging for lashings of some sweet syrup drizzled over top.
Its been called Eggy Bread, Pain Perdu (lost bread), Bombay Toast, Gypsy Toast and Poor Knights of Windsor. A rose by any other name, it doesn't really matter what you call it, its delicious! And relatively simple to make as well!
Sweet or savory, it appears in the cuisine of almost every culture and is much beloved by all. When I was growing up it was a delicious alternative served for lunch on Fridays when many families did not eat meat. My children looked forward to having it for a weekend breakfast. There are some who enjoy it for dessert.
It is a really fabulous way to use up stale bread of any kind. You can turn almost anything into French Toast. French or Italian Bread, Brioche, Croissants, buns, biscuits, etc. I have even turned donuts into French toast with success. In short if it is even close to bread and stale and can soak up an egg custard easily, and lends itself to frying in butter, you can French toast it!
Today I am sharing my Ten Favorite Ways to make French Toast. All are simple. All are delicious. All are weekend worthy, or even holiday worthy! Enjoy!
BUTTERMILK FRENCH TOAST -Crisp on the outside and rich on the inside with a soufflé-like buttermilk custard that is oh so delicious! Thick slices of bread are soaked in a lemon and vanilla buttermilk custard and then left to sit on a wire rack over a baking sheet so that the custard has time to settle before frying in butter. Once fried to a crisp golden brown, the toast is baked for a few minutes longer in a moderate oven,
FRENCH TOAST FINGERS - you can use any kind of crisp breakfast cereal to coat them. Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Captain Crunch, Cookie Crisp, etc. If it is crisp and be crushed it is perfect for this use. Using cereal like this to coat the French Toast Sticks also has the added appeal of being a tad bit naughty. Children love dipping these.
.JPG "small batch oven french toast")
SMALL BATCH OVEN FRENCH TOAST - Perfect for serving with crisp bacon or breakfast sausage, or (dare I say it?) both! Not too sweet and perfectly spiced, this delicious recipe is sized for the smaller family. Small families deserve to eat delicious things without any waste!
LEMON FRENCH TOAST WITH STRAWBERRIES & MAPLE SYRUP - Lemon is a wonderful fruit enhancer. I adore the flavour of lemons and I try to incorporate them in a lot of my cooking.French toast, nicely flavoured with lemon and topped with delicious summer berries. This is quite simply fabulous!
PEACHES & CREAM FRENCH TOAST - Nothing could be simpler or more delicious. You can also use sliced apple if you don't want to use peaches, or if you want a Peach Melba kind of finish, sprinkle it with a few fresh raspberries to serve.
HOT CROSS BUN FRENCH TOAST - Oh my goodness. Rich and fruity, with a touch of orange liqueur. This is fabulously fluffy and delicious served with sausage, bacon and of course lashings of maple syrup.
BERRIES & CREAM CROISSANT FRENCH TOAST FOR TWO - Croissants, jam, cream cheese, eggs, fruit . . . what's not to love about that! You get flaky butter bits of croissant . . . along with souflee-like bread pudding bits . . . interspersed with pockets of wild blueberry jam and nuggets of rich cream cheese . . . oh my goodness! Add a dollop or two of x-tra thick cream and some maple syrup to serve and you have died and gone to heaven.
RASPBERRY BAKEWELL FRENCH TOAST - A delicious breakfast take on the always popular Bakewell Tart. Almond flavoured French Toast made with buttery croissants, topped with sugar crusted flaked almonds and served with a raspberry syrup. Delicious!
PAIN PERDU WITH CREAM CHEESE & BLUEBERRY SYRUPS - A delicious Pain Perdu with Cream Cheese and Blueberry Syrups . . . the Pain Perdu, all crisp and golden on the outside . . . but creamy and custardy inside . . . served up hot and gilded with not one . . . but two fabulicious syrups. YES!! not just one . . . but TWO tasty syrups
LEMON RASBERRY FRENCH TOAST - Quite simply delicious with a lemon cream cheese and fresh fruit filling. This fabulous version of French Toast is perfectly sized for just two people but can easily be multiplied to serve more.
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