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Nothing beats a classic French Toast when it’s made right! Thick slices of brioche or challah bread soaked in milk and cream, then toasted in butter til golden and topped with all your favorites like fresh fruit, syrup, powdered sugar, nutella, and homemade whipped cream.
Here’s How You Make It
Ingredients
Step By Step Instructions
Follow these simple instructions for the easiest way to learn how to make French toast.
- Get out a large bowl and in it whisk together the eggs, heavy cream, milk, vanilla, sugar, and cinnamon (if using).
- Now, arrange the bread slices in a single layer in a casserole dish and pour the egg mixture over the top of the bread. Then, turn the bread slices over once to coat them evenly. Allow the easy French toast to soak for 10 minutes.
- While bread is soaking, turn your attention to preparing the whipped cream. Combine the heavy cream and the maple syrup in a bowl and whip with an electric mixer on high speed (or by hand) until stiff peaks form. Pop the whipped cream in the fridge until you’re ready to serve it.
- Ready to cook this classic French toast? Preheat a griddle or skillet to medium heat and melt the butter on it. Using tongs, transfer the bread slices to the preheated griddle/skillet and cook the bread for 4-5 minutes or until it’s golden brown on the bottom.
- Flip and cook the French toast for 3-5 minutes longer on the other side. (If you’ve found it’s browning too quickly, reduce the heat to medium-low.)
- For the grand finale: Serve this simple French toast warm with whipped cream and your favorite toppings!
Why This Recipe Works
Soaking the bread all at once — What always kept me from making French toast was the time it took to dip each piece of bread into the egg mixture, coating both sides, and then grilling it up. I so wish I would have thought of pouring the eggs over the French toast at once in a casserole dish a long time ago. It’s such a time-saver!
Maple whipped cream — Sure, plain whipped cream is delicious but have you ever added maple syrup to your whipped cream? Game-changer! Just a touch is all you need to take this French toast topping to the next level. (Be sure to use real maple syrup — the other stuff just doesn’t whip into the cream well at all.)
Feeds a crew — The other great part about making the best French toast is it feeds a crew! And, if you need more (say, a brunch is in the works), then this recipe easily doubles. Need the work to go even faster? Ask your significant other or a kid to do the bread soaking while you man the griddle.
Simple ingredients — It doesn’t get much easier than bread, eggs, milk, cinnamon, butter, sugar, heavy cream, maple syrup, and a few other simple ingredients. You probably have most (if not all) of it in your pantry and fridge right now.
What Is the Trick to French Toast?
Do you feel like your French toast never stacks up? There are a few “tricks” you can employ to help you cook the best French toast ever, like:
- Don’t use just any old bread. The thicker the better. I love to use Brioche bread but you could also use French or Italian bread or Challah. You need a nice, thick bread to soak up all that egg mixture and cook up with a bit of a chewy outside texture. You’re not going to get that from your basic white sandwich bread. French toast is also a great use for stale bread!
- While we’re on bread, make sure it’s thick-sliced. About 1 inch is my go-to bread thickness.
- Get creative with the toppings! Why stop at maple syrup? Other great toppings include fresh berries, powdered sugar, cinnamon (mmmm cinnamon French toast is the best), crushed nuts, or even jams. (I like to add fresh jam to the microwave for a few seconds to turn it into a syrup!)
- Use butter (not oil) when cooking the bread for this simple French toast. It makes all the difference to adding that crispy, golden-brown crust on the outside of the bread. Oil will make the bread soggy.
- Make the egg mixture fancy by adding in cinnamon, vanilla, sugar, and more (but not everything at once). It will make all the difference in flavor and elevate your French toast way beyond just a boring egg-and-milk mixture.
What Is the Original French Toast?
French toast isn’t actually French! Sad to say it, but it’s true. According to the history books, the first recipe for what we now know as French toast was found in Rome around the 5th century AD. (What?!)
The method of cooking bread “French-toast-style” gave the Romans an easy recipe for using up stale bread in a delicious way. According to the recipe found, the bread was soaked in milk and eggs and then fried in oil or butter.
