Did you know that the French toast recipe most likely originated in Rome rather than France? Those Romans have been rather creative with foods as they never wanted to waste anything, even stale bread. Most likely, the first French toast was made when cooks wanted to salvage the stale bread by dipping it in an egg mixture and then fry it in a pan. The practice caught on and countries all over the world have their own version of the French toast recipe.
Common Denominators in Everyone’s French Toast Recipe
All over the world, the French toast recipe will vary slightly although the basis is the same. Your slices of bread are dipped in a mixture of milk and eggs first and then are fried in a pan to achieve a crisp, brown color on the outside while retaining a soft inside texture.
The variations to the French toast recipe come in when you create the milk and egg mixture and even with the type of bread used. For instance, you can add flavorings to the liquid mixture such as vanilla extract, rum or some other flavor of extract or liqueur. In addition, spices are often added to the liquid in a French toast recipe such as cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger or even cardamom.
Even the milk itself can be different than your standard homogenized version when it comes to French toast. Consider using buttermilk or heavy whipping cream for a rich taste or eggnog that is plentiful during holiday season. And with the abundance of flavored coffee creamers on the market today, you could even use your favorite flavor in the French toast recipe.
The bread is another item in the recipe that can be manipulated for a unique eating experience. If you are hard up for bread, you can use the sliced variety that you would normally use for sandwiches. However, French toast can be so much more, so consider using fancier breads like French bread or even brioche. Sourdough bread, egg bread, Italian bread, croissants and even rye bread are options for your French toast recipe. The most important thing to remember when it comes to your bread is that you want to use at the very least, day old bread. Fresh bread will soak up too much of the egg and milk mixture and become soggy, thereby never producing a crisp outer French toast crust.
Topping your French Toast Recipe
You will be able to find a number of recipes via the internet or even your own cookbooks for a great French toast recipe. Just keep in mind that cooking your French toast is only half the battle! Are you going to serve it plain, sprinkled with powdered sugar or covered in some type of syrup? Fresh whipping cream topped with berries is a refreshing way to top off French toast. When it comes to this part of your French toast recipe, let your taste buds and appetite be your guide.
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