French Toast

Sunday mornings in our house typically means eating a yummy, homemade breakfast. My husband usually makes waffles, pancakes, or burritos (recipes to come soon), but last Sunday he made my favorite: French toast.

We picked out a nice potato sandwich bread—it's a little heartier than just white bread, but a little less expensive than a challah loaf—and left the slices out to harden-up/dry over night. Then, before we went to sleep on Saturday, my husband put all the ingredients together and let them sit in the fridge. He didn't do this to let the flavors merge; it was so he could get a few extra minutes of sleep Sunday morning. Don't skip that step. Put it together the night before you make this and it'll make your morning much easier and more enjoyable.

And speaking of enjoyable, these were delicious. They were so good that I actually forgot to drizzle syrup on top of mine. Crazy, I know. A good French toast in my mind means it's crunchy, but still soft; flavorful, but not too sweet; and golden, golden brown. Make this for a quick and easy meal. Your breakfast buddy will thank you. 

 French Toast

adapted from Alton Brown

Ingredients

• 1 cup half-and-half (fat free works fine)
• 3 large eggs (or 3/4 cup egg substitute)
• 2 tablespoons honey, warmed in microwave for 20 seconds
• 1 tablespoon, vanilla
• 1/2 tablespoon, ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 8 (1/2-inch) slices day-old or stale country loaf or bread
• 4 tablespoons butter 

Directions

In medium size mixing bowl, whisk together the half-and-half, eggs, honey, vanilla, cinnamon and salt (this can be done the night before). When ready to cook, pour custard mixture into a shallow dish; set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Dip bread into mixture, allow to soak for 30 seconds (time it!) on each side; put bread on a cooling rack that is  sitting in a sheet pan; allow to sit for 1 to 2 minutes—this is where the flavor soaks in, and if your bread is hard and you only soaked for 30 seconds, you'll be good to go.

Over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a 10-inch nonstick saute pan. Place 2 slices of bread at a time into the pan; cook until golden brown, approximately 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove from pan and place on rack in oven for 5 minutes. Repeat with all 8 slices. Serve immediately with maple syrup, whipped cream, fruit, or just eat plain!