Basic French Toast with Vanilla and Cinnamon

Revive stale bread into something delicious and decadent with this basic French toast recipe that’s flavoured with vanilla and cinnamon.

Transform stale bread into gourmet goodness with this very easy basic French toast recipe.

French toast was one of the first things my daughter learned to cook by herself at around eight years old.

Not only is it easy and delicious, it’s frugal. Don’t waste stale bread – turn it into eggy yumminess.

You don’t need expensive or artisanal breads to make French toast – it’s a great way to jazz up boring old homebrand sliced white as well.

Ingredients

French Toast Toppers

A common way to serve French toast is to make cinnamon sugar by combining about half a cup of sugar with 1-2 tablespoons of cinnamon. Mix well, then dip your cooked French toast in the mix or sprinkle it over the cooked French toast.

If you serve it this way, then leave the cinnamon out of the eggy mixture.

If you prefer to skip the sugar, alternative French toast toppers include

• honey
• maple syrup
• fresh berries
• berry compote
• stewed apple (or caramel apples)
• banana, nuts, and maple syrup
• nutella
• jam
• ricotta and marmalade or strawberries
• peaches and mascarpone
• a drizzle of chocolate sauce and fruit

Or combinations of the above!

How to Make

Start by mixing the egg, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon, if using, in a large bowl or deep plate.

Heat the butter in a frying pan over medium-high heat.

Dip the bread in the egg mixture, and depending on how thick it is and how stale it is, let it sit and soak up some of the egg mixture for a few seconds.

Flip the bread over and coat the other side.

Then straight into the frying pan. Cook until golden, then flip over and cook the other side.

Serve warm, topped with your favourite toppings.

If you’re cooking for more than one, you can keep the French toast warm in a low oven until it’s time to serve.

French Toast Substitutions, Freezing, and Reheating Tips

While it’s a bit hard to substitute eggs in this dish, you can substitute the bread for gluten-free varieties and use dairy-free milk like soy or almond milk if you prefer.

You can freeze cooked French toast by placing the slices on a tray lined with baking paper, then transferring the frozen French toast to a zip-lock bag. Freeze for up to three months.

Reheat from frozen in the air fryer, oven, toaster, or grill/broiler.

Leftover cooked French toast can be kept in the fridge for up to three days and reheated in the same way.