French Toast – No Bread Left Behind!

French toast is such an easy breakfast treat…and a great way to use up “old” bread.

Recently we invited company for dinner. And half a loaf of French bread was left over after the meal. You know I hate to throw anything away, so I threw the slices in a plastic bag. Then those slices sat on my countertop for almost a week. 

If you know anything about French bread you know it gets hard as a brick very quickly. This loaf was no exception. So the next time I picked up that plastic bag those slices felt like hockey pucks. Of course I headed for the door to throw the bread away but then I stopped short. I realized I was hungry for French toast so I decided to repurpose those slices into something yummy. Let me just say it worked out deliciously!

French Bread French Toast? Oui!!

I mixed up three eggs and a splash of whole milk. And I stirred in a sprinkle of sugar, a few grains of salt, a teaspoon of olive oil and some pure vanilla extract. Then I added some cinnamon and whipped it all together before I dumped in all those bread slices. Since the  bread was super dry I let the slices sit in that egg mixture for  about 30 minutes to absorb it into the bread. (I flipped them over and squashed them down in the liquid several times to make sure each slice absorbed as much as possible.)

Next I sprayed a non stick skillet with cooking spray. Then I dumped in about a tablespoon of butter before adding those slices to the skillet.

Why do I add a sprinkle of sugar to my French toast batter since French toast is usually served with sweet maple syrup? I think this next photo answers that question.

That sprinkle of sugar caramelizes and creates a toasty brown exterior.  (Mom always told me  “We eat with our eyes first.”  And she was right!)

Time to pour on some REAL New York organic maple syrup and do my very own taste test.

(I can’t wait to share details about THAT New York syrup location later!) 

Now let me just say this was some of the BEST French toast I’ve ever eaten!

(Please remind me to buy another loaf of French bread and ignore it for a week.)

Print

French Bread French Toast

Ingredients

• 1/2 Loaf French Bread (Cut in THICK Slices) Stale and Dry is BEST!
• 3 Eggs
• 1/2 Cup Whole Milk Any kind will work.
• 1 Tblsp Sugar
• 1 tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 to 1 tsp. Cinnamon You decide how much.
• 1/4 tsp. Salt
• 1 tsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Melted Butter Stir into the egg mixture
• 1 Tblsp Butter (To coat the skillet)
• Maple Syrup
• Powdered Sugar

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients and soak bread in the mixture until it has absorbed all it can absorb.

2. Spray a non stick skillet with cooking spray.

3. Add 1 Tablespoon of butter to skillet and allow to melt.

4. Add the bread slices and cook until nicely browned on both sides and egg mixture is cooked through.

5. Top with maple syrup and a sprinkle of powdered sugar if desired.

6. ENJOY!