Old Fashion French Toast {Simple French Toast Recipe} (2024)

FAQs

What is the original French toast? ›

According to a collection of recipes from the early 5th century AD, the dish we now know as French toast existed as early as the age of the Roman Empire. In their style of French toast, called Pan Dulcis, Romans would soak bread in a milk and egg mixture, then fry it in oil or butter.

How can you cook French toast so that it doesn't get soggy from the egg mixture but still gets soaked through in order to be soft inside? You need to slice your bread the day before and leave it out to dry overnight. That way, it soaks up the egg while maintaining its shape. Much better final texture.

Whatever you decide on, the ratio of liquid to egg will still be about ¼ cup liquid to one egg, and one egg per two slices of bread. So, if you want to make four slices of French toast, you would need four slices of bread, two eggs, and ½ cup milk.

Restaurant French toast is generally a superior product because of time. Letting it soak in the custard for up to five minutes allows more delicious dairy to be absorbed. This step is where having stale bread is essential. Using soft fresh bread will take on too much custard and become a mushy mess.

To assemble the Elvis french toast, place a piece of french toast on a plate, top with some bacon slices, caramelized bananas, maple syrup, a drizzle of peanut butter, and peanuts. To make the peanut butter easier to drizzle, you can microwave it in 10 second intervals, stirring it until it's smooth and runny.

For French toast, the amount of ingredients can make all the difference in the finished product. Too much, says Bon Appetit, could turn your bread into a soggy mess. The same could happen if you measure out a bit too much dairy.

Cooking it low and slow lets the bread soak up even more flavor. Stuffed French Toast: Chocolate, fruit, cream cheese or savory ingredients can all be stuffed inside French toast for extra flavor.

Nail the Egg-to-Milk Ratio

Eggs and milk are the essential components of the custard base that gives French toast its tender richness—but get their ratio off and you'll wind up with undercooked slices that have an unpleasantly savory "scrambled eggs" flavor.

Many French toast recipes call for vanilla extract. However, if you don't have any vanilla on hand or you just don't prefer the flavor, don't worry! You can simply omit the vanilla, or if you'd like, you can add another ingredient to replace it.

What's the difference between Texas French toast and French toast? ›

Quite simply, Texas French toast is exactly what it sounds like, French toast that has been made using the extra thick slices endemic to Texas toast. Since the cut of bread is so thick, it allows for greater absorption of the egg and cream mixture and longer frying times.

A staple food in France, French toast is named “Pain perdu” which translates literally to lost bread, reflecting the use of stale bread so it doesn't get “lost”. These slices of breads dunked in an eggy mixture and toasted in a pan are comforting, sweet and tender – and a breeze to make at home.

The Dictionary of American Food and Drink contends that the first egg-based recipe in print didn't appear until 1870; throughout the tail end of the 19^th century, similar recipes appeared under the monikers “French toast,” “Egg toast,” “Spanish toast,” and even “German toast.”

A Roman Empire recipe called “pan dulcis” is believed to be the origin of French toast. Romans would soak bread in a milk and egg mixture and then fry it in butter or oil. A 4th century Roman cookbook by Apicius had a recipe for “aliter dulcia,” which translates to “another sweet dish.”