The Best French Toast Recipe Ever
A breakfast staple, the very Best French Toast recipe starts with the very best ingredients. Hearty bread, fresh eggs, cream, vanilla, cinnamon and a little secret I like to keep up my sleeve to make mine better than everyone else’s. This is the back pocket recipe you need to win over even the pickiest overnight guests.
French Toast
A funny thing happens at the grocery store when a snow storm is imminent. Everyone seems to go to the store and buy the essentials, the essentials being bread, milk and eggs. Essentially ingredients for French Toast. But if you’re me it’s bread, milk, eggs, heavy cream, five pounds of butter, bacon, lots of bacon, fresh fruit, fresh squeezed orange juice and Pirate’s Booty. The essentials.
Though it seems simple enough, I want to share what I make every weekend without fail and it’s the BEST French Toast recipe ever. It’s lightly crisp on the outside and custardy perfection inside. It’s breakfast bliss on a plate.
Simple Ingredients For The Best French Toast
I can’t stress enough the importance of high quality ingredients to achieving the best recipe ever.
- Bread – Sturdy, day-old bread will work best here. I like to grab a a loaf of brioche bread or challah french toast is amazing, too. Stale bread is your friend here, it will soak up the egg mixture like a sponge. When you slice your bread make sure you have 1/2 inch thick slices or thicker. Texas toast works well here.
- Eggs – Large eggs are best because I love the yolk to egg white ratio for this recipe.
- Dairy – To keep the calories kinda in check I like to use half and half but you can use heavy cream if you’re looking for something a little more decadent.
- Maple Syrup – Real maple syrup is the way to go here, don’t skimp…..just don’t do it.
- Spices – I like to use cinnamon, vanilla and salt but you can use whatever you like. Nutmeg is great in this recipe, too!
For the full ingredient list, measurements and instructions, see the recipe card below.
How To Make French Toast
I have seen overnight French Toast recipes where there’s an overnight soak but let’s be real here….if you want Homemade French Toast…you kinda want it now. And if I’m doing an overnight recipe I’m going the way of the casserole like this Brioche French Toast Casserole that is absolutely dreamy and perfect for guests but I’m totally getting way off track so let’s get back to the task at hand.
- Make the French Toast Batter. We’re going to whisk together a few things, like half and half or heavy cream, I prefer the half and half because it still gives your toast a lovely, silky, custardy texture inside but still keeping it kind of light. Heavy cream is dreamy, too, but so rich, I’m getting full just thinking about it. (I’m not…but wouldn’t that be the BEST diet plan!)
- Whisk together the eggs and cream in a shallow dish like a pie plate. Sprinkle in a bit of cinnamon and vanilla. Don’t skimp on either of those, get a really great quality cinnamon and vanilla extract. You only use a little bit so you’ll have it around for awhile. The better your ingredients the better your recipes, remember that rule.
- The Secret Ingredient – To make my French Toast the VERY BEST I add a secret ingredient that may not be so secret but I don’t know a ton of others that do this so…I drizzle in a bit of maple syrup. Why? Because the maple syrup flavor gets into all those nooks and crannies in your bread making it taste simply spectacular eliminating the need to maple syrup at the table. But, I do it anyway…I drench mine in maple syrup because maple syrup is the best thing ever.
- Whisk it again and then dip bread slices one piece at a time in the batter and allow the thick slices of bread soak up some of the creamy custard mixture.
- Cook the French Toast – Fry it up on a lightly buttered griddle or large skillet until golden brown, flip and serve hot.
If you’re making this recipe for a crowd, you can transfer the French toast slices after they’ve been cooked to a baking sheet fitted with a wire rack in a single layer. Keep it all hot in a warm oven until ready to serve.
The Best Bread To Use
Starting with the bread. Don’t just grab a loaf of plain white bread from the pile and piles of commercially produced white bread we use for old school peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Seek out something sturdy, hearty and dare I say, buttery. Like an amazing Brioche bread that I make on the regular or your own homemade white bread recipe would work well, too.
If you’re not really the bake your own bread kind of person, check out your grocery store’s bakery department and I can guarantee they’ll have exactly what you need for perfect French toast. You haven’t lived until you’ve tried homemade Brioche French Toast, really.
Variations
You can mix up the flavors in this easy french toast recipe easily to match your tastes:
- 1 tablespoon orange juice in place of the maple syrup
- Brown sugar in place of maple syrup gives it a caramel flavor
- 1 tsp ground ginger for a peppery, sweet bite
What is French Toast?
French Toast is a recipe made of bread soaked in a custard base made of eggs and cream, sometimes milk, that’s fried fried in a pan. Preferably with lots of melted butter.
Also known as “eggy bread”, “Bombay Toast”, “poor knights”, or “gypsy toast”, it is not quite French but a name Americans gave the dish when French immigrants began making it in America. In France, it’s known as “Pain Perdu” which translates to lost bread.
I have had plenty of bad French toast, like soggy French toast that’s just plain nasty. Or the version that is not really French, it’s more just toast, like toast that’s toasted in a pan with a mess of butter but is otherwise dry in the middle.
To achieve perfection one must follow a set of rules, or, more professionally, a certain technique. And to add to your quest for French Toast perfection, you MUST use the best ingredients you can find.
What To Serve With French Toast
I love to serve it with a side of this killer fruit salad and a side of bacon. But if you’re looking to round out a breakfast buffet you can add in this easy Quiche Florentine recipe and a glorious mimosa.
You can also top your French toast with Strawberry Puree and Stabilized Whipped Cream instead of a drizzle of maple syrup.
More Easy Breakfast Recipes
- Berry Stuffed French Toast Casserole
- Cinnamon Apple French Toast Casserole
- Air Fryer French Toast
- Monte Cristo French Toast Casserole
- Overnight French Toast Casserole
- French Toast Sticks
If you want to see ALL my happy accidents (and even the not so happy accidents) be sure to follow me over on Instagram!
Get the Recipe: Easy French Toast Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 – 1/2 inch slices hearty, sturdy bread (I like a buttery brioche or challah)
- 1 cup half and half
- 3 large eggs
- 1 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons butter
Equipment
- 1 skillet
Instructions
- In a wide shallow bowl (I like to use a pie plate), whisk together the half and half, eggs, syrup, cinnamon, vanilla and salt.
- Dip each bread slice in the egg mixture and allow to soak for 30 seconds on each side. Transfer to a baking sheet to allow the mixture to soak all the way through the bread.
- Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a non-stick griddle pan over medium high heat. Place four slices of the bread in the pan and cook until golden brown, approximately 2-3 minutes. Flip the bread over and continue cooking for an additional 2-3 minutes or until golden. Transfer to a platter and cover with foil to keep warm. Repeat with remaining bread slices.
- Serve immediately with powdered sugar, fruit or maple syrup, if desired.
Video
50 Comments on “The Best French Toast Recipe Ever”
I add more cinnamon and I love nutmeg in my french toast
Great idea! Thank you, Lavonne!
Bread was too soggy, still tasted good
Hmmm, not sure what happened there. Generally, you need to cook it a little longer so it cooks all the way through.