Pain perdu – irresistable French Toast…
…should be golden, buttery and crispy on the outside and soft and pillowy in the centre, n’est-ce pas?
All you need is yesterday’s bread.
1 loaf of stale bread or brioche
750ml half cream half milk
5 egg yolks
100g caster sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
90g butter
Place a large baking tray in the oven and preheat to 140’C and place a large baking tray in the oven.
In a large bowl, whisk the milk/cream with the egg yolks, sugar, vanilla and salt. Make sure the sugar is fully incorporated. (You can use an electric whisk).
With a serrated bread knife slice the bread or brioche into thick slices of about 2.5cm.
Now heat 1 (or 2 if you’re a glutton) tablespoon of butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Soak 3 slices in the egg mixture for about 2 minutes, turning them over to soak right through. The bread should be fully saturated, without breaking up.
With a spatula, transfer the soaked bread to the hot pan and fry the slices for 2-3 minutes each side, until golden brown. If they cook faster, lower the heat to medium-low – they have to be cooked on the inside too.
Move the French Toast to the hot baking sheet in the oven to keep warm while you fry the rest (it stops them from getting soggy) – wiping the pan with kitchen paper and adding more butter for each batch.
Serve warm, sprinkled with icing sugar or drizzled with maple syrup and topped with fresh berries or chopped hazelnuts…
Now how can you possibly resist that?