For those who think French Toast is French cuisine, we’re sorry to break it to you. It’s not.
According to a recipe book from the 5th Century, Romans wanted to prolong the life of their stale bread by dipping it in milk and egg before frying it. This reduces food waste since it makes the stale bread last longer.
This same dish is called “Pan Dulcis” in France or “the lost bread.”
It was called such for the same reason as the Romans: they use stale bread dipped with milk and eggs. It was regarded as economical so that people wouldn’t waste food.
On the other hand, they also believe that bread shouldn’t be thrown away because they considered it sacred.
It wasn’t until the 17th Century that it became popular and was called “French Toast.”
There is still no clear explanation of why it is regarded as “French” when it did not originate from France. People believe that since it became known when it was already called by its French name (Pan Dulcis), people regarded the food as a “French Toast.”
History aside, there are many ways that French Toast is made.
But Chef Jean-Jacques Bernat shows us how to make the ‘real’ French Toast.
For this recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients:
White bread (preferably a brioche or challah bread)
4 Eggs
¾ cup Brown sugar
Salt
¾ cup Milk
3 tbsp Butter
Fresh berries
Raspberry coulis
First, place the eggs and the brown sugar in a bowl.
Add a pinch of salt to your mixture and beat until the sugar dissolves. Then, add the milk and continue to blend until thoroughly mixed. You can add cinnamon and 2-3 teaspoons of heavy cream into the mixture if you prefer.
Get a non-stick pan and place it on the stove in medium heat.
Add the butter to the pan and let it melt. While doing this, cut the bread into ½ inch thick slices. In the video, Chef Jean-Jacques made four slices, but you can make more (around 2-4 more slices) if you like.
Place the bread slices in the batter.
Make sure to soak the bread evenly until it absorbs just the right amount of batter. Be careful not to let it absorb a lot, or your French Toast will end up very soggy.
Once the butter is hot enough, place the soaked bread slices.
Cook each side for 45-60 seconds per side or until it turns golden brown. Remove bread from the pan and transfer to a serving plate once it is cooked.
Add some fresh berries to your plate.
What Chef Jean-Jacques did in this video is cut some strawberries in half and then placed even slices per piece of toast. He also sprinkled some blackberries and raspberries over the plate and added a few grapes at the side.
Drizzle a raspberry coulis, and your breakfast is ready!
You can make your raspberry coulis by pureeing fresh raspberries. You can also sprinkle powdered sugar on top of your French Toast and drizzle some maple syrup. You can even add whipped cream if you like.
See the full, mouthwatering tutorial in the video below!
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
