The is a New Orleans style French toast which uses a delicious custard to coat the bread before caramelising it in the pan. It's a fantastic way to use up any stale bread or french sticks you might have. Served with maple syrup and berries, it's a bit of a naughty breakfast recipe but you need to treat yourself every now and then. Enjoy!
Category
Breakfast
Servings
4
Prep time
10 minutes
Cook time
30 minutes
The is a New Orleans style French toast which uses a delicious custard to coat the bread before caramelising it in the pan. It's a fantastic way to use up any stale bread or french sticks you might have. Served with maple syrup and berries, it's a bit of a naughty breakfast recipe but you need to treat yourself every now and then. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup (250ml) milk
- 1 cup (250ml) cream
- 1 vanilla bean, halved, seeds scraped
- ¼ cup (55g) caster sugar + 2 tbsp extra
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- fresh nutmeg, grated
- sea salt, to season
- 1 french bread stick, day old
- 50g butter
- maple syrup, icing sugar, fresh berries to serve
Directions
Whisk the eggs, milk, cream, vanilla seeds, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large bowl until well combined and sugar dissolves. Season with sea salt.
- Pour custard into a shallow tray.
- Slice baguette into 4 portions, then halve horizontally.
- Place bread slices in batter, turning to completely coat, and allow to soak for 5-10 minutes, until bread has fully soaked up the liquid.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C fan force (355°F).
- Heat half the butter in a large oven-proof frying pan over medium-high heat.
- Cook half the soaked bread, cut side down for 2 minutes, until golden brown.
- Turn bread over, then sprinkle half of the extra sugar over the top.
- Transfer pan to oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, until caramelised and puffed. Repeat with remaining bread and butter.
- Serve pain perdu drizzled in syrup, with some berries and dusted with icing sugar.
Recipe notes
FAQs
Can I use fresh bread instead of day-old?
Technically yes, but it might turn soggy pretty quick. Slightly stale bread soaks up the custard without collapsing. If yours is too fresh, give it a quick toast in the oven first.
Do I have to use a vanilla bean?
No, a teaspoon of good-quality vanilla extract will do the trick.
Can I make it dairy-free?
Swap the milk and cream for your favourite dairy-free alternatives like coconut milk and almond cream. Use plant-based butter too.
