How to Make Perfect French Toast

This French Toast is cooked low & slow in clarified butter, which makes for a crispy exterior and custardy interior. The most perfect addition to Breakfast or Brunch.

Growing up, I was never a big french toast fan. It always seemed to be too eggy or too dry for my liking. This all changed once I started culinary school and we got to the breakfast module. My culinary instructor showed us the best way to make french toast, and I am sharing that method with you today.

French Toast Ingredients:

You’ll need a few ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen.

• Brioche Bread: I love using brioche because it is thick cut, and it is made up of lots of butter and eggs, so it really compliments this recipe. I like the Brioche Bread from Trader Joe’s.
• Milk: I’m using about a cup of whole milk here.
• Eggs: You’ll two eggs for this recipe.
• Vanilla Extract: just a dash of some pure vanilla extract will do.
• Spices: The spices I use in this recipe are cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
• Sugar: You’ll only need one tablespoon of sugar for the french toast custard.
• Clarified Butter: We’re using enough clarified butter just to coat the bottom of a skillet. If you do not have clarified butter, you can also use regular butter with a little touch of olive oil, just be careful to watch for any burning.

French Toast Tips & Tricks

My culinary instructor taught us a few key tips that helped me learn how to make french toast the proper way.

Tip 1: Use Clarified Butter

Clarified butter has a higher smoke point than regular butter since all of the milk solids are removed in the clarifying process. This means that it performs better under higher heat and will not burn as easily. Clarified butter also had a deeper butter flavor.

Tip #2: Let The Bread Soak Up The Custard

Dip the bread into the custard and let it absorb some until the bread feels spongey.

Tip #3: Cook French Toast Over Low Heat for 15 Minutes Total

The mistake that is most often made with french toast is not cooking it long enough so that the custard inside is cooked thoroughly. We’re going to be working over low heat here, so it is important to let it cook for 7 & 1/2 minutes per side.

Tip #4: DFWI!

If you don’t know, DFWI stand for “don’t F with it!”. We are often tempted to move things around or press on our french toast, but the best way to cook this is to just let it rock. Leave it alone. I promise it’ll be worth it.

Instructions:

Here are the steps you’ll need to make the best french toast ever:

1. Combine eggs, milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, sugar & vanilla into a dish and mix to form a custard.
2. Preheat a skillet with clarified butter over a low flame.
3. Dip the brioche slices into the custard and let the bread soak some of it up until it feels spongey (about 10 seconds per side).
4. Let excess custard drip off of the bread, and place into the preheated skillet. Cook for 7 & 1/2 minutes per side. Don’t touch it while its cooking! Just flip once after 7 & 1/2 minutes.
5. Remove french toast from the skillet after 15 minutes and serve with your favorite toppings.

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