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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.

Easy French Toast Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 6 reviews
  • Author: Tonia | Feasting at Home
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 12 slices
  • Category: Breakfast
  • Method: stovetop
  • Cuisine: American, French
  • Diet: Vegetarian

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

Units
  • 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

  1. Preheat oven to 300F
  2. 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.)
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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