How to Make French Toast

Learn to make awesome French toast at home! Our simple guide uses easy ingredients for a delicious breakfast. No more waiting at busy restaurants – make yummy French toast in your own kitchen and wow your family and friends. It’s easy and fun!

Jump to:

• What is French Toast?
• Easy Recipe
• Best Bread
• Ingredients
• Preparation and Cooking
• Serving
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Other breakfast recipes to try
• Recipe
• 💬 Comments

What is French Toast?

French toast is a classic breakfast dish in which slices of bread are soaked in a mixture of egg and milk (sometimes called custard), and then pan fried until golden brown “toasted”. It is typically served with syrup and powdered sugar. Oftentimes times it is accompanied by fresh fruit such as berries or bananas. Spices such as cinnamon or nutmeg are sometimes added to further accentuate the sweet qualities of the dish.

Easy Recipe

The thing about French Toast is – it’s actually very easy to make! There are a few key things that will make our recipe a success. We’ll take a look at the best bread to use, the ingredients, how to make the batter, how long to soak the bread, and we’ll answer a few more questions along the way. 

Best Bread

French toast is best made with bread that balances softness and density, and brioche is an ideal choice. Its fluffy texture and sweet flavor not only absorb the egg mixture well but also add a delightful golden hue to the toast. Another excellent option is Texas Toast, a thickly sliced white bread known for its use in breakfast dishes and as a BBQ accompaniment. Challah, with its similarities to brioche in sweetness and pillowy texture, also achieves a beautiful golden toastiness. For those looking to experiment, French bread and Italian bread are hearty alternatives that hold up impressively against the egg mixture.

Ingredients

Our recipe uses all simple ingredients: bread (brioche is best – see above), eggs, milk, vanilla extract and butter. Does it get any easier than that?

What is the ratio of eggs to milk for French Toast?

I’ve found that the very best ratio of eggs and milk is 4 eggs for 1 cup of milk. This gives you a delicious French toast that’s fluffy and rich in flavor. Whole milk will give you an excellent mixture with full flavor. Milk with much less fat or skim milk can be a little thinner but will still work. Or you can go even thicker by using half and half. But for this recipe, let’s go with the most common whole milk or 2% milk.

The secret ingredient is…

Vanilla extract. Vanilla extract is a popular ingredient in baking. It has a light vanilla taste, but its main job is to make other flavors in the recipe taste even better. It’s like a flavor booster that helps everything else taste great.

Preparation and Cooking

Start by mixing the eggs, milk, and vanilla extract in a large, wide bowl. Make sure the bowl is wide enough so that we can dip our bread. Use a hand whisk or fork and mix it really well. You want it to be airy and almost frothy.

Next, have your pan ready. Use a good skillet, griddle, or frying pan and melt the butter over medium-low heat.

Dunk your slices of bread into the egg mixture for about 5 seconds each. Remove from the mixture and place directly into the pan, single layer of course. Cook for about 2 minutes or until nice and golden brown, then flip and cook the other side until golden brown, too. The whole process takes about 5 minutes.

Serving

Let’s make our French toast even tastier with some awesome toppings! Have you tried real maple syrup? I’m talking about the 100% pure kind, not just any “pancake syrup”. It really makes a difference! Once you put your toast on the plate, top it with a little butter or margarine. Then pour on that amazing syrup, and finish off with a sprinkle of powdered sugar. A cool tip: put the powdered sugar in a salt shaker, so you can easily sprinkle it on your toast. Or, use a flour sifter to get that perfect dusting of sugar.

Fresh fruit is a perfect topping for French toast. Try blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, or blackberries for a sweet, fruity flavor. Don’t forget about sliced bananas too! They’re all great choices to make your French toast extra yummy.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to store leftovers?

French toast can be stored in an airtight container or plastic bag for a day or 2 in the refrigerator. Don’t go longer than a couple of days. You can also freeze it in a sealed container or plastic freezer bag. Just make sure to use a piece of wax paper in between the slices.

How to reheat French toast?

The simplest way is to, of course, microwave. It won’t take very long. About 1 minute for refrigerated and about 2 minutes from frozen. You can also place them on a cookie sheet in the oven at 400°(F) for about 4 minutes per side.

My favorite way to reheat French toast is in the air fryer. 400°(F) for just a couple of minutes and we get some good crispiness!

Why is my French Toast always soggy in the middle?

French toast can get soggy if it’s soaked in the custard mixture too long. Also, if we use too much milk, the results can be less than ideal. For this recipe, we use four eggs to 1 cup of milk. 

Can I substitute the milk?

Absolutely! In fact, if you’re looking to avoid dairy, almond milk makes excellent French toast. Keep the amount the same.

Other breakfast recipes to try

Now that you’re the star of breakfast time with our French toast recipe, why stop now? Let’s get that breakfast table filled with some more awesome food!

Have you ever had a frittata? Oh my goodness they’re amazing! It’s like a little quiche but without all the work. In fact, I have great frittata recipes for both the air fryer and the Instant Pot: Easy Air Fryer Frittata, Best Damn Instant Pot Frittata. They are perfect to accompany our French toast.

How about some bacon? I mean, naturally a side of bacon with French toast makes a complete breakfast, right? Maybe you’ve never been too comfortable dealing with the mess of making bacon the traditional way. Use your George Foreman Grill to make perfect bacon!

And if you want a French toast variation that’s on the sweeter side, try our Cinnamon Roll French Toast. Wow, just wow… it’s a little thicker, loaded with cinnamon and topped with an easy cinnamon roll icing you know and love. This one is a huge hit with the kids!

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