The Home Cook: Baked French Toast

The family myth goes like this...

My dad was watching my cousins while my Uncle and Aunt were on a weekend trip. On Sunday morning my little cousin asked my dad to make French Toast for breakfast. My dad being obliging and also knowing that French Toast is one of the few breakfast food he COULD make happily set to work with bread, eggs and milk. 30 minutes later my cousin was faced with a plate of syrup and butter drenched, hot off the stove goodness. To which he informed my dad that it could NOT be French Toast because French Toast came in sticks. From the FREEZER! And his mom always made it in the toaster. That morning my poor dad had to throw away two plates of French Toast and drive my cousins to Burger King so they could get the "real thing".

In my mind there are three ways to have French Toast. 1) At a restaurant. 2) At home, out of the toaster. 3) At home, taking the love, time and attention that REAL french toast needs. My dad always went with option 3. French Toast was one of the few breakfast food he could successfully make. His pancakes are like lead weights and his scrambled eggs are untouchable, but his French Toast is actually pretty good. Don't ask me how, I've never figured out how he gets it right...but based on the usual aftermath in the kitchen it must have something to do with using as many dishes and utensils as possible. Growing up French Toast always meant sandwich bread quickly dipped in an egg/milk mixture and fried up in a heap o' butter. It was fast, it was oily but it was good. And my dad always enjoyed being able to make us something other than rolls from a tube.

The year I left for college was the same year that I sat down to my first breakfast of French Toast made with French Bread. It was crusty on the outside and custardy on the inside. It was sweet and light and it was divine. I could never go back to sandwich bread French Toast ever again. And so began my odyssey for true French Toast. I've tried many recipes and many of them have been oh so good, but my favorite by far is one from Alton Brown's Good Eats. It has the crusty edges with the warm custard interior. It's rich and delicious and not a whole lot of work if you do all your prep the night before. In short it is the French Toast of my dreams, though I do still like it when my dad makes his French Toast.

A Variation on Alton Brown's French Toast

1 cup Half-and-Half

3 Eggs

2 Tablespoons Honey, warmed in microwave for 20 seconds

1/4 teaspoon Salt

1 teaspoon Vanilla

8 (1/2-inch) slices day-old or stale french bread, country loaf, brioche or challah bread

Cinnamon

4 tablespoons butter

In medium size mixing bowl, whisk together the half-and-half, eggs, honey, salt and vanilla. You may do this the night before. When ready to cook, pour custard mixture into a pie pan and set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Dip bread into mixture, allow to soak for 30 seconds on each side, and then remove to a cooling rack that is sitting in a sheet pan, and allow to sit for 1 to 2 minutes. Lightly dust with cinnamon if desired.

Over medium-low heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a 10-inch nonstick saute pan. Place 2 slices of bread at a time into the pan and cook until golden brown, approximately 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove from pan and place on rack in oven for 5 minutes. Repeat with all 8 slices.

Enjoy doused butter and the syrup of your choice. I like Vermont Maple Syrup...Tim likes Mrs. Butterworth's Original.