If you were living by a set a food rules before this pandemic began, I am guessing you are either no longer following them or have created new ones by now. Keeping track of the days is challenging enough without having to keep track of what meal needs to made too! Things like Jammy Eggs and/ or French Toast are no longer considered breakfast or brunch faire only around here anymore. Not that there weren't some exceptions made every now and then, but now they are fair game for lunch and/or dinner. Before we go back to the next new normal, the way I/we think about foods served at the various meal times during a day will more than likely change permanently. And all things considered, this may be one of the better unintended outcomes to come out of all this!
The French Toast I had growing up was made with sandwich bread. With the exception of dinner rolls for Sunday dinner, it was the only bread we ever had in the house. Maybe it was on the thin, soft side bread used, but I was never a big fan of French Toast as a kid. It wasn't until I tasted some made with challah, brioche, or a thickly sliced hearty white bread did I understand what a really good french toast could taste like.
Yet, I was still a rather reluctant, fussytarian French Toast eater. Rarely ordering it out in restaurants or making it at home.
But all of that has changed. Not only is this the first and only French Toast recipe on the blog, I am now the self-appointed President of the French Toast Fan Club! Because now I know what a really, really, really, really good French Toast is supposed to taste like! After taking a few bites of this French Toast with Strawberry Butter, I am pretty certain I still won't be ordering it in a restaurant. As it's doubtful anything could come close to comparing with this one. So save yourself a future trip to the restaurant where you always order the to-die-for French Toast to stay home to make this one! Because this is THE ONE to-die-for!
The custard mixture for the French Toast is as important as the bread used. Using a dense, slightly sweet, eggy bread known as challah would always be my first choice. But if I couldn't find it or didn't want to make it, then the high butter and egg content brioche, the one with a rich tender crumb would be my second first choice. In other words, it may be hard to choose between the two of them. But if for some reason neither one of these could be found anywhere, then a hearty white, bakery-style, white bread, thickly sliced would enable you to make a French Toast meal worthy of receiving accolades. So here's the takeaway I want you to have: The bread you use when making this French Toast really matters.
Maybe the reason this French Toast with Strawberry Butter is so incredibly mouthwatering delicious is due to the amount of butter used. There is butter in the custard mixture, the bread is sautéed in butter, and the french toast is served with Strawberry Butter. You might be thinking, that's really alot of butter! And it would be if you ate all that this recipe makes. But there is no denying the butter adds a great depth of flavor to this French Toast. From enriching the custard base, to creating a beautifully browned finish, to creating an almost addictive Strawberry Butter, butter is one of the reasons why this French Toast is so drop-the-mic delicious. So, if you are only eating two or three pieces (you will be full, but you will definitely think about having a fourth piece), it's not too much at all.
The French Toast all on its' own is worthy of incredible high praise. But when it's served with this homemade Strawberry Butter, well just forget-about-it!
Ever wonder how to keep your batches of French Toast of warm until you are ready to put them on a serving platter? Well putting them on a wire rack on a large baking sheet in a warm 250 degree (F) oven makes it possible to bring a platter of warm French Toast to the table.
If there were ever a dish to make Staying at Home a little more bearable, it would be this one!
This is definitely not the French Toast I grew up eating. Not even close. This is the slightly more decadent, swoonworthy, eye-popping, palate pleasing, throw down worthy, pretty close to the best on the planet one! Serving the French Toast with Strawberry Butter for lunch and/or dinner comes with an added hidden benefit. It's gives you a perfect reason (not that you really need one these days) to open up a bottle of a good white or sparkling wine or to make Mimosas. Just saying.
French Toast with Strawberry Butter (a slight adaptation to Joanna Gaines's French Toast and Strawberry Butter recipes in her new cookbook Magnolia Table: A Collection of Recipes for Gathering, Volume 2.)
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
Strawberry Butter
1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup strawberry preserves
1/8 teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt
French Toast
12 Tablespoons (12 ounces) unsalted butter, divided
2 Tablespoon light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 large eggs
16-18 ounce loaf of challah, brioche or hearty white bread cut into generous 3/4" slices
Confectionary sugar for dusting
Maple Syrup for serving
Optional (maybe): Chilled white or sparkling wine to accompany the French Toast
Directions
Strawberry Butter
1. In a medium-large bowl, beat the butter until light and fluffy using a hand mixer (approximately 3-4 minutes).
2. Add in the strawberry preserves and salt. Beat until well blended, light and fluffy (approximately 2 minutes).
3. Transfer to a serving bowl. Serve at room temperature. Store butter covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Note: If made a day or two ahead, bring to room temperature before serving.
French Toast
1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees (F). Place a large baking sheet topped a wire rack in the oven.
2. In a large skillet, melt 6 Tablespoons of the unsalted butter. Set aside. Note: The skillet used to melt the butter will also be the skillet used to make the French Toast.
3. In a large bowl, mix the brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Pour the melted butter over the cinnamon/sugar mixture and whisk until the sugar is melted.
4. Whisk in the whipping cream and vanilla until well combined.
5. Add the eggs and whisk until completely blended and the custard mixture is smooth (approximately 1-2 minutes). Set aside.
6. Heat the skillet over medium-low heat. Add in 1 Tablespoon of butter and heat until utter has melted starts to get foamy.
7. While butter is melting, dip 2-3 slices of the bread into the custard mixture, coating both sides, and removing the drips into the bowl.
8. Place the dipped bread slices into the cook and cook until lightly browned on both sides (4-6 minutes total). Place cooked french toast onto the wire rack on the sheet pan to keep warm while you make the remaining slices. Note: While each batch of bread is being cooked in the skillet, place 2-3 slices of bread in the custard mixture.
9. Melt another tablespoon of butter into the skillet. Add another 2-3 slices of the dipped bread. Cook as directed above. Repeat until all of your custard has been used, adding one Tablespoon of butter for each batch cooked.
10. Place all of the cooked pieces of French Toast on a large platter. Lightly dust with confectionary sugar. Serve with the Strawberry Butter and some warm Maple Syrup!
Notes: (1) If you don't have homemade strawberry preserves, buy a high quality jar of one. I happen to like this one made by Bonne Maman. (2) When buying a challah bread at the grocery store, choose a dense, uncut loaf.