The Best Gourmet French Toast Recipe

My favorite French toast recipe!

It’s easy to get stuck in the routine of making the same recipes over and over again. However, you’re really going to want to try this gourmet french toast recipe. It changes things up a bit and the result is wonderful.

Whenever I make pancakes, waffles, or French toast, I try to make more than enough so that I have leftovers to put in the freezer. I prefer not to buy the frozen variety from the store because I like the homemade stuff better, and it is not too hard for me to make them myself!

When I need a last minute or low-prep breakfast, lunch, or dinner, I thaw them in the microwave and stick them in the toaster for a crisp fresh-tasting outside. I am definitely not opposed to having breakfast food for lunch or dinner. 😉 Yum!

Gourmet French Toast Ingredients

Nothing too crazy going on in this recipe, but there are some slight changes from most traditional recipes that will make a yummy difference in the end result. Those changes involve drying out the bread in the oven first and using just the egg yolks instead of the whole egg. These changes improve the flavor and texture of the toast!

For the best results, you should use a good quality, firm challah or sandwich bread. I have used my homemade wheat bread with this recipe and it turned out great too!

Final Thoughts

This french toast recipe is just a little more involved than the classic French toast that I used to make, but the extra steps are totally worth it. This recipe gives the toast a rich custard-like flavor. It is crisp on the outside, soft on the inside. So good! Just how French toast should be!

Serve with maple syrup, fruit, and whipped cream, or customize it however you like! A nice dusting of powdered sugar is also really delicious.

More Breakfast Recipes:

• Berry Croissant Bake Recipe (Breakfast Casserole)
• Baked Pancake Squares (Oven Baked Pancakes)
• Homemade Buttermilk Cinnamon Rolls from Scratch
• Nutritious Banana Quinoa Waffles
• Peach Oatmeal Muffins Recipe

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This delicious French Toast recipe is from America’s Test Kitchen.

The Best Gourmet French Toast Recipe

Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. This gourmet french toast takes it up a notch in flavor AND texture.

5 / 5 ( 1 Review )

Print Rate

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Serves: 8

Adjust Servings: 8

US CustomaryMetric

Ingredients

• 8 to 10 large slices hearty white sandwich bread or good-quality challah
• 1 ½ cups whole milk warmed*
• 3 large egg yolks
• 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted, plus 2 tablespoons for cooking
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• Maple syrup

Instructions

• Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300°F/150°C. Place bread on wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet. Bake bread until almost dry throughout (center should remain slightly moist), about 16 minutes, flipping slices halfway through cooking. Remove bread from rack and let cool 5 minutes.
• Preheat griddle to 350°F/175°C. Whisk milk, yolks, sugar, cinnamon, 2 tablespoons melted butter, salt, and vanilla in large bowl until well blended. Transfer mixture to 13- by 9-inch baking pan.
• Soak bread in milk mixture until saturated but not falling apart, 20 seconds per side. Using firm slotted spatula, pick up bread slice and allow excess milk mixture to drip off; repeat with remaining slices. Place soaked bread on another baking sheet or platter.
• Use a slotted spatula to transfer soaked bread to griddle and cook until golden brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Flip and continue to cook until second side is golden brown, 5 to 6 minutes longer. (If toast is cooking too quickly, reduce temperature slightly.) Serve warm.

Recipe Notes

*To prevent the butter from clumping during mixing, warm the milk in a microwave or small saucepan until warm to the touch (about 80 degrees).
*For best results, choose a good challah or a firm, high-quality sandwich bread, such as Arnold Country Classics White or Pepperidge Farm Farmhouse Hearty White. Thomas’ English Muffin Toasting Bread also works well. If you purchase an unsliced loaf, cut the bread into 1/2-inch-thick slices.

Nutrition

Calories: 163kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 7g | Sodium: 220mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g