Classic french toast is always a favorite. With cinnamon and nutmeg it's the perfect balance of sweet and savory.
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My friend had recently posted a "very important question" on facebook. He asked people to rank waffles, pancakes and french toast, and it certainly got me thinking... I hadn't had french toast in ages, yet if I had to rank the three, I almost certainly would put it at the top! I make waffles on the regular (probably because my husband loves them), but french toast is even easier to make, less of a mess to clean up, and in my opinion, way more delicious. So, I've decided to hop on the french toast train!
Today's recipe is just a classic french toast. You may be thinking that everyone knows how to make a basic french toast, so why bother putting up a recipe... you would be surprised though. I have friends who feel that can't cook, period. They go out for every meal, order in, or some, are lucky enough to have their husband's cook for them. Hence, we'll start with this basic, fool proof, classic french toast. Maybe, in the not-too distant future, we'll step things up a bit with crunchy french toast and play with a variety of crusts to add on (graham crackers, rice crispies, corn flakes, the possibilities are endless...), or add some fancier syrups and sauces. Baby steps though...
Final note. You may also be wondering why I used evaporated milk instead of just regular milk. Well the answer is pretty straight forward. My regular milk had expired days ago (a run to the grocery store is long overdue), but I was bound and determined to eat french toast this morning. So I scoped out the pantry, found evaporated milk, and have to say it worked like a charm - in fact, I don't know if I would ever go back to regular milk for my french toast again! Just another reason to always have evaporated milk on hand.
Having a well-seasoned egg bath is key to a good french toast. This is where you can vary your flavors and get creative! For today's recipe, we simply season with the classic cinnamon and nutmeg.
You're going to want to get your assembly ready in advance, because once that griddle's hot, the process moves pretty quickly! First thing's first, you'll want your bread out and handy. Next, whisk together your eggs, milk (today we use evaporated milk) and spices. Preheat your griddle to 300 - 325 degrees (you may need to adjust it as you go to keep butter or toast from burning).
Thin toast only takes a couple of minutes per side, so make sure you keep an eye on it!
Once griddle is preheated, throw a pat or two of butter on and spread around with a spatula. Dip both sides of the bread quickly in the egg bath. Since we had thin slices, each side only required a quick dip. Some people like to really drench their french toast, I; however, am not one of those people. You be the judge of how long to let it soak based on your thickness of bread. I just like a nice coating on each side. Lay bread onto the griddle and cook for around 2-3 minutes per side or until starting to brown.
French toast is nothing without butter melting over the top!
If you have more toast to make, assign a helper to butter the toast right after you pull it off the griddle. You want that heat from the toast to start to melt it.
Top with maple syrup, powdered sugar, whipped cream, fresh fruit, whatever you want! We keep it classic today with maple syrup.
Heat up maple syrup and top french toast with it immediately before serving. Enjoy the sweetness of the syrup, cinnamon and nutmeg in contrast with the savory of the bread and eggs - this classic breakfast is always a treat!
Directions
Preheat griddle to 300 - 325 degrees (you may need to adjust during cooking if butter/toast starts to burn).
In a shallow dish, whisk together eggs, milk and spices. One griddle is preheated, add a pat or two of butter and spread over the griddle with a spatula. Dip each side of the bread quickly in the egg bath and lay on the griddle. Cook 2-3 minutes per side or until golden brown. Top with butter and maple syrup.
Serves 2.
Ingredients
4 eggs
4 T evaporated milk
1/4 t. cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
6 slices of bread
1 to 2 T butter.