How to make cafe-quality French toast every time

Golden, crisp-edged and custardy in the centre, this is how French toast should be made.

French toast was originally made with day-old bread but nowadays, day-old brioche is the preferred slice. The porous French sweetbread soaks up all that batter perfectly. When frying, be generous with the butter for a perfect golden exterior. You can also opt for challah for a Jewish take.

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To dramatically up the fluffiness ante, add cream to your egg batter for a rich and pillowy end product. Then, cut through all that sweetness with some naturally tart cinnamon apples.

French toast with cinnamon apples
Source: China Squirrel

For a really golden colour on each side of your toast, and those must-have crisped-up edges, weigh down the bread with a heavy object (such as a frying pan) or cook in a sandwich press, if you have one.

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Could French toast baked in the oven be just as delicious as when it is pan-fried in generous amount of butter? The answer: Yes! And, as an extra bonus, it is so much easier to cook in large batches for more-the-merrier gatherings.

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It’s important to stand your bread slices in the batter for a good few minutes – five, even – to really let them fully absorb the egg mixture. Otherwise you run the risk of dry toast (gasp). Then, wipe the pan clean between frying batches to avoid any burnt flavours penetrating the toast.

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Sure, maple syrup, berries and bananas are longtime bedfellows of French toast, but that doesn’t mean that saltier pairings can’t work. This Mexican take on the French classic harnesses the flavours of sweet corn in the loaf, further enhanced with crispy bacon, a zingy salsa and jalapeno crema. Get experimenting with your favourite savoury flavour combos.

French toast with pancetta
Source: Paul Wilson

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