How To Make French Toast

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what the french toast?!

This delicious dish of bread dipped in egg and fried is a popular feature for breakfast or brunch. Learn how to prepare this international treat and get lots of yummy recipe variations! I'll even show you how to make french toast step-by-step... so, are you ready for breakfast?

The History of French Toast 

My Childhood French Toast 

reminiscences and a rough recipe

French toast wasn't something that was made with a recipe when I was growing up. So what you're about to read here is a recipe, but it's not a formal one with anything measured.

French toast turned up for breakfast on weekends or holidays. My mom would take a pie plate, crack an egg or two into it (depending on how many people she was feeding), pour an unmeasured "splash" of milk into the egg and then whisk it a bit with a fork. Some people add spices at this point (cinnamon or nutmeg) but not at our house.

She often used "fancy" bakery-bought bread or challah if it was a holiday, but for weekends with just the family, the same sliced white bread we used for sandwiches would be used. She'd lay one or two pieces in the pie plate for a bit and let the outside of the bread soak up the egg/milk mix, then flip it over so that the second side got soaked too. Then she'd melt some butter in an electric frying pan, lay the egged bread in the pan and brown both sides.

These slices were served up most often with warmed maple syrup on the side, but once I had french toast at a friend's house with powedered sugar sprinkled on top, that became my preference. So Mom would bring out the powdered sugar for mine. Sometimes she put sliced fruit on top (bananas or strawberries) and sometimes we had bacon on the side.

As an adult, I don't often cook french toast at home, but it's definitely a favorite option if I go out somewhere for breakfast with friends.

If you'd like to make quick French Toast, here's what to do. This is a 1-2 person serving depending on how hungry you are or what else you're making for breakfast so multiply/repeat for a larger group.

- Get a pie plate
- Crack 2 eggs into the plate
- Whisk up with a dash of cinnamon, a dash of nutmeg and a splash of milk or cream
- Soak two pieces of bread in the egg, turning over after a minute to make sure you get both sides well coated (that's the picture shown here)
- Heat a large frying pan and melt some butter in it
- Cook the soaked bread so that both sides are well-browned
- Serve up on a plate with maple syrup or powdered sugar on the side

"She was so wild that when she made French toast she got her tongue caught in the toaster"

Need a Cookbook? 

French Toast: Sweet & Savory Treats For Every Meal

Amazon Price: $13.22 (as of 07/13/2009)Buy Now
List Price: $16.95
Used Price: $3.73

If you think French toast is just for breakfast, this book will give you 70 recipes that will make you think otherwise! Incredible variations, perfect for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, appetizers, desserts and more!

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Sweet French Toast Recipes 

Here are some recipes for the classic sweet French Toast plus some delicious variations.
GoodEgg.com French Toast
French Toast A delicious breakfast tradition developed in 16th century France!
Pain Perdu
"Pain Perdu is a special New Orleans Style French Toast. The most tender version is made with wide loaves of French or Italian bread. It's great flavor comes from the orange brandy in the batter."
Creme Brulee French Toast
"Very rich French toast - can be made ahead of time."
Caramelized Spiced French Toast
An exotic spice blend turns a breakfast favourite into a delicious new experience!
Maple Cream Cheese Pecan Crusted French Toast Recipe
Garnish with powdered sugar and fresh berries. Serve with maple syrup.
Monte Cristo Sandwich - the Real One
This is the real Monte Cristo sandwich. It has a nice thick batter and is absolutely delicious. Enjoy hot sandwich with currant jelly or make a currant sauce with currant jelly, water and heavy cream.

The Beauty of French Toast 

a mouth-watering photo gallery

Stuffed Banana Berry French Toast by teenytinyturkey

Vegan Stuffed Banana Berry French Toast

mascarpone stuffed panetone french toast by mwhammer

mascarpone stuffed panetone french toast

fancy breakfast at work by Scuzzi

fancy breakfast at work

Grand Marnier French Toast Simmering by ☻kent☺

Grand Marnier French Toast

Caramel Pecan French Toast at Cafe Nola by leadenhall

Caramel Pecan French Toast at Cafe Nola

lazy sunday french toast by chocolate monster mel

lazy sunday french toast

Savory French Toast Recipes 

These savory variations are more often found as lunch or dinner dishes. Never had French Toast for dinner? Give it a try!
Savory Herb, Bacon and Tomato French Toast Recipe
A hearty dish that can be made 2 days ahead.
Almond-Crusted French Toast
A quick dish that uses up a lot of odds and ends found in the fridge.
Savory Stuffed French Toast Recipe
The Jockey Club french toast was made with english muffins instead of bread and we were playing around with bits of this and that; this is the result. Good way to jump start any day.
Savory Chive French Toast
I like to make this savory version of French toast using freshly snipped chives. Serve the warm toast with a drizzle of crème fraîche and a thin slice of salmon lox. A basted egg with a bit of lemony hollandaise sauce is also a good topper.

"I went to a cafe that advertised breakfast anytime, so I ordered French Toast during the Rennaisance"

Cooking Videos 

Get some visual aid for making French Toast and some of its variations.

Worlds Best French Toast Recipe

Runtime: 1:41
124863 views
10 Comments:


Bethenny Frankel Healthy French Toast Recipe

Runtime: 2:33
157126 views
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Organic French Toast

Runtime: 9:57
392 views
4 Comments:


Baked Egg Nog French Toast

Runtime: 1:37
5280 views
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Savory French Toast

Runtime: 9:48
12906 views
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Cooking With Kids: Monte Cristo Sandwiches

Runtime: 2:03
3174 views
4 Comments:

French Toast for Special Diets 

Just because you have a dietary restriction doesn't mean you can't enjoy French Toast. Here are some great recipes for those wishing for fewer calories/carbs or with food sensitivities.
Fantastic French Toast
A diabetic-friendly french toast variation
French Toast Recipe | Recipezaar
This variation is Gluten-Free, Lactose & Casein Free
Low-Carb French Toast Recipe -- Mr Breakfast
A sandwich maker machine works really well for this recipe too.
Quick French Toast
This traditional favorite has been trimmed down to a new low-cal version.
Cinnamon Swirl Yogurt French Toast recipe
Healthy recipes for Lighter, Healthier Breakfast foods, Cinnamon Swirl Yogurt French Toast recipe on MedicineNet.com

French Toast Chefs Sound Off! 

The two jokes on this lens about French Toast come from comedians Rodney Dangerfield (toaster) and Stephen Wright (Renaissance).

What do you have to say about it?

kiwisoutback wrote...

I love a good french toast. I'm lensrolling this to my own french toast lens.

ReplyPosted March 11, 2009

WhiteBison wrote...

French toast is the best! Tasty work, and thanks for providing the "diet" alternatives!

ReplyPosted September 02, 2008

Wbisbill wrote...

I love French Toast. 5 stars from a fan. I featured your lens on mine about frend toast!

http://www.squidoo.com/french-toast-basic-recipe

ReplyPosted August 08, 2008

johndilbeck wrote...

I love French toast. It's been awhile since I made any. Thanks for the reminder.

ReplyPosted July 29, 2008

ElizabethJeanAllen wrote...

There's nothing better than "real" French toast.
5* and favored
Lizzy

ReplyPosted July 21, 2008