Wake up to an irresistible weekend breakfast that’s super quick! This is how to make French Toast – whisk 2 eggs, 1/2 cup milk, cinnamon and vanilla. Dip bread, pan fry in butter for 2 minutes each side until golden, then douse with maple syrup!
French toast will always be a staple for leisurely weekend breakfasts along with my favourite fluffy Pancakes and Pancakes bursting with Blueberries. So skip the bistro queue and make brunch at home this weekend!
French toast
You know when you feel like making something grand-ish for a weekend breakfast and but you’re too bleary to tackle Eggs Benedict?
French toast is your answer. Always.
Why? Because it’s effortless, and there’s a plethora of topping options!
How to make French toast
Whisk 2 eggs with 1/2 cup of milk, 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1 tsp vanilla. Dunk bread of choice (stale is best), then pan fry in butter until blushing gold on the surface and crispy golden on the edges, then douse liberally with maple syrup.
See? Effortless!
What does French Toast taste like?
It’s sort of like Bread and Butter pudding. Custardy on the inside with buttery crispy golden edges, it’s even great to eat plain but, like pancakes, ideal for smothering in maple syrup!
The best bread for French Toast
Buttery brioche is my bread of choice – pictured in the photos. It’s a total shameless indulgence, a copycat of trendy local bistros that charge a small fortune.
So in my opinion, the best bread is:
Brioche – my first choice, hands down the most indulgent;
Challah is also excellent – similar texture to Brioche but not as buttery;
Good ole’ white sandwich bread;
Other plain white breads – even rolls and baguette cut into slices (see my Mini French Toast recipe);
Crusty artisan breads (sourdough etc). I personally don’t favour the sourdough flavour in my French toast, but I know some people love it!
French toast topping options
From everybody’s favourite maple syrup, to fresh fruit, caramelised fruit, compotes or fruit syrups, ice cream (for breakfast!), chocolate and caramel sauces, nuts, BACON (yes, yes, YES!!!)…..
So many amazing possibilities, but I’ll tell you a secret:
My favourite is plain French Toast with just maple syrup and a little pat of butter.
The only reason I added strawberries is to make the photos look a teeny bit prettier. Because, as readers know, I’m very conscious that my blog is so dominated by so much yellow and brown foods, and this French Toast recipe falls firmly into that bucket.
So just to make myself feel a bit better, I added strawberries. Just for a bit of colour. 😂 – Nagi x
Cute spins on French Toast
Monte Cristo (Ham Cheese French Toast Sandwich)
French toast recipe
Watch how to make it
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French Toast
Ingredients
- 6 slices brioche or white sandwich bread , slightly stale (Note 1)
- 30 – 40g / 2 – 3 tbsp butter
Egg Mixture:
- 2 large eggs (~60g / 2 oz each)
- ½ cup / 125 ml milk
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Macerated Strawberries, optional:
- 250g / 8 oz strawberries, halved
- 1 tbsp white sugar
Serving:
- Maple syrup, butter
Instructions
- Whisk together Egg Mixture in a bowl. Vigorous whisk = avoid cinnamon floating on top.
- Melt 15g / 1 tbsp butter in a non stick skillet over medium heat.
- Dunk a piece of bread quickly into the egg mixture, coating both sides. Place in pan. Repeat with more slices to fill the pan, but don’t crowd it (do 2 or 3 at a time).
- Cook for 2 ½ – 3 minutes on each side until the surface is golden, then transfer to serving plates.
- Add more butter into the pan and cook remaining bread.
- Serve with butter and plenty of maple syrup, and Macerated Strawberries if using!
Macerated Strawberries (optional):
- Toss strawberries with sugar, set aside for 20 minutes+. The strawberries will soften and sweat, and create a bit of syrup.
Recipe Notes:
– Cinnamon and vanilla is recommended, but still absolutely delish without.
– I personally don’t recommend using cream in place of milk. I know it might seem like it will make it richer, but I feel like it leaves a greasy feel in the mouth.
– The right egg to milk ratio is quite important – I think 2 eggs to ½ cup of milk is perfect.
