French Toast with Homemade Whipped Cream
June 30, 2020
Something about Sunday makes me feel like I deserve French toast.
Maybe it’s that end-of-weekend, stay-at-home feeling I usually get on Sunday, but IMO it’s the best day of the week for an indulgent brunch. Wake up late, stay low key at home, and have a brunch that puts you into a lazy, afternoon haze.
I make my signature French toast with Challah or Brioche bread. The bread makes a big difference! I want a soft, sweet bread, like brioche, to create a decadent but delicate texture for my French toast. If you wanted more of a rustic, hearty French toast, you could opt for slicing up a crusty, French baguette which will offer more density and sturdiness and less melt in your mouth. French bread would actually work quite well if you are planning on topping your toast off with a lot of berries. The juice from berries can soak in a little too quickly with more delicate breads while the French baguette is going to be less fragile and can handle soaking up more juice without going limp.
Ingredients
- 1 loaf brioche or challah bread, but into 1 inch slices
- 4 eggs
- 1/4 cup half & half
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract *don’t use the vanilla “flavored” extract – make sure to grab the one that says “Pure”
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tbsp orange zest
- Maple syrup (for serving)
Fresh Whipped Cream
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tbsp turbinado sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp orange zest, for topping
Directions
- Make the whipped cream with a mixer in a medium bowl, whip heavy whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla extract until liquid mixture becomes light, stiff, and fluffy. Refrigerate whipped cream until ready to serve. Hint: Keeping the cream cold is key, if it becomes too warm the cream won’t get light and fluffy
- In a mixing bowl, whisk eggs, half & half, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, orange zest, and brown sugar. Pour into a 13×9 glass pyrex baking dish or another flat container with edges, like an edged baking sheet.
- Lay each slice of bread one by one in the dish and dip both sides in egg mixture. Let those soak while you heat a large skillet on medium-low, melt enough butter for a thin layer to cover the bottom of the pan.
- Fry each side of soaked bread until golden brown *about 3-5 minutes.
- Top French toast with whipped cream, fruit, and immediately serve with maple syrup on the side.
Enjoy!
With love,
Ashley Jo
yay!