EASY FRENCH TOAST (WITH EGG & EGGLESS VERSION)

Before we begin, let’s know a little history about this beautiful toast! Though called the French Toast, one of the earliest versions has been traced back to the Roman Empire. The name “french toast” was first used in 17^th century England. The recipe and name were brought to America by early settlers. In France, the dish is called “pain perdu,” meaning “lost bread. Lost bread, because originally this dessert was made from stale bread.

Akhilesh tried the french toast for the first time, incidentally in Paris, France and he loved it so much. I had ordered that for breakfast and he ended up eating half of mine! We couldn’t find it anywhere else post that in France. He normally never likes to mix sweet with normal food and so I was surprised when I saw him drool over just the thought of eating a French toast. So I decided to make this for him once we were back home.

Now this recipe is so so easy, you’ll wonder why you didn’t try this before! Making a French Toast requires minimal ingredients, skills and time. They make for a great quick breakfast option. And since they are a little sweet, you can treat yourself with this as a post meal dessert or satisfy your evening sweet cravings too! Once you have the batter ready, each toast takes about 2-3 mins to make.

I’ve mentioned 2 variations here – the first will be with Eggs and the second for all the vegetarians, made eggless! I’ve tried both ways multiple times and with or without Eggs, they both taste the same to me!

Now let’s get to the recipe!

INGREDIENTS
3 Whole Eggs
1 Tbsp Vanilla Custard Powder – or – All Purpose Flour with Vanilla Essence/Extract
1/4 Cup Milk or little less
1 Tbsp Sugar (or as per taste)
1 Tsp Cinnamon Powder
5-6 Bread Slices

SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Honey/Maple Syrup
Chopped Bananas/Strawberries
Dried Unsweetened Berries/Nuts/Ice-Cream (Optional)
4-5 Bread Slices

METHOD – WITH EGG

• In a large mixing bowl, add all the ingredients from the list except the bread slices.
• I did not have Vanilla Essence or Extract so instead of using that and All Purpose Flour, I used Vanilla Custard Powder as a complete substitute to both.
• Mix all this really well and make sure there are no lumps. If you are using Custard Powder like I did, I suggest you add that with the milk first, mix well and then add in the other ingredients and mix again.
• The batter should be a runny yellow liquid and smooth. Don’t froth this by whisking too much, just mix thoroughly with a spoon until the sugar is dissolved and the yolks have blended well with the whites.
• You can use Erythritol or Stevia or any other sweetener instead of refined sugar.
• 1 egg is good for 2 slices, so pre-plan accordingly.
• Now keep your bread slices handy.
• Switch on a pan and melt some butter in it.
• When it’s medium hot, dip one bread slice into the batter. Don’t dip too long, it may break. I’ve used brown bread in this recipe, which are fragile and tend to get soggy soon. So immerse in for a second on each side and then lift the soaked slice and place it on the hot buttered pan.
• Allow it to brown well and then flip to brown the other side. You can adjust the flame between low-medium heat. Once they look well cooked, transfer to a plate.
• Do the same with all the other bread slices. Keep adding a little butter for each slice.
• Serve these hot when they are lightly crisp from the outside and soft and fluffy from the inside.
• I love serving these with some fruits like Sliced Banana or Strawberries with some nuts or dried berries, drizzled with some honey/ maple syrup and if I’m feeling extra special, maybe even a scoop of ice-cream or whipped cream with chocolate sauce!
• Akhilesh likes it plain with some honey on top.

METHOD – WITHOUT EGG

• Nothing fancy or difficult here. The ingredients and process remain the same, just skip the eggs and double the quantity of Vanilla Custard Powder or All Purpose Flour/CornFlour with Vanilla Extract (whichever option you are using) just to get a slightly thicker than milk batter like the one with eggs.
• I’ve tried with Vanilla Custard Powder a lot of times and I prefer this option. Comes out really well. I have never tried using All Purpose Flour/CornFlour with Vanilla Extract, so I cannot tell the outcome, but I suppose that should work the same way.
• Serving suggestions remain the same as well.
• Do let me know which one you tried and if you liked it. Your comments and interactions make me happy and they keep me motivated to post more interesting recipes. ❤