I love making French Toast (or "Eggy Bread" in England) whenever we have bread that needs to be used up.
When I was off-grid for awhile, without my cookbook, I had to remember how to make French Toast without a recipe. With a little bit of work, I was able to mostly replicate the old Betty Crocker recipe I grew up on. Now, I don't even bother with a cookbook for this breakfast.
I have adjusted this recipe for our family's appetites - and for having leftovers so that my husband can have a cooked breakfast at 5:30 a.m. when he works an opening shift.
(To get my cast iron pans completely ready for cooking French Toast, I cook slices of bacon for everyone first - at about half heat. By the time the bacon is done, my batter will also be done.)
Step-by-Step Process
I begin with 8 eggs in a mixing bowl that has a flatter bottom than usual. I add a good-sized dollop of buttermilk because my husband cannot tolerate uncultured dairy.
Next, I add a heaping 1/3 cup of flour. (It's probably closer to 1/2 cup.) I also add just shy of 1 T baking powder and a few drops of vanilla. (Baking soda/sodium bicarbonate works just as well in this recipe, but I prefer the taste of aluminum-free baking powder.)
Whisk it really well. An electric mixer would work even better to get the lumps out of the batter.
I soak a slice or two of bread in the egg mixture, turning it as soon as I put it in, so that the mixture coats both sides. (I'll often start the next group soaking when the previous pieces are on their second side on the pan.) If you soak it too long, the bread will fall apart in the mixture (which is why slightly stale bread is best) - too short and the bread won't have much egg on it.
(Note: although getting the lumps out is nicer than leaving them in - I rarely run into trouble from these smaller lumps.)
Then, I carefully put the egg-soaked bread on my hot and well-greased cast iron pans. (I watch the first lot quite carefully in case I need to turn down the heat slightly.) It doesn't take too long if the pans are nice and hot. Maybe two or three minutes for the first side - give or take depending on the temperature of your pan.)
Flip the French Toast when you can see the brown at the edges of the bread or when it's just barely browned underneath. (Less if you prefer the egg runny still, more if you want to make sure it's well-cooked.)
The second side won't take as long, maybe one to two minutes. Barely enough time to soak the next slices of bread.
When the second side is done, remove from the pan and repeat with the next slices of bread.
I serve it with pure maple syrup, but you can have it however you like!
The recipe again...
French Toast
serves 4
- Beat 8 eggs
- Add 1/2-1 cup buttermilk or crème fraiche
- Whisk in 1/3-1/2 cup flour
- Add 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- Stir in a few drops of vanilla
Whisk well.
Soak slices of bread in egg mixture.
Fry on hot, greased frying pan 2 to 3 minutes on the first side until browned.
Flip and fry another 1 to 2 minutes.
Repeat with remaining bread until egg mixture is gone.
Serve with maple syrup or other desired condiments.
BTW, French Toast is made in France where it's called "pain perdu" and can be either a sweet or a savory dish. They do lots of interesting things with it! Check it out on Marmiton.org (type "pain perdu" in the search "Je cherche" bar.)
Previous recipes in Lori's Cookbook
Note: All images mine - taken with my Pentax K30 in 2019.
Crossposted at Steem, Whaleshares, WeKu, Hyperspace
Lori Svensen
author/designer at A'mara Books
photographer/graphic artist for Viking Visual
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