A sad android camera photo by me

 

Easily multipliable— Quickest of the Quick French Toast

This is your “need to get food on the table now” kind of recipe. The serving size below is for one, making it easy for you to multiply by the number of people you need to serve. Don’t over think the lack of measurement in this case. A “small pinch” and “a splash” are vague, but empowering in this case. Love Vanilla Bean Paste? Add a bit more. Prefer a more balanced bite between sweet and savory? Make that pinch of salt a bit larger! This recipe is adaptable to what’s on hand, and how you like your French toast.

A special note, this recipe is for my Mom, who currently is battling cancer. Finding food she enjoys, that she is even interested in these days is a bit of challenge. Every day I can cook for her I feel lucky to be doing so. This is how she likes her French Toast best!

Ingredients:

  • 1 large egg

  • ¼ cup whole milk

  • Pinch of salt

  • Splash of Vanilla Bean Paste or Vanilla Extract 

  • 2 slices of leftover bread (this works well with day or two old bread, whether its grocery store white bread, or artisan Brioche. I told you this is a VERY adaptable formula.)

  • Butter (salted or unsalted works here, if you are using salted, add a smaller pinch to the custard mix.

  • 1 Tablespoon of brown sugar

  • Preferred toppings like maple syrup, brown sugar, strawberries, etc.

    Have it my Mom’s way, topped with sliced strawberries and a few more pinches of brown sugar!

Yield: One serving

Total time to complete: 10ish minutes (depending on portion sizes)

Tip: When making for 3 or more diners, preheat your oven to 200 degrees, and place a cooling rack on a sheet tray. Once you have cooked your pieces, keep the finished ones warm by placing them on the rack atop the sheet pan in the warm oven. The cooling rack helps to keep the pieces from getting soggy. This also allows you the ability to keep the toast warm while you make any additional items to round out your breakfast, like eggs!

Directions:

  • Step 1: 

    In a bowl large enough to dip your bread in, beat the egg, milk, pinch of salt and splash of vanilla until smooth. There is no need to incorporate air or volume here, just get the mix well blended.


  • Step 2:

    Heat a medium sized skillet over medium high on the stove, adding

    1 ⁄ 2 a tablespoon or as much butter is needed to lightly coat the pans surface. You may need to continue adding butter if you are cooking multiple batches.


  • Step 3:

    Dip your first piece of toast into the mixture a few times, and then allow the excess mixture to run off. Before placing the toast into the pan, sprinkle one side with a few pinches of brown sugar- placing that side down in the pan first. Immediately top the un-sugared side off with a few additional pinches. The brown sugar creates a nice bit of caramelization and adds some flavor too! Continue until your pan is full, but not over crowded (there should be some room in between the pieces to keep them from steaming, allowing some heat to escape the pan.) Flip the slices after 2-3 minutes and cook for another 2. Be sure you are getting some browning, continue cooking until you do!

    Transfer to the oven if you are working on a larger batch.

  • Step 4:

    Serve warm with butter, and consider the preferred topping in our house: sliced strawberries with another pinch or two of brown sugar!