Monday, October 10, 2011

Perfect French Toast

I love watching & learning from America's Test Kitchen.  Recently they had an episode about french toast.  I've been making french toast for years, but thought I'd try their techniques & recipe.  My DIL also had just given me a loaf of her homemade challah bread, which ATK highly recommends for  this recipe.  If you don't want to use challah, they also recommend Arnold Country Classic White, Pepperidge Farm Farmhouse Hearty White or Thomas' English Muffin Toasting Bread.  Enjoy...I sure did!!!

                                                                                

  • 8 large slices  hearty white or good-quality challah (see note above)
  • 1 1/2 cups whole milk , warmed to 80 degrees (this way the melted butter won't curdle, when added)
  • 3 large egg yolks
  • 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted, plus 2 tablespoons for cooking
  • 1/4 teaspoon table salt
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • Maple syrup
  1.  Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Place bread on wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet. Bake bread until almost dry throughout (center should remain slightly moist), about 16 minutes, flipping slices halfway through cooking. Remove bread from rack and let cool 5 minutes. Return baking sheet with wire rack to oven and reduce temperature to 200 degrees.
  2.  Whisk milk, yolks, sugar, cinnamon, 2 tablespoons melted butter, salt, and vanilla in large bowl until well blended. Transfer mixture to 13- by 9-inch baking pan.
  3.  Soak bread in milk mixture until saturated but not falling apart, 20 seconds per side. Using firm slotted spatula, pick up bread slice and allow excess milk mixture to drip off; repeat with remaining slices. Place soaked bread on another baking sheet or platter.
  4.  Heat ½ tablespoon butter in 12-inch skillet over medium-low heat. When foaming subsides, use slotted spatula to transfer 2 slices soaked bread to skillet and cook until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip and continue to cook until second side is golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes longer. (If toast is cooking too quickly, reduce temperature slightly.) Transfer to baking sheet in oven. Wipe out skillet with paper towels. Repeat cooking with remaining bread, 2 pieces at a time, adding ½ tablespoon of butter for each batch. Serve warm, passing maple syrup separately.
I am sharing this with Tea Party Tuesday.

10 comments:

  1. I love how they test out everything and let you know their results. They really are amazing. The french toast sounds fantastic.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Your french toast recipe really sounds great.. I must try it.. I've always used cinnamon but never have added the vanilla. Thanks for dropping in.. I have to go get lost in your blog for a bit ;-)... looks like I'm in for a treat! xo marlis

    ReplyDelete
  3. Love love love french toast! It's my favorite breakfast, so I'm going to try this recipe. Thanks for sharing! Visiting from Sweetology.
    -Marie

    ReplyDelete
  4. French toast! Yum. Yours looks just wonderful, Kitty. I think I'd better wait until I wear off some of the Thanksgiving goodies before I give it a try! Thank you for your visit to my blog.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Uh oh! This looks pretty dangerous! Haha! Definitely worth a try!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi Kitty- Thanks for your nice comment about my black hutch. oh you make my mouth water here on your blog! I read that you grew up in Ohio- whereabouts? I'm in Dayton but I grew up in New Mexico.
    I tried to respond directly from your e-mail to me, but couldn't. Did you know that you are a "no reply blogger?" You can change this in your Blogger settings to make it easier for us to comment directly via e-mail. Thanks again for the visit. :-) Sue

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi Kitty, I love french toast and that looks YUMMY!

    Have a wonderful day,
    Gail

    ReplyDelete
  8. This looks sooo yummy!

    Jenny
    www.simcoestreet.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  9. Sorry for my tardy visit this week!! But as usual your recipes are ones that I just can not miss..EVER! I love me some french toast that is for sure, how can one go wrong? It is true comfort food. Add in some brown sugar and other goodies like you did and you have yourself bliss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. This blog gives a solid proof of extraordinary composition.
    Chateau Allure du Lac reviews

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...