Ever since I was a kid, French Toast has been way up there on my list of favorite breakfast foods. My mom used to take me to Burger King for french toast sticks on Sundays. It was the fancy middle-class Sunday Brunch of the 90’s. When I had French Toast made at home, it never really did it for me. That was until I created this recipe for Weekend French Toast. It is inspired by the infamous Joanna Gaines, and her recipe in The Magnolia Table Cookbook. I know it will quickly become a family favorite of yours, like it’s become mine.
This recipe calls for Challah bread. You can purchase it (get it from a good Jewish bakery) or make it yourself, like I did here, but it’s importance comes in it’s texture and flavor. It has a light, almost flaky crumb and is made with quite a few eggs, bringing a rich egginess to the dish. You could make it with a similar textured bread like Brioche, but I choose Challah because it has the density to hold up when the bread is soaked in liquid.
I also choose to use Challah that is not seeded. Many Challah breads are coated in poppy seeds or sesame seeds. I feel that the little bit of extra texture distracts from the creamy sweetness of the french toast.
What to know about this recipe:
Do not soak the bread to the point that it is falling apart. It should coat both sides, but not soak all the way through–the thick slices help with this.
Brown the French Toast in the pan. It’s okay if you think it’s still a little soggy. You’ll put it in the oven to keep warm, and it will continue to set while you finish cooking the other slices.
Perfect Pairings:
- Roasted Strawberries
- Fresh Berries
- Whipped Cream
- Syrups (Maple, Boysenberry, Strawberry)
- Bananas and Pecans
Give this recipe a try and let me know what you think in the comments. If you prefer pancakes over french toast, give my Gluten Free Ricotta Pancakes a try.
Our Favorite Weekend French Toast
Equipment
- Frying Pan
- Sheet Pan
- Cooling Rack
Ingredients
- ½ Cup Salted Butter
- 2 Tbsp Light Brown Sugar
- ½ Tsp Cinnamon
- ¼ Cup Milk
- ¼ Cup Heavy Cream
- 4 Large Eggs
- 1 T Vanilla Extract
- 12 Slices Challah Sliced ¾ inch thick
Instructions
- Place a baking sheet with a cooling rack on top of it into the oven.
- Preheat oven to 200°F
- In a large frying pan, melt the stick of butter over low heat.
- While the butter is melting, add all ingredients except for the challah and the butter into the canister of a blender.
- When the butter has melted, add it to the blender as well.
- Return the pan to the stove and turn the heat up to medium.
- Close the blender, and blender on medium speed until well combined. About 30 seconds.
- Empty the contents of the blender into a high sided shallow dish
- Coat each side of the Challah with the blended mixture, one at a time. And immediately place into the frying pan. Add as many coated slices to the pan as you can, without crowding. In my 12in skillet, that means I can put in two at a time.
- Cook each side until golden brown. About 3-5 minutes per side.
- As each slice is cooked, remove from the frying pan and add it to the cooling rack inside the oven to keep it warm.
- Continue coating the remaining slices in the mixture and cooking them until you run out of bread. Adding to the oven to keep warm.
- Remove from the oven, and serve with your favorite toppings.
