Whole-Wheat French Toast

The key to this recipe is definitely the bread. One of the most important lessons I hope people take away from this blog is that you must always read the ingredients label (if it is processed enough to have a label) before buying/eating anything. For years I bought my husband Arnold’s “Whole Grains” Health Nut Bread from the grocery store until one day we finally read the ingredients. If it only takes a handful of key staples to make bread (flour, water, yeast, salt) why did we find 40 items on the list?  It was rather disturbing so we of course immediately made a switch and started buying our bread from a true bakery (and no, it’s not one of those so-called bakeries located in the grocery store…don’t let those fool you either). Our bread now only has 5 ingredients, and it is by far the best whole-wheat bread I’ve ever tasted. I’ve actually been toying with the idea of trying to make my own bread (with a bread maker of course), but I’m a little worried that it won’t be as good as what we get from Great Harvest! So making French Toast or not….please make sure you are at least starting off with the right kind of bread.

Now that we got that out of the way you will not believe how easy it is to make this recipe. And don’t feel like you have to stick to the basics if you are in a creative mood. You could easily switch things up by cutting your bread out with fun cookie cutter shapes or even adding some extra flavor to the mix. I think adding a dash of nutmeg, some orange zest, or even a splash of Grand Marnier would really make this dish extra special. Also, don’t feel like this meal can only be served for breakfast…I actually made this French Toast for dinner last weekend, and as you can imagine it was a big hit! And if you have kids this is actually the perfect recipe for little helpers. Don’t stress about the raw egg factor, just let them roll their sleeves up and dig in. As you can see in the picture below both of my daughters eagerly prepped our bread for us. I barely had to do anything, and it was kind of nice!

Whole-Wheat French Toast

Course: Breakfast, Main Course

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Servings: 4

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Ingredients

• 5 pieces whole-wheat bread
• 4 eggs
• 1/3 cup milk (or heavy cream)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• butter for cooking
• pure maple syrup for serving

Instructions

1. Cut the bread into desired shape (we made triangles).
2. Whisk together the eggs, cream or milk, and vanilla in a shallow dish.
3. One-by-one dip the bread into the egg mixture until it is evenly coated on both sides. Let the excess run off before transferring the pieces to a plate.
4. If you have a griddle turn it to 325 degrees F. If you don’t have a griddle don’t fret…any old sauté pan will do. If using a pan place it over medium heat.
5. Melt a teaspoon or two of butter in your pan/griddle then add the first batch of battered bread. The key is for the finished product to be cooked all the way through by the time the outside turns brown so the heat should not be too high.
6. Cook until golden brown on both sides. Add a little more butter for a second batch if necessary.
   Serve warm with pure maple syrup and a side of fruit. Enjoy!
   

Recipe Notes

We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.