Tipping Pitches: Man Food: French Toast

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Monday, October 5, 2009

Man Food: French Toast



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Starting to look like I'm a fan of breakfast, eh?  Or maybe it's just one of the few things I can do with food.  Yeah, that's more likely.

French Toast is one of the simplest meals you can make, but for whatever reason we far too often settle.  We settle for lame bread and little flavor.  Even in its simplest form, French Toast is good, but why settle for good when it can be great?

For year's I've tried to perfect my weekend French Toast.  Got to the point of obsession.  There was always something missing.  Do I make them fluffy by beating the egg whites first?  Do I use different bread?  Should I add anything to the standard eggs, vanilla and cinnamon trio?

I figured a few things out.
  • The type of bread you use can make or break your French Toast.  Don't settle for lame, thinly sliced sandwich bread.  I use an uncut loaf of California Sourdough, but feel free to experiment with other types of bakery-fresh bread.
  • Brown sugar!  Adds sweetness and helps the French Toast get a nice golden brown.
  • Cinnamon and vanilla needs a partner:  Fresh nutmeg.
  • Some people use milk in their French Toast.  I've used it before.  But you know what's even better?  Heavy whipping cream.  Thick, sweet, and it does a better job of keeping the ingredients together.
  • Fruit!  Yeah, I'm throwing fruit on man food.  Great without it, but even better with some berries on top.  Use whatever you have.  We've used strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries.  Feel free to mix and match.
1 loaf California sourdough bread (or other fresh bakery bread), cut into 3/4-inch slices
8 eggs
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp fresh nutmeg
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
Powdered sugar
Raspberries (or other berries of your choice)
Maple syrup


1) Preheat a griddle to about 325 degrees (will depend on your griddle).

2) Cut up the loaf.  Be liberal on the thickness, but not too thick.  I usually have about 14 slices when I cut up an entire loaf.

3) Beat up the eggs with a whisk and add the brown sugar, vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon, and heavy whipping cream.  I gotta be honest.  I don't measure this stuff.  It's pretty hard to mess it up.  Feel free to experiment.

4) Butter the griddle.  Dip each slice of bread individually in the egg mixture and turn two or three times.  Soak it up, but don't leave it in too long.  Let some of the mixture drip off, but not all and put onto the griddle.

5) Cooking times will vary.  Don't burn it.  Watch it.  Probably around four or five minutes per side.

6) Remove French Toast from griddle and spoon some powdered sugar over the top of each slice.  Position some berries on top and drizzle with syrup -- warm if you prefer.

7)  Eat.  Eat some more.

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