Baked French Toast Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Should I cook French toast in butter or oil? ›

Butter gives French toast a deep richness and comforting quality, which are what we crave on mornings we sizzle this breakfast staple. To prevent burning or smoking, use a combination of butter and oil in the pan to cook the toast.

Use stale bread or toast the bread until it's golden-brown. It needs to be sturdy to hold up to the egg mixture. If the bread is fresh from the bag or you toast it too lightly, the finished dish will be soggy. Soak the toasted or untoasted bread for about 10 seconds per side to achieve the optimal texture.

Leaving the bread in the egg mixture for too long is another route to soggy French toast.

According to the chef, the difference comes down to two main elements: the use of high-quality yeasty bread and allowing it time to properly soak.

Ideally, the bread should be slightly stale. A drier bread will soak up all the custard. Bread can be left out with the wrapper open the day before cooking. If you find yourself in a pinch, dry your bread slices in a 275°F oven for 10 minutes before soaking them in the custard.

For a solid French toast, aim for sturdy bread with a uniform texture and a soft crust. Hearty sandwich bread, brioche, challah, and shokupan (Japanese milk bread) are all great choices. Avoid rustic loaves with thick crusts or large holes in the interior.

Oversaturated bread will likely never get that beautiful, crispy texture on the outside of the very best French toast. Too much sugar can simply make your French toast too sweet. Yes, this is generally a sugary treat, but balance is what really elevates this meal.

What's the difference between French toast and eggy bread? In general, French Toast tends to be sweet and eggy bread is more savoury. With French toast, you might have cinnamon, syrup and berries, whereas eggy bread is more likely to be paired with bacon or a fried egg. However, French toast can also be savoury.

Next, brown the soaked slices in a skillet with butter and oil over medium-high heat, achieving a light, crispy exterior. Finish the cooking process by baking the browned bread on a sheet pan in the oven for 12 to 14 minutes, flipping halfway through.

How to stop toast from going soggy? ›

When you balance two slices of bread together to stand up in the shape of a tent, it can prevent that condensation from building up on the bottom half of the bread. It allows more room for free air flow so that the bread can cool down without trapping any heat underneath.