I hated bananas from the tender age of 6 straight through until the ripe old age of 32.5. I remember it very distinctly. I was with my parents in the Disneyland parking lot. I saw a man eating a banana, chewing wide with his mouth open. I couldn’t take my eyes away because it was 100% disgusting. Have you ever seen anyone eat a banana, chewing with their mouth open? Even in my six year old brains I was like… WELP, there goes that fruit. BANANAS ARE DISGUSTING.
I had a similar experience in a chain diner with a plate of cold french toast. It was rubbery, and weird and no amount of powdered sugar or maple syrup could save it. In my child brains I was like.. WELP, there goes that fine breakfast food. Until, that is, last Sunday when I was staring down a fine loaf of soft brioche, two eggs, and some heavy cream think… I really should give this another shot.
I was so wrong. French Toast, especially when made in very small, personal-sized batches, is DELICIOUS! Not soggy or rubbery. Best eaten in silence with hot coffee and weird Internet news (as one does with the weekend).
If we’re going to take the time to turn our bread and eggs into French Toast, we might as well use the best bread we can.
Go for an eggy brioche. It’s like a pillow of bread, egg, and butter. It’s absolutely delicious on its own so, surely it will be extra divine as French Toast!
Sidenote: do the French eat French Toast?
Two eggs are whisked very well with heavy cream. Cinnamon is mixed with sugar and added to the eggs and cream. Mixing the sugar with the cinnamon will keep the cinnamon from being lumpy clumpy as it’s whisked into the wet ingredients.
Here’s the deal: I made two stellar slices of French Toast. Two for me… that’s right. If you’d like to make this a serving for two, double the bread, add more cream and a dash more sugar. Not hard. Easy as can be. The instructions for a small but double batch of French Toast are below.
Thick sliced brioche is dipped into the sweetened egg and cream. Allow to bread to sit and soak for 15 seconds. Enough for a creamy and eggy bread… not soggy.
Flip and do the same! For a single batch, you’ll have some extra egg mixture. That’s just how this goes. For a double bath, you’ll have less extra. It’s all good.
From the egg mixture to the hot pan with melted butter.
One flip will do, and we’re off to French Toast heaven.
Cool quickly, until all two or four slices are butter-toasted and browned. Top with more cinnamon sugar, a few colored sprinkles, and/or pure maple syrup.
I feel like I’ve figured out at least part of you weekend. I hope the rest is a good one.
Also… I mostly like bananas now. In case you were worried. (I can’t imagine you were.)
Print
French Toast for One or Two
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 4
- Total Time: 14 minutes
- Yield: 2
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 1/3 cup heavy cream, half and half, or whole milk (use 1/2 cup for 2 servings)
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar (1 1/2 tablespoon for 2 servings)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (heaping 1/4 teaspoon for 2 servings)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 or 4 thick slices brioche bread (4 slices will be for 2 servings)
- 2 tablespoons butter (3 tablespoons for 2 servings)
- pure maple syrup for serving
Instructions
- In a medium shallow bowl, whisk together eggs and cream (or whatever milk you’re using). In a small bowl, stir together the granulated and cinnamon. Stirring the sugar and cinnamon together will keep the cinnamon from clumping up in the egg mixture. Whisk the eggs, cream, sugar and cinnamon until the egg whites are broken down and well mixed into the cream.
- Place a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add a pat of butter, about 1 tablespoon and allow to melt. Dip one slice of brioche into the egg mixture. Allow to sit for 15 seconds then flip to moisten and coat the other side. Allow to sit for another 15 seconds.
- Place the dipped slice of bread in the hot skillet and cook until golden brown, about 1 minute and 30 seconds. Gently flip and cook on the other side until golden brown. Don’t press down and flatten the toast. Keep it fluffy. Continue until both or all of the slices are cooked, adding more butter to the pan as necessary throughout cooking.
- Serve warm with more cinnamon sugar and maple syrup. Bacon, too… because always.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
Sarah F
Where does one find such beautiful brioche?
The Queen of Dreaming
Why in Italy we don’t eat these marvellous things for breakfast? Oh gosh!!
https://justsem.wordpress.com/
Ruthie
My mom always made French Toast with a similar method. But with an genius way to measure the milk/cream – crack the egg and use the half shell to measure the liquid. Use 2 half shell measurements per egg. Fewer dishes and always delicious.
Love your site, Joy! :)
Fanny
We do eat french toast but we call it “pain perdu”, which literally means “lost bread”, because it was originally made with old bread that was too hard to be eaten. The recipe isn’t exactly the same though, but yours looks delicious!
xxx
Bella B
French toast is one of my favourites! This recipe looks like such a treat!
xoxoBella | https://xoxobella.com
JessicaD
(I was honestly a little worried about your banana situation. I also DESPISE the fruit so admire you for giving them another go. I try a little bite every few months (b/c it would be nice and easy to like bananas again), but no dice. What made you like them again?)
Nancy K
I so identify with your banana story. I worked with a woman who always chewed with her mouth open. She would chew at talk at lunch meeting and it was all I could do to not excuse myself and leave the room. I often wondered if others were as repulsed.
That said, I do like bananas and LOVE french toast. Your version looks so decadent and delicious…yum.
Abbie E.
Love! It looks so delicious!!!!
Abbie E.
https://abulouslife.blogspot.com/
Stacy
Maybe a silly question, but are you using fresh bread? I have always dried it out a bit or gotten stale.
Erika E. Robbins (@eedgerley)
I feel the same about bananas. I can eat them now, but only if there are no better options. :) I looove French toast though, always have.
Cynthia
Mash a ripe banana into your cream mixture next time you make French toast. You’ll need to cook it at a lower temperature so the banana sugar doesn’t burn, but the extra effort is sooo worth it. Substituting the banana for the egg and coconut cream – or better yet, vegan “eggnog” – for the dairy cream is how I make vegan French toast.
joythebaker
oh wow! sounds great!
Theresa
I love reading your blog! I have subscribed to others and then unsubscribed because they weren’t as good as yours. I made your French toast today, delicious. The vanilla in the ingredients isn’t in the instructions. The best French toast is at Wildwood Cafe in McMinnville, Oregon and Sassy Onion Grill in Salem, Oregon. They put a layer of oats on the outside so it is crunchy. They don’t serve it that way in Seattle and I tried making my own but haven’t gotten it down yet. If you could figure out a way to put crunchy oats on it that would be awesome! (I tried mixing quick cook oats with cinnamon and sugar and dipping the eggy bread in them. It is good, but not GREAT. Maybe I need better bread, cream and old-fashioned oats.)
joythebaker
Crunchy oat French Toast!? I’ll put my brainpower on this!
Sara
Uhhhh… YUM! I have Celiac disease and can’t eat bread, but my beloved can and he will be thanking you for all eternity for this recipe!!!
-sara
https://almostpaleokitchen.blogspot.com/
pat.
Love good French toast. Incidentally WDW’s Tonga toast is the best–has a banana in it.
Jayne
You’ve got me thinking about making French toast for breakfast tomorrow. I love eggy anything! I’ve done a version where Greek yogurt is mixed into milk and then beaten into the eggs. I kinda like the tartness since we’re going to pour a load of syrup/honey over, aren’t we? But that made think a little too hard about the nationality of the toast. French/Greek/European?