I’d forgotten just how simple—and delicious—French toast can be. Years ago I served 'Pound cake French toast' at Sunday brunch at my restaurant and it quickly became a guest favorite. These days, I prefer thick slices of white bread cut from an unsliced Pullman loaf; the tight crumb absorbs the custard beautifully while holding its shape, delivering a rich, tender interior with a perfectly crisp exterior.
I was inspired to develop this recipe based upon a breakfast I enjoyed at a new breakfast spot I was consulting with.
The restaurant is very busy, fun and the portions are enormous!
Junnie ordered French Toast ... the portion was practically the size of a birthday cake, delicious and decadent
Homemade French Toast
French toast has a long, practical history rooted in frugality rather than indulgence. I love the idea of 'total utilization'... bread crumbs, croutons, French toast...
The earliest known versions appear in ancient Rome, where bread was soaked in a mixture of milk and egg, then fried—an approach documented in Apicius, a collection of Roman recipes attributed to Marcus Gavius Apicius. The intent was simple: revive stale bread and avoid waste, a theme that would persist across cultures and centuries.
Throughout medieval Europe, this preparation appeared under many names, reflecting both language and local ingredients. In France it became known as pain perdu—“lost bread”.
When French toast arrived in America, it shifted from a necessity to a comfort food, enriched with sugar, spices, and syrup.
I developed this recipe with a healthier, artisan bread and sliced breads such as Brioche, Challah, Baguette and Texas Toast. All are simple and outstanding so it really depends on what your favorite style of bread is for French Toast!
It's nice to have variety.
Preparing Breakfast French Toast
Prep Time: 15 min
Cooking Time: 15 min
Yield: 4 portions
Ingredients
1 ea Egg whisked
1/2 tsp Granulated Sugar
1/2 C Milk
1/4 tsp Vanilla
1 tsp Butter, lightly salted, melted
1 C Chocolate chips, blueberries, walnuts, bananas, etc...
Step 1
Crack the egg into a bowl, add the sugar, milk & vanilla; whisk gently to incorporate.
Step 2
Heat the pan to medium heat, add butter to melt.
Dredge one slice of bread in the egg batter, invert so the batter is on both sides.
Place into the hot pan and cook the French toast until it is golden brown on the bottom, about 3 minutes.
Step 3
Place the French toast onto a plate and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
with white, sliced bread
with Artisan bread
Best serve fresh and hot with maple syrup, butter, fresh fruit etc...
