So good. So classic. So easy!
Challah is a tender, golden egg bread, the perfect base for an egg-soaked panfried breakfast dish. You may use any bread you like with this recipe, especially the more buttery and sweet brioche. Just be sure to follow the technique of thoroughly soaking the bread in the egg mixture and then stabbing it with a fork before toasting it in the pan so that every bite is moist. The subtle hints of vanilla and cinnamon make this a truly scrumptious dish.
Equipment: cutting board; bread knife; large mixing bowl; wet measuring cups; measuring spoons; whisk; fork; rimmed sheet pan or casserole; sauté pan; spatula Ingredients:
1 loaf braided challah, cut in ½-inch slices
6 eggs 1/3 cup half and half
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
zest of an orange (optional)
4 tablespoons butter
1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs, half and half, vanilla, cinnamon, and orange zest.
2. Soak the bread slices, one by one, in the egg mixture, stabbing them several times with a fork to help the bread moisten. Turn each slice in the egg mixture to coat well and transfer to a sheet pan or casserole.
3. Once all the bread has been coated in the egg mixture, place a tablespoon of butter in a large sauté pan and heat over medium heat. Once the butter begins to foam, add a few slices of bread to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the bottom of the bread is golden brown. Turn and continue cooking for another 2 minutes. Repeat this process until all the slices are cooked.
4. Serve immediately with maple syrup, sliced bananas and toasted pecans.
Makes 4-6 servings.
Did you know that "pain perdu" is what the French call French toast? It means "lost bread," lost in the egg mixture.
“Follow these ILOC tips and you will be successful every time. Remember: it's all about technique, not torture! ”
Keep it toasty. It is nearly impossible to keep the first slice of French toast as warm as the last while you’re cooking. Before you begin preparing the recipe, preheat the oven to 250°F. As the French toast comes out of the sauté pan, place it on a sheet pan, either flat or slightly overlapping, and hold it in the warm oven until the last piece is done. Then serve everyone at once.
Turn the slices just once. If you turn French toast over and over, it can toughen.
Individually Quick Freeze (IQF). Make a big batch of French toast, and once completely cool place the slices on a flexible cutting board or sheet pan, and place them in the freezer. Once they are frozen after a couple of hours, you can place them in an airtight bag or container and grab one any time for easy reheating. If you were to place them in a bag or container without IQF first, they would stick to one another into one massive clump of French toast and you could not remove one at a time as needed.
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