French Toast
Stale bread soaks up the egg mixture, while fresh bread just swims in it, which is why this recipe is perfect for leftovers.
- Preparation
- 10 min
- Cook/bake time
- 12 min
- Total
- 22 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
Stale bread soaks up the egg mixture, while fresh bread just swims in it, which is why this recipe is perfect for leftovers. Two-day-old slices have lost water and absorb liquid instead without falling apart. The rest is just butter, cinnamon, and a pan that must not be too hot.
Why this works
Fresh bread contains a lot of bound water and has a soft, elastic crumb structure, so it can hardly absorb any liquid and falls apart when flipped. Stale bread is not simply drier, but has also undergone a structural change: its starch has retrograded, meaning it has partially crystallized, and this firmer structure withstands the egg mixture. It soaks it up like a sponge and still keeps its shape. The second point is the pan temperature. The egg in the milk coagulates at 70 to 80 degrees. If the pan gets too hot, the outside will be brown in one minute while the core is still liquid. Medium heat and three minutes per side bring both together at the same time.
Step-by-step instructions
- 1
Mix the egg mixture
Thoroughly whisk the eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a shallow dish. Thoroughly means whisking until no more streaks of egg white are visible, as these would otherwise appear as rubbery threads on the finished bread.
- 2
Soak the bread
Place the slices in the mixture for twenty seconds per side. Two-day-old bread will soak up completely in this time, whereas fresh bread would fall apart after just five seconds. The slices should feel heavy but still stay in one piece.
- 3
Fry over medium heat
Melt half of the butter in a non-stick pan over medium heat and fry the slices for three minutes per side until golden brown. Medium heat is crucial, because over high heat the outside will brown while the egg mixture inside remains liquid.
- 4
Toss in cinnamon sugar
Mix the sugar and cinnamon on a plate and toss the still-hot slices in it. Warmth is important, as the sugar will not stick to cooled bread and will fall off at the first bite.
Our best tips
- The bread must be stale, at least two days old. Fresh bread does not soak up the liquid but falls apart, making this not just a budget recipe but a technical requirement.
