I know the latest IMBB sung the praises of stale bread but really, can this be done too often? No. And, of course, the quintessential stale bread feast is French Toast. Add some nuts and fresh berries and you have one great breakfast. Add some mimosas and bacon for a truly decedent brunch.
Strawberry-Almond French Toast
1/2 to a full stale baguette (or other stale loaf of bread) — ours was a half a 2-day old French baguette from New Seasons
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup of milk
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp almond extract
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 pint of fresh strawberries, washed and sliced
1 tbsp butter
1/4 cup slivered almonds (or other nuts — I used walnuts as I had no almonds)
Maple Syrup
Slice the baguette into 1/2 inch thick pieces. When I know I am going to make French Toast, sometimes I even slice the bread when it’s fresh and then let it dry out already sliced.
Next, make your egg-milk mixture. If you use a whole loaf, you might want to add a bit more milk and perhaps even another egg. Add beaten eggs and milk together, along with the sugar, vanilla, and almond extract. Whisk to a frothy incorporation.
Pour mixture into a baking dish or some sort of dish that can accommodate the bread slices. Speaking of which, add the bread slices and let soak for about five minutes on each side.
Heat a skillet and add the butter. Melt over medium heat. Add slices of your bread but don’t crowd the pan. The bread needs its space, man. Let your French toast cook on each side until golden and a nice crust forms — about 4-6 minutes per side.
Lay 3-4 slices out on each plate and serve with the berries, nuts and warm maple syrup.
Wow!
I’ll take some of that, thank you!
I tried this using 2 eggs, a teaspoon of grated orange peel and 1/2 cup of fresh-squeezed orange juice instead of the milk and sugar. (For two generous portions). I substituted stale panetone bread for the baguette. It came out really well and was a bit less fattening.