Classic French Toast

Classic French Toast

Sometimes, it’s the simplest things that are the hardest to do! Think about it—whipping up an egg until the peaks are stiff, making an omelette and flipping it perfectly, kneading the dough… And so, it occurred to me to dedicate some articles to the ‘simple’ things … things easy enough for the untrained husband or kids to do.

 

“I went to a restaurant that serves ‘breakfast at any time’. So I ordered French Toast during the Renaissance. – Steven Wright
The Fact: Contrary to popular belief, French toast was not invented in France. Earliest references date back to the 4th century, Rome, way before France even existed as a country.
The Inspiration: “Who doesn’t know how to make French toast?” was the response from my husband, on being asked to take over breakfast, one morning; the outcome, unfortunately, began with “Okay! What do I need?” :)Sometimes, it’s the simplest things that are the hardest to do! Think about it—whipping up an egg until the peaks are stiff, making an omelette and flipping it perfectly, kneading the dough… And so, it occurred to me to dedicate some articles to the ‘simple’ things … things easy enough for the untrained husband or your kids to do. Here’s the first of those dedications on how to make the much-famed French toast.

The Ingredients

Makes 6 – 8 slices
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup milk
  • ½ tsp pure vanilla
  • A pinch of salt
  • 1.5 – 2 tbsp sugar
  • ¼ cup softened butter
  • Stale bread or relatively dry bread (or bread dried out in the microwave—that’s how I do it)
  • Optional: Caster sugar
  • Optional: Cinnamon powder (take a few sticks of cinnamon and dry roast it on a pan or in the microwave; grind it to a fine powder)

The Method

  • Lightly whisk the egg. You don’t need stiff peaks or anything fancy, so don’t try really hard. Season it with a pinch of salt.

Whisked egg

  • Add in the sugar and continue to whisk it until the sugar melts. Notice that the colour of the mix changes to a pale yellow.

Egg and sugar mix

Egg and sugar whisked together

  • At this point, add the vanilla and continue to whisk.

Egg, sugar and vanilla whisked together

  • Pour in the milk and stir.
  • Dip the dried bread slice in the egg mixture, for about 5 – 7 seconds on each side.

Toasted sliced bread

Egg dipped in French toast batter

Egg dipped in French toast batter

  • Heat your pan to medium heat. Pop in a quarter tsp of butter in the pan.

Buttering the pan

 

  • Carefully place the soaked bread slice into the pan. Remember to take the bowl holding the egg mix and the bread slice as close to the stove as possible; if not, you’re going to have a lot of the eggy mixture on your counter/stove. Attention: Cleaning. Wastage. 🙂

French toast in progress

  • Here’s what I do with my optional ingredients. While the slice is sitting in the pan, I sprinkle a very small amount of caster sugar and cinnamon powder on the top-facing side of the slice. Remember to do this before you’ve flipped the slice. Caster sugar works to get you the beautiful brown and the slight crust or crispiness; while cinnamon powder is simply for the taste.

French toast sprinkled with cinnamon powder and caster sugar, in progress

  • Each bread slice takes about a minute or two to develop the perfect golden brown. If you’re not sure, lift the corner of the slice to check the colour. Then, flip only when you’re sure of it.

French toast in progress

Serve hot and eat away! A serving of beautifully roasted/fried bacon on the side or over the bread is a sinful, but delicious addition 🙂 Bet you can’t stop at one…

French Toast

French Toast

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