French Toast
Bread soaked in an egg and milk mixture, fried until golden brown, and served with maple syrup and berries.
- Preparation
- 10 min
- Cook/bake time
- 15 min
- Total
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 522 kcal
- Servings
- 4
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cooking & baking
- 15 min
Bread soaked in an egg and milk mixture, fried until golden brown, and served with maple syrup and berries. Stale bread is not a compromise here but a requirement, because fresh bread absorbs the liquid immediately and falls apart in the pan. A weekend breakfast that turns leftovers into something special.
Why this works
As bread goes stale, it loses water and its starches recrystallize. The crumb becomes firmer and absorbs the egg mixture in a controlled way, rather than soaking it up in seconds. Fresh bread is still soft and moist inside; it has neither the absorption capacity nor the structure and will fall apart when flipped. One to two days is the point at which the bread is dry enough without being hard.
Step-by-step instructions
- 1
Mix the egg wash
Whisk the eggs, milk, heavy cream, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and the pinch of salt in a shallow dish until the mixture is completely homogeneous. Make sure no strands of egg white remain, as these will coagulate into unsightly shreds on the surface of the toast during frying.
- 2
Soak the bread
Place the bread slices one by one into the egg mixture and let them soak for about twenty seconds per side. For very dry bread, thirty seconds is fine. The bread should be soaked through but not soggy, and you must still be able to lift it in one piece without it breaking.
- 3
Prepare the pan
Melt half of the butter in a non-stick pan over medium heat until it foams but has not yet browned. The temperature is crucial: if the heat is too high, the butter will burn and the toast will remain raw inside, and if it is too low, it will become greasy instead of crispy.
- 4
Fry
Fry the soaked slices in two batches for three minutes per side until they are deep golden brown and the surface is firm. Do not press them down with the spatula, as this will squeeze out the egg mixture. Add fresh butter to the pan for the second batch.
- 5
Serve
Briefly place the finished slices on a wire rack so the underside does not become soft in its own steam, and arrange them slightly overlapping. Scatter berries over them, pour on maple syrup, and dust everything with powdered sugar. Serve immediately while the surface is still slightly crispy.
Our best tips
- Use stale bread. One to two days old is ideal, as fresh bread falls apart in the egg mixture.
- Cut thick slices of at least two centimeters, as thin ones will become mushy inside.
- Use medium heat and patience. Too hot will brown the outside while the center is still liquid.
Tasty variations
Savory
Omit the sugar and cinnamon, and instead add salt, pepper, and grated cheese to the egg mixture.
From the oven
Place the soaked slices on a baking sheet and bake at 200 °C for 20 minutes, flipping once. Practical for many portions.
Nutrition facts
| Calories | 522 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 15 g |
| Carbohydrates | 59 g |
| – of which sugar | 31 g |
| Fat | 24 g |
| Fiber | 4 g |
Where the 522 kcal come from
per serving
Calculated from the ingredients – how we do it
We add up reference values for every ingredient and divide by the number of servings. These assumptions are baked in:
- Reference values per 100 g – for the raw ingredient, exactly as listed.
- Tinned goods count at drained weight, bone-in meat at purchase weight: you eat about 70 per cent of a chicken thigh and leave the rest.
- Water evaporates as you cook. The energy stays in the pot, the weight does not – so the figure is per serving, not per 100 g of finished dish.
- Anything listed without a quantity – “salt and pepper” – is not counted.
A guide value, not a lab measurement: no two onions weigh the same, and fat content varies from pack to pack.
Frequently asked questions
Which bread works best?
Brioche and challah yield the richest result, while white bread or sandwich bread work well. Hearty whole wheat breads are less suitable in terms of flavor.
Why is my French toast mushy inside?
Soaked for too long or fried too hot. Twenty seconds per side is enough, and the pan should only be over medium heat.
Can I prepare it in advance?
Once fried, it will keep warm in the oven at 90 °C for about 20 minutes. The egg mixture can be mixed the night before and kept chilled.
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