Delicious French toast made with a perfect batter using an easy to follow recipe

I had my interest in cooking restored during the worldwide “lockdown”; even though shopping has been a bit of a challenge, I wasn’t deterred. So, this time, I decided that I was going to start making my own twists on popular homemade delicacies and invent new recipes while documenting it on my food blog. During my research, I discovered that the homemade French toast recipe was one of the popular breakfast recipes that people were searching for online, so I was encouraged to join the gang.

Eggy bread and French toast

French toast is a popular breakfast made of thickly sliced bread soaked in eggs and milk, then fried. It is also referred to as “eggy bread”, “Bombay toast”, “German toast”, “gypsy toast” and “poor knights” (of Windsor). When French toast is served as a sweet dish, milk, sugar, vanilla or cinnamon are also commonly added before pan-frying, and then it may be topped with sugar (often powdered sugar), butter, fruit, or syrup.

When it is a savoury dish, it is generally fried with a pinch of salt and/or pepper and can then be served with a sauce such as ketchup or mayonnaise. So basically, the difference between the two is that “eggy bread” is savoury while “French toast” is sweet.

Ingredients in my homemade French toast                        

I have made this recipe as simple as possible by using eggs, thickly sliced bread, cinnamon, milk, butter for frying and syrup for dressing. I also added freshly grated orange zest to the batter as seen in Elise’s recipe to give it more flavour. These ingredients combined perfectly, and the French toast didn’t have that super thick and eggy taste and texture.

What type of bread is best for French toast?

Thick slices of French or Italian bread are the best bread to use for French toast. This will ensure that the bread slices soak up the egg and milk batter perfectly without falling apart while transferring to the pan.

I used a big loaf of Italian bread that is bang on the expiry date and I cut it into thick slices. This is the best bread to use because the bread is firmer as it is several days old.

How to make homemade French toast

1. Crack the eggs in a medium mixing bowl, add milk, cinnamon and whisk together. Grate some fresh orange zest in the batter and whisk the mixture together unit it’s well blended together. Transfer the batter into another shallow bowl big enough for the bread slices to sit in it.
2. Melt a knob of butter in a non-stick frying pan/skillet under medium high heat.
3. While the butter is melting, soak each slice of bread one at a time by letting it sit in the milk and egg batter for a few seconds on both sides. Try not to over soak it so the bread doesn’t go mushy.
4. Place the bread slices onto the heated non-stick frying pan. Depending on the size of the pan, you can fry two or more at a time. Fry the French toast for about 3-4mins or until the bread is browned (but not burnt). Flip to the other side and fry for about 2-3mins.

How can you make French toast better?

I have seen a few French toast recipes where people sprinkled powdered sugar to the toast. Left for me, I would leave that out as there is already enough sweetness with maple syrup drizzled on the toast.

To make French toast tastier, it can be topped with sliced banana, blueberries, strawberries with a drizzle of maple syrup or honey. This makes a truly epic recovery snack after an exercise or before a physical adventure.

Fluffy and scrumptious homemade French toast

Recipe by Oluwaseyi O’shea

5.0 from 5 votes

Course: BreakfastCuisine: FrenchDifficulty: Easy

Servings

2

servings

Prep time

7

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

Calories

149

kcal

Total time

22

minutes

The Best French Toast is super easy to make with the perfect balance of flavours soaked in egg, cinnamon and milk mix.

Ingredients

• 3 Free range eggs

• 4 Thick slices of bread

• 2/3 cup Milk

• 1½ teaspoons Cinnamon

• 2 teaspoons Orange zest

• 1 knob Butter

• Maple syrup

Directions

• Crack the eggs in a medium mixing bowl, add milk, cinnamon and whisk together. Grate some fresh orange zest in the batter and whisk the mixture together unit it’s well blended together. Transfer the batter into another shallow bowl big enough for the bread slices to sit it.
• Melt a knob of butter in a non-stick frying pan/skillet under medium high heat.
• Soak each slice of bread one at a time by letting it sit in the milk and egg batter for a few seconds on both sides. Try not to over soak it so the bread doesn’t go mushy.
• Place the bread slices onto the heated non-stick frying pan. Depending on the size of the pan, you can fry two or more at a time. Fry the French toast for about 3-4mins or until the bread is browned (but not burnt). Flip to the other side and fry for about 2-3mins.
• Serve with a drizzle of maple syrup or berries.

Notes

• PS: Nutrition information is estimated using an online nutrition calculator and based on ingredients used.

Utensils and tools in this recipe

Mixing bowl, non-stick frying pan/skillet and a whisk (You can buy any of the items on Amazon by clicking the link. This opens a new tab on your browser so you will still remain on this page).

Let me know if yours came out well in the comment box below. Connect with me on my social media pages on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and Pinterest @Daddysnom