How do you keep French toast crisp?

Keep it crispy He recommends setting the oven temperature to 375 degrees Fahrenheit . On the second rack, Brown lines up his slices of bread dipped in the egg and milk mixture. He lets them sit for a minute before frying them, either in a pan or on an electric griddle.

Can you put salt and pepper on toast?

Slice the loaf of bread into slices as thick or thin as you want. Butter each slice and place on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle lightly with salt; then sprinkle with pepper to taste .

How to make toast crunchy?

A heat of 350º will cause your toast to be more browned, while a heat of 400º will result in a crunchy texture. Remember that the higher the temperature is, the less time it needs on each side. Try leaving your toast in for four to five minutes on each side.

What is the secret to the best French toast?

The secret ingredient in this fluffy French toast recipe: all-purpose flour ! Flour binds the liquids together, which creates a more traditional “batter” and helps prevent soggy results. This extra ingredient ensures the French toast is crispy on the outside, but soft and fluffy on the inside.

Should I toast my bread before making French toast?

Use stale bread or toast the bread until it's golden-brown . It needs to be sturdy to hold up to the egg mixture. If the bread is fresh from the bag or you toast it too lightly, the finished dish will be soggy. Soak the toasted or untoasted bread for about 10 seconds per side to achieve the optimal texture.

Why is restaurant French toast so much better?

According to the chef, the difference comes down to two main elements: the use of high-quality yeasty bread and allowing it time to properly soak . While you can use regular old white bread at home, you may want to give yours an upgrade — try subbing in thick-cut slices of brioche instead.

How long to soak French toast before frying?

Ideally it's best if you can soak the bread in the french toast batter overnight however, if this cannot be done I suggest leaving it soak for a minimum of 30 minutes to 1 hour . As we want that custard like middle, cut very thick slices of bread.

How to make Elvis French toast?

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, warm peanut butter, melted butter, honey, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Pour the egg mixture into a shallow bowl or baking dish. Fry the French toast.

What is the salt and pepper trick?

Mix the salt and pepper in a pile. Then, quickly rub the balloon on your head and hold it close to the pile. Watch as the pepper jumps away from the salt! Rub the balloon for different lengths of time to hold different amounts of static to pick up more pepper.

What is salt and pepper called?

They may be considered condiments or seasonings ; salt is a mineral and black pepper is a spice.

How do you crisp up French bread?

How to Revive Stale Bread Begin by heating the oven to 300 degrees F. ... Take your whole loaf or partial loaf and run it quickly under running water just to wet the outside. ... Place the loaf on a baking sheet and heat until it is dry and crusty on the outside — 6 to 10 minutes, depending on its size and wetness. Apr 27, 2020

Why is my toast always soggy?

When toast is allowed to lay flat down, condensation can build up and get trapped on the underside . This moisture then seeps back up into the bread, causing one side of your toast to become soggy.

Is it normal for French toast to be soggy in the middle?

There are a couple of common mistakes that can really mess up your french toast. You don't want to turn your griddle heat up too high- the outsides will burn and the inside will be soggy . You don't want to use too much milk. Your batter should be more egg-y than milk-y if you want non-soggy toast.

Crispy Salt and Pepper French Toast Recipe on Food52 (2024)

Pan-Fry

by: aliyaleekong

October4,2010

4.5

6 Ratings

Crispy Salt and Pepper French Toast Recipe on Food52 (1)

Serves 4 to 6

Jump to Recipe

Author Notes

Savory, crispy French toast. Salty, with a heavy kick of black pepper. This was one of my favorite Sunday breakfasts growing up, the smell of the toasts frying up a scent memory that still takes me back.

