Easy Homemade French Toast Recipe (Sweet + Savory)
This French toast recipe is the perfect breakfast or simple dinner—made with lightly sweetened custard and toasted until golden brown, it can be made either sweet or savory!
What is French Toast?
French toast is an incredibly old recipe that is an easy way to use up any stale bread in your house. To make it, you’ll let the stale bread soak in an egg and milk mixture, which lets it absorb moisture and take on a fluffy, custard-like interior.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Stale bread. Any white or French-style bread works best—I like to use brioche, challah, or sourdough.
- Eggs. To bind and set the custard, once cooked.
- Whole milk. Whole milk is always best, but you can get by with 2% if needed. Keep in mind that the lesser percentage milk you use, the more watery and flavorless the French toast will be.
- Heavy cream. For added richness and flavor.
- Granulated or brown sugar. To sweeten the French toast—add more or less, depending on your preference.
- Vanilla extract.
- Salt.
- Cinnamon, orange zest, or spices. Optional, but recommended for extra flavor.
- Unsalted butter. To cook the toast in.
- Toppings of choice.
Tips and Tricks
- Always use stale bread. Stale bread will absorb the custard best and will not fall apart when soaked. If your bread isn’t stale enough, you can put it in an oven until dried but not colored or toasted.
- Don’t over-soak your bread. Otherwise, the slices will fall apart and be soggy.
- Add flavor enhancers to the custard. Cinnamon, orange zest, a dash of bourbon—go crazy.
- Don’t cook at too high of a heat. If you do, the outside will burn before the inside has time to cook.
Topping Ideas (Sweet + Savory)
Most people don’t know that French toast can also be savory! There are countless toppings you can use for both types, but here are some ideas:
sweet toppings
- Maple syrup.
- Powdered sugar.
- Fresh fruit, jams, and preserves.
- Cinnamon sugar.
- Nutella or peanut butter.
savory toppings
- Scrambled eggs.
- Butter.
- Sautéed mushrooms.
- Bacon.
- Cheese.
- Blistered cherry tomatoes.
Be sure to tag me if you try out this recipe—happy cooking!
Easy Homemade French Toast Recipe (Sweet + Savory)
This French toast recipe is the perfect breakfast or simple dinner—made with lightly sweetened custard and toasted until golden brown, it can be made either sweet or savory!
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Servings: 5
Ingredients
- 10 slices stale bread (brioche, challah, sourdough, and French bread are best), sliced into ¾ to 1'' thick slices
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- ¾ cup whole milk, at room temperature
- ¾ cup heavy cream, at room temperature
- 2 to 4 tablespoons granulated or brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- A pinch of salt
- Cinnamon, orange zest, or spices of choice (optional)
- Unsalted butter, to cook
- Toppings of choice*
Instructions
- Whisk together the eggs, milk, cream, vanilla extract, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. If you like a sweeter french toast, add more sugar. If making savory French toast, omit the sugar and vanilla, substituting with savory seasonings of choice.
- If adding spices like cinnamon (which is hydrophobic), mix all of the custard ingredients in a blender until the spices are evenly combined.
- Soak each slice of bread in the milk mixture for around 30 seconds to 1 minute, flipping halfway through—you want the bread to be soaked, but not soggy or falling apart.
- In the meantime, heat around a tablespoon of butter in a skillet over medium heat. Once bubbling, immediately add the soaked bread slices to the pan and cook for a few minutes until golden brown. Flip the bread and toast the other side until browned and cooked through.
- Soak and cook the remaining bread slices, then serve the French toast warm with your choice of toppings.
Notes
*Some topping ideas include:
Sweet:
- Butter
- Maple syrup
- Powdered sugar
- Fresh fruit, jam, or preserves
- Cinnamon sugar
- Nutella or peanut butter
- Scrambled eggs
- Sautéed mushrooms
- Bacon
- Cheese
- Blistered cherry tomatoes
