Description
An easy recipe for tender French Toast enhanced with spices, orange zest, and lightly sweetened with maple syrup. Top with Fresh Berry Compote for a perfect weekend breakfast treat.
Ingredients
- 1 loaf country sourdough bread, sliced into 3/4 -1 inch slices (or challah, brioche -softer airy bread will get the fluffiest-depends on the texture you prefer). Let them dry out on a sheet pan if you have time ( a couple hours or overnight).
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup half and half or whole milk (or plant based milk)
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1-2 teaspoons orange zest, about 1 medium orange worth
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- butter and olive oil for searing (or sub coconut oil and skip the olive oil)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300F
- Whisk together the eggs, half and half, maple syrup, orange zest, vanilla, cinnamon, cardamom, allspice, nutmeg and salt until completely smooth. Use an immersion blender if needed. Pour into a shallow container. (A rectangular pyrex works great to do several at the same time.)
- Dip the slices of bread into the custard, letting it soak for 20-30 seconds on each side. ( This will depend on the type of bread you use and how quickly it soaks up the custard.) You can dip, then sear one or two at a time, or dip them all, transfer them to a rack placed over a pan and let excess drip off.
- Sear. Heat a skillet to medium -low. When the pan is fully heated, add a teaspoon of butter and a teaspoon of olive oil, (this mixture will lower the heat point and prevent the butter from burning). As it melts place a soaked slice of bread into the pan. Cook until both sides are golden, roughly 3 minutes per side, letting it get golden and slightly puffy in the center. Place on a sheet pan in a 300F oven, to cook through while you make the rest.
- To Serve: Top the French Toast with berry compote (below) and yogurt cream (see notes). More butter and maple syrup is optional of course!
Notes
Optional Berry Compote Ingredients
- 3 cups berries, fresh preferred, but frozen works too
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons orange juice
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- tiny pinch of salt
Bring maple syrup and 1 cup of the berries to a low simmer in a saucepan. Let simmer for 2 minutes, gently mashing the berries with the back of a spoon to break them down slightly. In a small bowl, mix orange juice with cornstarch and a pinch of salt until perfectly smooth. Whisk into the maple berry mixture, stirring all the while. Continue stirring until thick and bubbly, 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in the remaining 2 cups of berries.
To make yogurt cream, simply use 1 part Greek yogurt to 1 part freshly whipped cream. Add sweetener and vanilla if desired.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 piece with berry compote
- Calories: 163
- Sugar: 14.6 g
- Sodium: 129.5 mg
- Fat: 7.6 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 21.2 g
- Fiber: 1.4 g
- Protein: 3.9 g
- Cholesterol: 81.7 mg