Easy french toast

Start your day on a delicious note with this amazing easy french toast, it is lovely for breakfast and perfect for brunch. French toast is so simple and easy to make and can be served with a variety of toppings, depending on whether you made it sweet or savoury.

My favourite sweet french toast has a little sugar and vanilla added to the egg, it tastes like toasted vanilla ice-cream or french-vanilla ice-cream.

My children love French Toast without reservations but I am very finicky about it. I can’t stand the soggy, eggy and oil logged type, so most times I pass up any offer of french toast but when it is crispy on the outside, soft and delicately custardy inside, I will consume it like there is no tomorrow. It also needs to golden brown.

Easy French Toast Tips

To make french toast that doesn’t taste heavily of egg, let the soaked bread sit for about 1 minute on a plate or cooling rack so that the egg will sink in well before gently browning it in butter. If you want the eggy taste, toast bread immediately after soaking. Also, your egg to milk ratio needs to be correct, use more egg or less milk.

Although butter gives french toast a better flavour, butter burns easily so if using butter, you will need to cook it on low heat or use vegetable oil or a combination of both.

Day old bread works best for french toast than freshly baked bread. Freshly baked bread won’t soak up enough egg mixture before it starts to go limp and fall apart, it is simply not sturdy enough. If freshly baked bread is all you have, use it but just don’t leave it too long in the custard (egg mixture). The bread needs to be thickly sliced at least 1/2 to 1-inch thick.

Full cream milk gives a richer taste than skimmed milk, but most types of milk will work out fine even, coconut milk, almond milk etc., the french toast will just taste different.

Sweet Toppings for Easy French Toast

Applesauce, jam, whipped cream, white or brown sugar, cinnamon, lemon/lime, honey, powdered sugar, maple syrup, golden syrup, other syrups, fresh or dried fruits, nuts, chocolate spread, yoghurt and ice cream.

Savoury Toppings for Easy French Toast

Sauteed/browned onions, bacon, ketchup, chicken, ham and cheese.

To make Easy french toast

4 eggs
1 cup milk*
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 thick slices of bread (1/2-1 inch thick)
butter and vegetable oil for frying

You can add any of these to the basic mixture or a combination of

For sweet french toast
2 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoon powdered sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla essence
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (mix with sugar before adding to egg)
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (mix with sugar before adding to egg)

For savoury toast
omit sugar

*If using powdered milk, mix 1/3 cup of milk powder with 1 cup of water.
*If using evaporated milk, mix 1/2 cup evaporated milk with 1/2 cup of water.

Crack eggs into a bowl, add salt and sugar, beat till well combined.

Add milk and stir well.

Pour mixture into a baking sheet or a wide tray and set aside.

Set another tray or cooling rack next to it.

Cut thick slices of bread and place them in the egg mixture which is basically a custard, leave for 30 seconds, gently flip over to the other side to soak.

Lift bread out of the egg mixture, letting excess egg drip off, place on the empty tray or cooling rack to stand for 1 minute.

Meanwhile, place a large frying pan over medium-low heat.

Place 1 tablespoon butter or vegetable oil in the frying pan, spread the oil, when hot, place your slices of bread in the frying pan and gently cook to brown on both sides about 3-4 minutes per side.