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.
Life of Dozer
Twinnies! 👀👀
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tried your recipe this morning and it’s a great success😀
Awesome Jen!
So glad I stumbled onto your site when looking for French toast. So yummy and true to predictions. First site I will visit in future when looking for recipes.
That’s so great to hear Lyn! Thanks for sharing your feedback – N x
Consider adding a dash of Cointreau to the macerated berries.
oooh YES!
simple, easy and yummy as always Nagi! 😋😊😍
Glad to hear you enjoyed this Sheila!! Thanks for letting me know 🙂 N x ❤️
Best treat for me at breakfast, Nagi! French Toast, Fruit and Coffee, YES, an ideal meal! 😍
– Natalie Ellis
This was great, cooked it up this morning! All I had were brioche buns but they still worked fine. Thanks 😀
I’m glad you enjoyed this Britz! Thank you for letting me know 🙂 N x
That is one of the most adorable pictures of a dog I have ever seen!!!
😇
Hubby usually makes breakfast but his imagination is very limited, he does try though. So this morning I gave him the morning off and made us French toast but using two grainy sour dough bread rolls cut into slices and also adding nutmeg. Thought I overdid it by using 1tsp for each spice, but, all was good. Tasted delicious. Hubby really enjoyed it and also as he was let off. I did dunk them once, cooked them a bit and then dunked them again a second time, yum! Will definitely do them again now that I know how easy and delicious it is. Will try it on my adult children. Love dozer, he is sooo cute. Thanks Nagi.
Ba ha ha! So harsh on poor hubby!!! Glad to hear he appreciated his morning off and that you both enjoyed this! N xx
What a great reminder for French Toast, Nagi. I’m infatuated with cinnamon and definitely add it, vigorously whisked, to the eggs. I also dunk a lot longer than you do because my great joy for the egg custard is to see the French Toast puff up in the pan. Top with butter and apple jelly (the clear stuff).
Someone mentioned doing a savoury version and I do that for my husband as he’s not a fan of the sweet stuff. Adding Italian herbs and smoked paprika in the eggs tops it off nicely.
Savoury French toast is AMAZING!! So what I do is dunk in egg, then I sprinkle generously with parmesan on both sides then pan fry. It’s AMAZING!! N xx
Just made this and husband was very impressed. Said it was the best breakfast he’d had in a while and really enjoyed the subtle taste of cinnamon. Used a Brioche loaf bread that was on special at Woolies and served it with bacon and maple syrup. Will definitely be making this when we have house guests.
Oooh! You’re lucky husband, you spoil him! 😂 Isn’t the Woolies brand brioche amazing?? It’s such great value! N xx
I love brioche bread, I could even eat them plain. I used to have French toast as a child, all its eggy goodness. I have not made it for awhile, I think I will. What breed is your dog? I have two myself. They are Mastiff x AmStaff. Love them to bits. My brioche bread is not a Woolies, but more like an Artisinal one. I like the Woolies one too.
I can’t imagine life without a pooch!! Dozer is a golden retriever 🙂 Give yours a hug from me! N x
French toast is my one ( of several ) of my vices 🙂 I use much less milk – if any, but this looks amazing
Dozer is such an awesome dog. Give him big hugs and kisses….
Oh believe me, he is getting PLENTY!!! 😂 PS FT is one of my vices too…. I have it way too often! N x
Hi Nagi,
Looks soooooo yummy. I always use cinnamon and vanilla when making FT, but I’ve never tried brioche. I just put ingredients for a brioche loaf in my bread machine so I can try this for brunch with the fam tomorrow.
Dozer and his twin – how adorable! Give him hugs and kisses!
Homemade brioche! You’re amazing Bev!!
Awww shucks, Nagi! My bread maker does all the work. My family really enjoyed this recipe – we may be spoiled for brioche FT. Thanks.
Hi Bev,
Would you please share your brioche recipe for the bread machine? I’ve tried 2 recipes, so far, and have not had much luck with a nice loaf. 🙂
Much appreciated,
Eva
Hi Eva,
This is the recipe that works with my bread maker:
http://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/bread-machine-brioche-130770
Hope it works for you too. Good Luck!
Thank you very much, Bev. I can’t wait to give it a go this weekend.
Oh my. French toast. That brings back so many great memories from my youth. I always thought my mom made the best French toast on the planet. It started out just like any French toast recipe but with one twist. She deep fried it in a big ol’ cast iron skillet ’til it was golden brown and crispy then she served it with homemade strawberry preserves. To give you an idea of how good that was, you could put a slice on top of your head and your tongue would slap your brains out trying to get at it.
OMG deep fried French Toast! OMG OMG!!! 🙌🏻 🙌🏻 🙌🏻 🙌🏻
My husband grew up in Iowa and they used butter and sugar on their FT. I grew up in the Pacific NW (British mother) and we used butter and jam. Puppy looks like he is getting better. I am a big fan of your blog.
My husband grew up in Iowa and he uses butter and sugar on his FT. I grew up in the Pacific NW (British mother) and we used butter and jam. Puppy looks like he is on the mend. I so LOVE you blog.
Oooh – YES to jam! I also love sugar and lemon 🙂 Is that weird? I do that with pancakes too! N xx
I haven’t had French toast in AGES! I think I better whip some up this weekend. Thanks Nagi! Hugs to both of you.
I hope you DID!!! 😇 N xx
LOVE French Toast and my husband makes the best. Very similar to yours, only he essentially deep fries his. Uses more oil (with a little butter in it to prevent splattering) so it’s almost, but not quite, like deep frying. Let it get crispy and brown and drain on paper towels. Serve with real maple syrup and get ready to moan… He may soak it a bit longer than your demo, but uses lots of cinnamon and vanilla like you. Great minds think alike!
Dozer’s buddy is a hoot!
OMG I can only begin to imagine how amazing his French is!!
The best bread for French Toast is challah. Maybe tied with brioche. FYI
I’ve put it at the top of my list of things to try!! Gotta hunt down Challah 🙂 N xx
Amen!
I agree Robin….I’d call it a tie
You’ve got me! I’m going to try it asap!!
I love French toast! Just looking at the pictures makes me hungry, so maybe I will make French toast tomorrow morning.
Sweet Dozer looks kind of bored. I guess he is tired of lying around. I hope that he will be up and running around soon.
He is sooo bored…. whenever I take him to the vet he goes mental with excitement just to be out of the house!!!
I love using nutmeg in my French toast.
Oooh yes to that! N xx