Many people have their staple breakfast food. They eat it nearly every day and can always rely upon it to taste good enough to start their day off right. For my roommates and me, it’s cereal. Some people give a little extra effort and make eggs. There are just some days though — usually weekends — when the staple food won’t cut it, and you need to go the extra mile for that delicious breakfast food you hold dear to your heart. In my case, French toast.
It wasn’t until last year that I learned how easy French toast is to make. If I’d known when I was younger, I probably would’ve made it every day over summer vacation. I’m guessing my parents are glad I didn’t know and thus avoided the blast of sugar in the morning.
French toast can be made quite simply with bread, eggs, butter, and a pan. However, there are ways to bump the delicious factor until it’s off the charts. I have my roommate to thank for this recipe. Once he showed me how he made it, I never made French toast the same way again.
Before we begin our culinary journey, let me offer a little warning: This recipe has been known to cause strong feelings of euphoria and infatuation. Especially when served with coffee to the many coffee-addicts that occupy a college town.
Depending on how many you’re cooking for, begin by cracking eggs into a bowl. When I cook French toast, I usually make two slices for every person and will break three eggs per every two slices. Mix the eggs in the bowl until it’s a similar consistency throughout. Now comes the fun part. All of these ingredients are optional, but I assure you: They make it quite delicious.
For every three eggs you used, add a quarter cup of heavy whipping cream. The next ingredients are up to you depending on how strongly you want them to affect the mix. Add cinnamon, brown sugar and vanilla. Once I have finished mixing all of this, I like to put in a square Tupperware piece. Many of these are the perfect size for dipping a piece of sliced bread in. Put a piece of bread in the Tupperware and let it soak in the mix. The bread you use is up to you, but I’ve found white breads to be the most absorbent. Make sure both sides of the bread are coated.
Put a pan on the stove and put a bit of butter in. Put it to medium heat and make sure the butter coats the majority of the pan where the bread will be. Once it’s melted and some heat has built up, you can add the first piece of bread. A key part of cooking French toast is to keep the heat at medium to low so that the inside of the bread cooks just as well as the outside.
Before a minute has gone by, use a spatula to check the underside of the cooking bread. When it looks golden brown, it’s time to flip it. Pick up the bread with the spatula, but before putting it back down, drop a thin slice of butter where the bread will go. This makes sure both sides get an even share of the butter while they cook. Put the bread down on the uncooked side and again let it cook until that side is golden brown.
Pull it off the pan and onto a plate, which you then cover with tin foil to keep warm until the second piece is ready. Once the second piece is ready, add it to the plate.
If you want to go all the way, put a little bit of powdered sugar on top and before you put on your syrup. Something my roommate likes to do is add a little jam to the side, but I keep it simple, prefering only heaping mounds of maple syrup.
Next, pull up a chair, and enjoy your French toast while it sets the stage for a great day.