Other sources point to French toast being originated in Medieval Europe, again as a way to use up stale bread (nothing could go to waste, as food could be hard to come by).
Whatever it was called back then, the actual name of this preparation, “French toast” didn’t appear until around 1871 in the Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink.
Why Do You Put Milk in French Toast?
Milk adds flavor, moisture, and some fat to the egg mixture. The lactose (sugar) in the milk also reacts to the heat of the griddle, helping to give the French toast that great smell and crust.
If you don’t want to use dairy milk, you could substitute oat or almond. I’ve read that these do work, although I haven’t actually tried it myself. I imagine the egg mixture will be thinner than if you were to use whole milk or half-and-half and it will add a different taste to your French toast, though it could be great! (Try it and let me know what you think!)
Expert Tips
- Small skillet? No problem. Just remember to only use half the butter at a time if you need to cook this classic French toast in batches.
- If you like, you can substitute the heavy cream for more whole milk, or half and half for the whole milk. It’ll make the egg mixture a little thicker.
- I cannot emphasize enough that the bread choice matters. You’ll want to use a sturdy bread like Brioche, pullman, or challah to ensure it can hold up with the long soaking time and achieve a really fantastic texture. French and Italian bread (cut thick) will work in a pinch. Nooooooo to the sandwich bread!
- Cooked french toast will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. I recommend reheating it on the skillet with a little bit of butter to crisp it back up. It will get soggy in the fridge. I do not recommend freezing French toast.
- While you might be tempted to add more milk to the custard (egg) mixture to thin it out, this would be a mistake. Adding more milk than the recipe calls for will prevent the egg from cooking and you will end up with soggy bread. If you need more egg mixture, simply double the recipe as stated.
More Breakfast Recipes
Looking for other delicious, easy breakfast recipes? Try my recipes for Sheet Pan Eggs Benedict with Crispy Potatoes, Easy Crepes, and German Pancakes.
If you make this French Toast, please come back and let me know what you think by leaving a comment and rating the recipe! And be sure to snap a photo and email it or tag me on social media, I love connecting with you and seeing your CDLC creations!
Best Easy French Toast Recipe
Nothing beats a classic French Toast when it’s made right! Thick slices of brioche or challah bread soaked in milk and cream, then toasted in butter til golden and topped with all your favorites like fresh fruit, syrup, powdered sugar, nutella, and homemade whipped cream.
Servings: 4 servings
Instructions
In a large bowl whisk together eggs, heavy cream, milk, vanilla, sugar, and cinnamon (if using).
Arrange bread slices in a single layer in a casserole dish. Pour egg mixture over the bread. Turn bread slices over once to coat evenly. Allow to soak for 10 minutes.
While bread is soaking, prepare the whipped cream by combining heavy cream and maple syrup in a bowl. Whip with an electric mixer on high speed (or by hand) until stiff peaks form. Chill until ready to serve.
Preheat a griddle or skillet to medium heat. Melt butter on the griddle/skillet. Use tongs to transfer bread slices to the preheated griddle/skillet and cook for 4-5 minutes til golden brown on the bottom. Flip and cook 3-5 minutes longer (if browning too quickly, reduce the heat to medium-low). Tip: if you are using a skillet and can’t fit all of the bread on at once, you will want to use half of the butter to cook the first half of the French toast, then repeat process with remaining butter and bread.
Serve French toast warm with whipped cream and your favorite toppings.
Notes
The bread: you’ll want to use a sturdy bread like Brioche, pullman, or challah – this ensures it can hold up with the long soaking time and achieve a really fantastic texture.
Nutrition
Calories: 715 kcal, Carbohydrates: 52 g, Protein: 19 g, Fat: 48 g, Saturated Fat: 28 g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4 g, Monounsaturated Fat: 13 g, Trans Fat: 1 g, Cholesterol: 370 mg, Sodium: 421 mg, Potassium: 382 mg, Fiber: 2 g, Sugar: 28 g, Vitamin A: 1988 IU, Vitamin C: 1 mg, Calcium: 263 mg, Iron: 3 mg
