Alton Brown’s French Toast
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Andy and I have had some serious disagreements about French Toast. Since Andy does all the breakfast cooking (well, I do dish up granola now and then), he gets the blame when the French Toast doesn’t turn out perfect. After years – maybe decades – of imperfect FT, Andy discovered this Alton Brown recipe, and, if done precisely, is both easy and just right. Things do get better.
One note here: we always use a sweet, as opposed to a sour dough, french bread (from the Basque Boulangerie, if you’re local) rather than the suggested challah or brioche, but I’m sure they would be wonderful too.
A second note: we tried freezing the leftover finished slices of French Toast, and they freeze well! Just be sure they’re cool when you put them in the freezer and don’t pile them on top of each other – until they’re frozen. To defrost and eat I simply popped a slice in the toaster and it turned out great (though you might have to adjust the length of the toasting).
Alton Brown's French Toast
- 1 C half-and-half
- 3 large eggs
- 2 T honey, warmed in microwave for 20 seconds
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 8 (1/2-inch) slices day-old or stale country loaf, brioche or challah bread. (note: we prefer to use sweet – as opposed to sour – baguettes sliced into about 16 slices)
- 4 T butter
In medium size mixing bowl, whisk together the half-and-half, eggs, honey, and salt. This can be done the night before. When ready to cook, pour the mixture into a shallow bowl and set aside.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Dip bread into mixture, allow to soak for 30 seconds on each side, and then remove to a cooling rack that is sitting in a sheet pan, and allow to sit for 1 to 2 minutes.
Over medium-low heat, melt 1 T of butter in a 10-inch nonstick saute pan. Place 2 slices of bread at a time into the pan (or 5 or 6 if using a baguette) and cook until golden brown, approximately 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove from pan and place on rack in oven for 5 minutes. Repeat with all slices. Serve immediately with maple syrup, whipped cream, or, as we prefer, BigLittleMeals Strawberry Sauce!