French toast

We call it Freedom Toast here!

For OP:

I like it more than pancakes, that's for sure.

It's eaten in France but it's not called French toast, it's called 'lost toast' (pain perdu)

I had it once in France. It was made from brioche and was too chewy, had no crispness on the outside.

Looks thick!!

What is the best bread to use to prepare this?

Old, stale bread, R7.

[quote]What is the best bread to use to prepare this?

I prefer (a loaf of) white bread

When I first started working in L.A., I got a job at Piazza Rodeo in BH. We served french toast using Challa bread. It was beyond delicious.

Put bananas in between two slices of French toast. The bananas melt and turn almost custardy.

French toast is useless without maple syrup

I prefer a savoury French toast, using stale Pain Cousin. But R10's suggestion using challah is pretty amazing.

There was a restaurant that used to serve French toast stuffed with orange marmalade and cream cheese. Now I have a big sweet tooth, but it was really too much for me.

I tried it on brioche bread.. a bit too rich for me!

Every diner in NY and NJ makes french toast using challah bread.

I use whole grain vegan bread.

Challah bread makes the best French toast.

I didn't know that r16. Now the person next to me saying it's big in Philadelphia as well.

"I make French toast for DH and the kids with Gluten Free, organic, non-GMO bread, organic free range eggs, organic milk, and we only use real Maple syrup that is also organic, and non-GMO!"

Yes that's very true R19, it's very popular in and around Philadelphia to use that type of bread.

I yike French toast and tears for breakfast.

where's your farm fresh butter, r20?

"DH and I use organic butter! We buy it at whole foods!"

"Oh R20, no no NO! Eggs?!?!? Not for my kiddos. Chia seed vegan egg substitute ONLY!"

I make my own bread, tap my own maple trees and ONLY consume farm fresh butter, eggs and milk from the local co-op that I can walk to.

Another thread ruined by

K E N N Y

[quote]"DH and I use organic butter! We buy it at whole foods!"

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RE: "French Toast" - the French are much like the Chinese regarding the slop served to Americans en masse: "We don't eat that shit!"

I like to modulate the maple syrup with salt and pepper. Powdered sugar is disgusting.

I don't know where it originated, but that's what I just had for dinner.

Older DLers: was French toast traditionally a much more popular breakfast food in the U.S. than it is now—was it like a family breakfast staple?

(And if so, when did it decline in popularity with Americans/American families?)

I ask this partially because I never see ads or films now where people are eating French toast for breakfast, and I don’t really hear about it in mainstream recipe sections on food/family websites anymore, and it *seems* like this might be a change, because if you look at two of the most impactive and “realistic” films about American families from the ‘70s and ‘80s—“Kramer vs. Kramer” and “Ordinary People”—French toast is (oddly, now) featured in a very pivotal emotional scene in each film.

This makes me think that it must have been much more popular and common at the American breakfast table than it is now...

Wow, so challah french toast never made it to flyoverlandia. I’ve been seeing it since at least the 1980s.

[quote]was French toast traditionally a much more popular breakfast food in the U.S. than it is now

Well, I’ll have my research team run all the available data we have on breakfast trends of the last 100 years and get back to you.

R32, that was before we as a consumerist society decided eggs were bad. HFCS is good and egg cholesterol (specifically that evil yolk) is bad.

Take two eggs, milk, vanilla, stale anything bread and you could feed four people.

Challah already has eggs in it.

[quote]I make my own bread, tap my own maple trees and ONLY consume farm fresh butter, eggs and milk from the local co-op that I can walk to.

Get a cow and a chicken, you lazy ass!

I use whatever bread is left, most usually it would be sourdough but most anything is OK so long as it’s a bit stale. No sugar or syrup, I prefer a little salt, black pepper and A1 sauce. I’m not a sweet toothed person.

R38, some day try rolling up a piece of dark turkey meat in a piece of french toast.

yes, it's a staple of any authentic French restaurant's breakfast men-OO

Ironically, IHOP does an amazing French Toast. Among the best you can buy.

Any white bread that has a little stamina to it would be good, "white slice" would not be good. Also the bread needs to be soaked in the egg mixture, not just dipped into it and then fried, which I've unfortunately had on a few occasions.

R42, more and more people expect french toast "sticks" which are dipped - not dredged. Your preference requires longer cooking time at lower temperature to cook the inner egg.

I hate 'soggy' French toast, where the bread is soaked too much. Bleh.

It's only soggy if the egg to milk to bread ratio is off.

[quote]Challah already has eggs in it.

Yeah, no need to use eggs if using Challah.

But then it wouldn't be French toast!

Challah has tones of sugar in it so that's why it is popular.

But traditional French toast for Americans in the 50's 60's 70's was just plain white bread. Challah would have been too high end or impossible to find for most Americans who didn't live near a Jewish ghetto or some place like NY.

The best French toast if made right should have a specific texture. It should be slightly crispy on the outside with a creamy interior. Not soggy and not dry. You cant use fresh bread, it has to be somewhat dried out overnight. Cant over soak it in the batter but it needs enough to souffle when cooked. Its a delicate balancing act if done right.

R32 - has it really declined? I thought most people nowadays buy the frozen type & just heat it in the microwave.

R50 … use the toaster for that stuff!

And I hate French Toast that uses brioche or Challah. That's not French toast. French toast uses square white bread. Period.

You're all doing it wrong. You're supposed to finish it off in the oven. Doing so makes a huge difference. Use your Google if you don't believe me. "I can't even reach MINE!" she said. Buh Dump Bump!

I think it's better with thicker slices of bread. It's nice if you can buy (or make) an unsliced loaf and slice it to the thickness you want. Or use Texas Toast, if you can find it.

4 eggs

1/2 c. sugar

2 T cream

2 T orange flower water

1/2 a vanilla bean pod, scraped.

I think people eat less French toast since sugar carb shame began. Now it's all egg white spinach brown grainy bread avocado please let's not look like Lena Dunham per our trainer first of six meals.

Put a touch of cinnamon and sugar in the egg/milk mixture.

R32, I'm 56 and I ate it for breakfast as a kid. I haven't had it in years, but I think I may need to make some soon. My Mom managed breakfast for us during the week, but my Dad would take over breakfast duties on the weekends, and he'd make these huge breakfasts of either French toast, pancakes, or bacon and eggs, or run out and pick up a box of assorted doughnuts. During the week, we'd just have cereal for breakfast (my Mom: "you know how to serve yourself"), but on the weekends, my short, chubby little Dad would be whistling a merry tune or singing Broadway tunes in a mock operatic voice for us. I had great parents.

I frickin luv french toast. No pancakes, no waffles. Not soggy though, unacceptable. The orange flower water suggestion with vanilla sounds amazing! R54

When I was growing up, my best friend's mom would make us French toast and put cheese between two slices. Heaven!

Nutloaf French Toast is my speciality.

I'm R57, and this was one of my Dad's favorite songs.