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Thick slices of bread, dipped in a vanilla cinnamon custard then fried in butter. This French Toast Recipe is soft on the inside while brown and slightly crispy on the outside. Plus it’s not as hard as you think! Extra tasty if served with oven-roasted bacon and my cinnamon roll syrup.
But First, what is French Toast?
French Toast is a super easy and versatile sweet (and sometimes savory) breakfast food. It is made by soaking bread in an egg-milk mixture and then frying it in a hot pan.
French Toast is the perfect Sunday morning breakfast or weekend brunch staple. Whether it’s served sweet or savory, it is oh so delicious no matter the time of year. There are a ton of recipes out there for french toast but today I am giving you the basic recipe that you can customize how you like. Simple, easy, and delicious, just in time for breakfast.
Best Bread for French Toast
While you could use sandwich bread for this recipe, you’ll end up with thin sad-looking soggy French Toast. The best bread to use for French Toast is day-old Thick-Sliced Texas Toast. This stuff is twice as thick as regular bread and holds the batter really well. What you’re left with is a soft interior with a crispy outside. Just what you want!
Other great options are challah bread, brioche, and Italian or French loaf bread. For thicker and hardier bread, the soaking time in the batter will increase.
Flavoring the Batter
A basic French Toast batter consists of milk, eggs, cinnamon, and vanilla. Using this traditional combination will give you great results. However, you could also flavor the batter with different ingredients to give your French Toast a little more flavor. Here are some suggestions:
- Orange or Lemon Zest
- Pumpkin Spice
- Coconut Shreds or extract
- Crushed Cinnamon Toast Crunch
How to Make French Toast
Only four simple steps to french toast heaven! From start to finish this should take 30 minutes or less 🙂 Be sure to scroll down to the printable recipe card for the more detailed ingredients list and directions.
Make Batter
Whisk eggs, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon together in a large, shallow dish.
Soak Bread
Melt 1 tablespoon of butter onto the pan. Soak two slices of bread in egg and milk mixture, for 3 seconds per side, and transfer directly to the hot pan.
Fry and Repeat
Fry each side for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until evenly golden in color. Remove from pan to a baking sheet. Keep cooked french toast pieces warm in a 200-degree oven.
Continue this method until all slices of bread have been fried.
Serve
Serve warm with maple syrup, powdered sugar, strawberries, whipped cream, or anything your little heart desires.
Favorite Toppings
Keep the toppings simple or experiment to make the perfect french toast for your family! For all of my syrups and spreads, <– see here!
Here are some of my favorites:
- Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, etc.
- Powdered Sugar
- Butter and Syrup
- Cooked Cinnamon Apple
- Homemade Whipped Cream
- Chocolate Chips
- Chocolate Spread
- Bananas
- Lemon Curd
- Honey Butter
Storing Directions
French Toast can last up to four days stored in the fridge in an airtight container. If you aren’t going to eat those leftovers within those four days I recommend freezing them!
Or it can be stored in the freezer for about three months for an easy make-ahead breakfast. Perfect for those busy mornings!
Simply reheat in the microwave 30 seconds or until hot.
More French Toast Recipes to Try!
Now that you’ve got basic french toast mastered, try these other variations of french toast!
- Cinnamon Roll French Toast
- Classic French Toast Casserole
- Brioche French Toast
- Cinnamon Toast Crunch Encrusted French Toast
- Lemon French Toast
- Cream Cheese Stuffed French Toast
- Macro Friendly French Toast Casserole
Save, pin, print, or bookmark this recipe! It’s such a good classic to have on hand.
The printable recipe card is down below, enjoy 🙂
Classic French Toast Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 loaf thick sliced bread a few days old, ideally
- 3/4 cup cold milk
- 4 whole eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 6 tablespoons butter
- powdered sugar optional
- maple syrup optional
Instructions
- Preheat large, nonstick skillet over medium low to medium heat.
- In a large, shallow dish, whisk milk, eggs, cinnamon and vanilla together until well combined.