– I don’t use sugar in the egg mixture because a) there’s plenty of sweet poured on top later; and b) it makes the bread prone to burning. 3. Nutrition is for plain white sandwich bread, excludes topping.
Nutrition Information:
Originally published June 2018. Updated for housekeeping matters, no change to recipe.
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Thanks for this great recipe, I tried another topping, yogurt, the end result I got was quite interesting.
Hello,
I’m Jackson, I’m a chef who loves food, I’m always interested in new foods. French Toast is great! I just finished them tonight, taste is great and i had a great dinner with my little family. Thanks for your sharing.
Sincerely grateful!
Are strawberries you imported from VIETNAM? please show me how to do it. My family will be very happy to use it. my daughter can make it
Hi…those are Queensland strawberries from right here in Australia! N x
This cake looks very delicious, is the strawberry you imported from VIETNAM? but i haven’t tried it, wish i could try it in my country, and make it myself with your recipe. Thanks
To get the cinnamon to easily and completely mix with the egg – Before adding the eggs to the bowl add the vanilla. Then to the vanilla add the cinnamon and mix, it in it will make a paste. Beat eggs in a separate bowl then add to cinnamon mixture. They will combine easily no floating cinnamon.
Good tip! Thanks, Angela! N x
I love French toast and I am grateful to have found your recipe. I especially appreciate the general notes at the end. Thank you so much!
Thank you Sheila! So glad you enjoyed it! N x
I’ve never cared for French toast because I can’t stand that they get soggy in the middle. I knew to find a Nagi French Toast recipe! Putting the bread in the oven first is such a good idea. My French Toast came out so good! And I love the sugared strawberries as a topping. Thank you for another perfect recipe!
Great French toast. I added nutmeg because why not? I love nutmeg. A little trick I just learned and tried is to mix the cinnamon with the vanilla extract before adding the eggs and milk. It really seemed to help a lot with reducing, even eliminating the clusters of floating cinnamon. It incorporated quite well.
Hands down 👍🏼 a winner with my hubby!!! Awesome recipe, loved it more than any restaurant he has ordered from.
Amazing recipe. Thanks! We served it like the famous Katz Deli in New York does – with grilled crispy slices of sausage and maple syrup. They use kransky, we use spicy chorizo. Heaven!
Looks amazing! Wondering if French toast can be frozen then reheated in the toaster for a quick breaky?
Yes..we do it all the time!
Whole family loved the French toast! Was part of our family brunch. YUM!
YUM! What a treat! N x
Th.is recipe is great. I also added a little nutmeg with the cinnamon. Really delicious
Made this today and omg!!! I never thought I was a very good cook but with this Recipe I feel like a top chef 😂🤣😂 thank you
My 8 year old and I made this for breakfast and we both loved it. I’ve tried to make French toast in the past and it failed miserably, but the instructions on this one really helped. We’ll definitely be making this regularly. Thanks Nagi!
That’s wonderful to read Anna, thanks so much for letting me know! N x
With a few pantry and fridge staples at the end of an extremely busy week, I made the kids French toast (which I hadn’t made them for years- they really weren’t massive fans back then) Clearly it’s because it wasn’t a RecipeTin…. they demolished the lot and my middle son who is a bit of a junior foodie declared them the best breakfast he has ever eaten in his life. Ever. Thank you again Nagi, you are the best!
May I suggest adding Pannetone to your bread list?It`s eggy like brioche and challah ,and is available in many flavors.
Yes that would work great!! N x
I used cinnamon raisin bread, added vanilla, and some additional cinnamon, delicious!
YUM! That would have been fabulous Jeanne! N x
Much as I’m a good cook for whatever reason I’ve always struggled making a perfect French toast. Thanks to you that’s no longer an issue! Made this for a lazy Sunday morning breakfast out on the back porch. Perfection said my husband.
Another great recipe. It’s Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada so I made French toast this morning, Yum! Plus they’re so easy to make! I used to make them with cream but it’s absolutely not necessary!