Perfect French Toast
Martha shows country music singer Patty Loveless how to make perfect french toast.
Perfect French Toast
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Perfect French Toast
Martha shows country music singer Patty Loveless how to make perfect french...
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The Martha Stewart Show, November 2005
- Yield Serves 6
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Ingredients
- 6 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- Juice of 1 medium orange, (about 1/4 cup)
- 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons cognac, (optional)
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- Zest of 1 lemon, (about 1 tablespoon)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
- Pinch of salt
- 6 slices bread, such as brioche, sliced 1-inch thick, preferably day-old
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
- Pure maple syrup, (optional)
Directions
- Whisk together eggs, milk, juice, vanilla, cognac, sugar, zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a bowl; set aside.
- Place bread in a shallow baking dish large enough to hold bread slices in a single layer. Pour egg mixture over bread; soak 10 minutes. Turn slices over; soak 10 minutes more or until soaked through.
- Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Place a wire rack on a baking sheet, and set aside. Heat 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Fry half the bread slices until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to wire rack; place in oven while cooking remaining bread. Wipe skillet, and repeat with remaining butter, oil, and bread. Keep in oven until ready to serve. Serve warm with maple syrup, if desired.
I finally found challah bread in my area and of course french toast was first on my list. I halved the recipe because just 2 people were having this. It is by far the best french toast I've ever had! My 10-year old was in awe.... Delicious, easy and fun to make with my son! The flavors are profound and warm with the spices play well together with the orange....
The name of this recipe says it all - perfect. I would not change a thing about the egg mixture. My husband, who is a French toast connoisseur, thoroughly enjoyed his breakfast, cleaning his plate and trying to guess the ingredients. I used French bread and did not let the pieces soak; I just poured the mixture over the top, picked the pieces up, and threw them in the pan. This prevented the middles from being too moist for our taste.
In Spain we call these "torrijas" and eat them for Easter. Main difference is that we just soak them in the flavoured milk and then coat them in the beaten egg (not milk and egg together). Then we deep fry them and coat them in granulated sugar. Not for you if you?Ǭ
When I make french toast I never soak the bread. I just put it in the mixture and quickly turn it and then fry it. So I decided to try Martha's way for three pieces and my way for the last three pieces. Both my husband and I preferred my way. Perhaps it is just what we are familiar with but both of us felt the "martha" way was uderdone as it seemed moist and uncooked to us.
The soaking was a lot, and it came out moist in the middle but my husband said that's how he likes it, so maybe that's just how some people eat their french toast? I wish I had read the thing about day-old bread the day before I tried this recipe - my bread was fresh and I can imagine the soaking being less damaging to a sturdier loaf. I cut down the butter (1 tbs. instead of two) because that much oil in the pan seemed a bit much.
Wow, this recipe is so much like mine. I wonder if mine is a Martha Stewart recipe. I got it from my mother. I agree with you ,JohnWhitaker, the soaking time must be a typo. You should only need to soak it for 30 seconds to a minute at the most :-)
I made French Toast from this recipe this morning. Throwing all common sense out the window (because I am a guy). How can you possibly soak the bread for 20 minutes?! It came out so soggy and wet, no matter how long you cooked it the center was still raw. What gives, Martha?
PS. I'm only 70% mad because the Pumpkin Pie recipe came out awesome on Thanksgiving.
Wonderful and very easy recipe! We love to have breakfast for dinner so I made this last night for my husband, brother, and I. Very flavorful. I left out the cognac and nutmeg since I didn't have either but other than that I followed the directions exactly and it really turned out delicious.
The lemon zest and juice of 1 orange are a welcome addition to this classic recipe. A new family favorite!
The lemon zest and juice of 1 orange are a welcome addition to this classic recipe. A new family favorite!
Maple syrup is nver optional-it is a requirement-God's perfect food!