- Melt 1 tablespoon butter onto pan. Soak two slices of bread in egg and milk mixture, 3 seconds per side, and transfer directly to hot pan. Fry each side 30 seconds to 1 minute or until evenly golden in color. Remove from pan to a baking sheet. Keep cooked french toast pieces warm in a 200 degree oven.
- Continue this method until all slices of bread have been fried.
- Serve warm french toast with powdered sugar, strawberries, whipped cream, maple syrup or any other desired toppings.
Notes
- Bread: Use anything from Texas Toast, Challah, Brioche, French Bread, or even a sliced Baguette. Be sure that the bread is a couple of days old and note that soaking times will vary based on the thickness and hardiness of the bread.
- Batter: Flavor your batter with things like orange zest, pumpkin spice, or shredded coconut.
Real French Toast Recipe
4-6 organic large eggs
1/2 cup Organic grassfed milk or more if serving more than six people
1/2 cup or Organic fresh squeeze orange juice same amount as the milk
2 Tsp of High-quality Vanilla extract or vanilla beans
Vietnamese Cinnamon fresh graded
A good Bread a few days old
and should only be served with
100% Organic Pure Maple Syrup and no log cabin it will ruin the taste of your French Toast and no need for Powdered Icing sugar, when you can get the health benefits of pure maple syrup.
Cook at low eat slowly 325 – 350 F without burning your unsalted french butter a great alternative is an American Butter that is not organic yet taste very much alike French butter is the unsalted blue box Challenge Butter is made from the milk of grass-fed cows, is 81.2 percent fat not organic and no hormones is cheaper and closest to the European fat content and the President butter unsalted at 82.57 fat are best and more readily found French butter. But for croissant making the only one that will suffice is Echiré Charentes-Poitou Butter at 84 percent fat.
People do not know how real French toast are made the major difference and does such a difference one you make them this way you will never do without it whatever amount of milk you must add equal amount of fresh squeeze orange juice and not an already OJ will not do it must be fresh squeeze and before turning your real french toast sprinkle with cinnamon freshly grounded is better than the old dry up cinnamon that only god knows how long its been sitting around grounded and by the time you get it is as if you added dust to part of it and so less flavorful and the vanilla need also to be high quality like the Madagascar you find at gourmet store although almost anywhere today and no imitation or anything diluted in high alcohol percentage extract. I could bet no one who will make this recipe will ever again make the other way again without the 50/50 fresh squeeze organic orange juice and milk (organic grass fed) it tastes so significantly better as if you added grand marinier liquor. I do not know why no one knows that real french toast are made and cook in real french unsalted butter served with organic maple syrup the only sugar that never increase blood sugar and that a diabetic can used because it stimulates insulin production and never increase the level of glucose and should be consume diabetic the bread is the problem. The bread use is just as important that you have a good quality Brioche or a 4 ingredients boule of peasant bread. This is the way in France and French Canada the culinary gourmet knows how to make the real french toast since I was a kid always include the secret ingredient of fresh orange juice that somehow got omitted with some of its pulp for which without it to me only taste like a soggy eggy milk mixture especially when using soft plastic bread with ingredients you cannot even pronounced far less pronounce and wait until you try it and mark my words, comments are welcome I hope you will thank me and never again do without out the fresh squeeze orange juice it makes the whole difference enjoy. Outside of good sex in this world what else there is great food I just dont know where to eat when outside my home what are the choices? I cannot stand eating any fast food made without love or consciousness. Only 2 stars plus Michelin star food are worth eating I do not know anywhere to eat lunch outside of coughing up 150 dollars price lunch, whole food is not whole food it really sucks nowhere to eat a real good, tasty lunch that does not breake the bank I just dont know where to eat? I cannot eat any food that is made without love and care I just cannot stomach it. We are what you eat!
1] TRY ADDING A SHOT OF BRANDY TO YOUR EGG/MILK MIX
2] 1/2 AND 1/2 INSTEAD OF MILK OR HOW ABOUT
3] EGG NOG INSTEAD OF THE EGG MIX ?
A simple breakfast. So good. Thank you.
Excellent !!!!
Love French toast. I have been making it with raisin bread. So good.