Best Extra Crispy French Toast Recipes

THE BEST FRENCH TOAST I'VE EVER MADE

Steps:

• Choose your bread. If you like very thick french toast (you should try it at least once!), find a local bakery and get yourself a loaf of challah or brioche bread (buy a day-old loaf if they have it.) I don't like using French bread or the regular loaves you find in the deli at the grocery store; the crusts turn out too chewy. You want a nice soft edge. If you can't get to a bakery, head to the grocery store and buy the thickest and softest white bread you can find. (3/4 inch or thicker.) Texas toast is great. I like to use the Artesano brand of bread; they sell a pre-sliced brioche loaf that is pretty legit. But their white bread is also nice and soft. See photos.
• Slice your bread with a serrated knife if you are working with a whole loaf. See photos. I like my slices to be about 1 and 1/4 inch thick, which feels a little ridiculous, but trust me. You can even go up to 2 inches if you're feeling wild. Don't slice thinner than 3/4 inch.
• Set your bread aside, spread out so that it gets a little dried out. Day old bread is great for French toast. In France, they call this dish "Lost Bread" because it's what you make when you have dried out bread to use up. (I experimented with toasting the bread first, but thought it dried out the finished product too much.)
• Make the egg mixture. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl,* whisk together 3 egg yolks, 1 and 1/2 cups heavy cream* or half & half, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon vanilla, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and a pinch of nutmeg, if you like. Whisk until it is completely smooth and the cinnamon is well incorporated.
• Pour the mixture into a shallow dish like a pie plate, or an 8x8 inch pan. Place a slice of bread in the mixture and let it sit there for 10 to 20 seconds. How long you soak it depends on how thick your bread is. It should be soft when you touch it, but still hold itself together. Flip the bread and soak the other side. You can start cooking the French toast right away, or you can place the soaked bread on a baking sheet or plate while you finish soaking all of them.
• Cook the French toast: Heat an electric griddle or large 12 inch skillet over medium low heat. When it is hot, add 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (or any oil with a high smoke point.) Swirl it around until the pan is coated. Place the French toast on the pan with 1 to 2 inches in between each slice of bread. Cook on medium low heat for 3-5 minutes. The timing depends on your oven or griddle, so stick around and keep an eye on it.
• Caramelize. When the bottom of the first side is LIGHT brown (we are going to cook this side twice), sprinkle about a half tablespoon granulated sugar on the top (raw) side of the bread. Flip the toast, sugar side down, and fry until golden brown, about 2 minutes. (Be sure to swirl the pan so oil re-coats it, or add more butter/oil if necessary). Then, sprinkle another half tablespoon of sugar on the cooked side, and flip it over again so that it lightly caramelizes the first side.
• Keep your toast warm. Preheat your oven to the "keep warm" setting, about 170 degrees F. As you finish frying the toast, transfer each one to a wire cooling rack set over a baking sheet. Keep toast warm in the oven until ready to serve.
• I honestly don't even put maple syrup on caramelized French toast. I feel like it doesn't really need it, plus it makes the caramel edge not as crunchy. I like to eat it plain, or with a little jam. But maple syrup is really delicious if you are in the mood! A sprinkle of powdered sugar and a berry garnish never hurt either.
• Keep leftovers stored covered in the fridge. It will keep for 3-5 days. You can reheat leftovers in the microwave or the toaster. Or heat your oven to 350 and heat the toast all together on a wire rack set over a baking sheet, until the toast is warmed, about 5-10 minutes.

HOW TO MAKE CRISPY FRENCH TOAST STOVETOP

Steps:

• In a wide bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, sugar and vanilla extract together until smooth and the egg whites are completely incorporated.
• Toast the bread to golden brown.
• Soak the toasted bread, 2 slices at a time, in the egg mixture about one minute per side or more for very thick bread.
• Place a coating of oil in a large skillet and heat over a high flame.
• Test the heat by dropping a dab of the egg mixture into the pan. If it sizzles immediately, it's ready. Turn the flame down to medium-high.
• Pull the bread from the liquid and allow the excess to drip off. Drop the bread into the pan and cook until golden brown on both sides.
• If cooking in batches, place cooked slices, in a single layer on a wire rack and keep warm in a 300°F oven.
• Top with my DIY bourbon maple syrup or homemade spicy maple syrup.

CRISPY FRENCH TOAST

Steps:

• whisk first 5 ingredients together in a shallow dish -- set aside.
• spread crushed cereal on a plate.set aside.
• dip bread slices into egg mixture; turn once to coat both sides.
• place in crushed cereal; turn once to coat both sides.
• arrange on a buttered baking sheet --
• bake at 450* for 5 minutes.
• flip bread slices.bake an additional 5 minutes.
• drizzle with maple syrup; serve warm.

CRISPY FRENCH TOAST

Steps:

• Place corn flake crumbs in a shallow dish and set aside.
• Combine milk, eggs, sugar and cinnamon in a medium size bowl and dip bread into mixture coating both sides well the dip into corn flake crumbs.
• Grill or fry in a pan coated with cooking spray, cook bread on medium heat until both sides are golden brown, turning once. Serve hot with maple syrup.

CRISPY FRENCH TOAST

Steps:

• In a shallow dish, combine the egg substitute, milk, orange juice, vanilla and nutmeg. Add bread; soak for 5 minutes, turning once. Coat both sides of each slice with cornflake crumbs. , Place in a 15x10x1-in. baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 425° for 10 minutes; turn. Bake 5-8 minutes longer or until golden brown. Freeze option: Remove baked French toast from pan to wire racks to cool. Freeze between layers of waxed paper in a resealable plastic freezer bag. To use, place frozen French toast on a greased baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 425° oven for 5-7 minutes or until heated through. Or, microwave each French toast on high for 30-60 seconds or until heated through.

CRISPY BAKED FRENCH TOAST

Steps:

• Beat eggs together with milk, sugar and Vanilla extract in shallow bowl until well blended. Place panko in pie pan or shallow dish. Dip each bread slice into egg mixture, thoroughly coating both sides; then coat both sides of bread slices with bread crumbs. Place on large wire rack.
• Add butter and oil into 17-1/4 x 11-1/2-inch jellyroll pan. Place pan in 400 degrees F. oven 1 to 2 minutes, or until butter melts. Remove pan from oven.
• Place bread slices into pan, in single layer, turning over once to coat both sides of bread slices with butter mixture.
• Return to oven and bake 15 minutes. Turn bread slices over and bake 10 minutes longer, or until golden brown.
• Serve with butter and maple syrup.

FLUFFY FRENCH TOAST

Steps:

• Measure flour into a large mixing bowl. Slowly whisk in the milk. Whisk in the salt, eggs, cinnamon, vanilla extract and sugar until smooth.
• Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium heat.
• Soak bread slices in mixture until saturated. Cook bread on each side until golden brown. Serve hot.