This fried bread I grew up eating, called khara pao (khara means “spicy”), is South Asia’s answer to French toast, typically served with a kicked-up tomato ketchup. My family was partial to black pepper, but I’ve seen turmeric, chili powder, cayenne and even cumin added. And South Asia’s not the only one that goes the savory route. In other cultures, they do similar-style “eggy toasts”—Italy’s has mozzarella and tomato sauce, Russia’s is simple salt, egg and milk, and Hungary serves theirs with onions, tomatoes, ketchup, and even mayonnaise…

This version is so ridiculously easy to make, and requires ingredients we all usually have on hand. I’m a savory brunch person myself, and this is such a delicious alternative to the sweet version. The crispy, salty, pepper-heavy toast dipped in a cool, spicy, slightly sweet, tomato-ey ketchup is a truly heavenly combination that will quickly move into your go-to, I-have-leftover-bread-and-don’t-know-what-to-do-with-it rotation. Breakfast or even as a mid-afternoon snack—enjoy!
—aliyaleekong

Test Kitchen Notes

Aliyaleekong may have grown up eating this savory french toast, but for those of us who weren't so lucky, here's her easy recipe that might just make you turn your back on sweet french toast forever. It still pairs well with eggs and bacon, but (dare we say it?) this french toast would also make a mean Monte Cristo. - A&M —The Editors

Test Kitchen-Approved

What You'll Need

Watch This Recipe

Crispy Salt and Pepper FrenchToast

Ingredients

For the French toast:
5 eggs
3 tablespoonshalf-and-half
1 teaspoonsalt
2 teaspoonsblack pepper
1 ¹/₂ tablespoonsgreen onions, finely chopped (optional)
1 ¹/₂ tablespoonscilantro, finely chopped (optional)
vegetable oil
butter
8 (1/2-inch) slices day-old bread*, cut on the diagonal

For the sauce:
Ketchup
Sriracha

Directions

In a bowl or baking dish, beat together eggs with half-and-half, salt, pepper, green onions, and cilantro.
Heat a medium or large skillet over medium-high heat. Cover the bottom of the skillet with vegetable oil and add a tablespoon or two of butter for taste.
Dip the bread triangles into the egg batter, drain off any excess, and place straight into the hot pan. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes on each side – you want to develop a golden-brown color and the texture should be crispier than traditional French toast. Place cooked toasts on a paper towel-lined plate or rack to drain.
In a small bowl, mix together ketchup and hot sauce to your desired heat tolerance.
Serve toasts warm with a side of the spicy ketchup.
*I like to use a country or pullman loaf for this. You want it to stand up to the egg batter and not get mushy, so I always go for a day-old loaf.

Tags:

French Toast
French
Grains
Cilantro
Green Onion/Scallion
Pepper
Serves a Crowd
Pan-Fry
Spring
Summer
Fall
Winter

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Recipe by: aliyaleekong

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86 Reviews

Jessamin November 8, 2020

This is wonderful and will probably eclipse sweet toast consumption in my household. If you have sambal on hand, equal parts sambal and honey makes a lovely pepper-jelly-ish sauce to go with.

Adrienne L. December 22, 2019

Fantastic! Make sure to watch the toasting carefully, the first few slices was a little too crispy (ok, fine, blackened). Loved the use of scallions and cilantro, will use even more next time. One note, I used wheat bread which didn't turn out too well, will definitely use the white/French bread next time.

Cody E. November 21, 2018

This is a great savory version of french toast. Definitely adult! We had this for a hygge (hue-guh) with friends and family and the adults went ga-ga for it, the kids were not so thrilled... ha, ha! But I would, for sure, make this again!

Jacqueline H. December 7, 2017

In the U.K it's called eggy bread. Tried and tested favourite! It can be fancy, plain. Whatever you have to hand takes your fancy. Wonderful hangover cure too.

Karin H. November 13, 2017

Just made this with some slices of day(s)-old olive loaf - a huge success! This is going into my rotation for sure!

Isabella October 27, 2017

A great way to heat up leftovers is to use your toaster!! Both the sweet and savory versions come out hot and crispy!

Christina October 18, 2016

Does this reheat well? I made a batch last night and have some left over. And would you recommend reheating it in the oven, microwave, or in a pan on the stove? Thanks!

Threemoons July 29, 2016