I’ve been on this challah kick lately that I don’t think is going to end anytime soon. Challah is the perfect sandwich bread. It's soft, with a little bit of a crust. The grilled cheese sandwiches are magnificent. But my favorite part of the recipe is the stress relieving component of making challah. Maybe it’s the kneading by hand for 10 consecutive minutes or when the directions say “punch” that just resonates with me right now. The world is a mess and I am coping the best I can.
After the stress relief (read: violence), my next favorite part of making challah is obviously the abundance of design choices. So many braids, so little time. I'm partial to the five strand, but I'm always up for the challenge of learning something new. In an effort to practice the shaping, I whipped up another batch of the super secret Challah recipe that my friend Dan gave me. Sorry, I can’t share the recipe, because then I’d owe him royalties for life. Jokes aside, the end result was a ton of challah in the house for no real reason other than I wanted to make it. So I did what any practical girl would do-- I made lots and lots of Challah French Toast. Challah French Toast for days. I am not sure my husband will eat French Toast ever again.
Challah French Toast Tips:
- Use day old challah. Seriously. The first day of a challah loaf is sacred-- you should just be carb loading by eating the challah itself. It's that good. But seriously, on the first day that you make the bread it's too soft to drown in eggs and heavy cream.
- Slice the challah thick, at least 2 inches. Challah itself is pretty sturdy, by slicing it a bit thicker is the right call for the soaking step.
- Don’t measure the “seasoning”. I know some people want specific instructions on how much cinnamon or vanilla to add, but this is entirely up to your tastes. I dialed back on the maple syrup because I didn’t want the french toast to be overly sweet-- a personal preference. There isn’t a right or wrong answer here. Just kidding there is a wrong answer: don’t use too much salt. You’ll regret that. Otherwise, the sky's the limit.
- We aren't dipping the challah into the egg. We are soaking the challah into the egg mixture. This is so important and so easy.
I could write 3 more paragraphs extolling the virtues Challah French Toast. Guarantee that this Challah French Toast is the best Challah French Toast recipe in the history of Challah French Toast Recipes. Or I could regale you with some family tale of lore relating to Challah French Toast. That third one is impossible because I don't think this southern girl even knew what Challah was until college. So now that I've written the phrase "Challah French Toast" at least five times, the SEO gods, might accept this word offering and deliver this webpage to the top of the google search. But anyway, here is the recipe for Challah French Toast 🙂
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Challah French Toast
Description
An easy french toast recipe that uses leftover challah.
Ingredients
- 1 Challah loaf, sliced into 2 inch thick pieces
- 4 eggs
- ½ cup heavy cream or milk
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Pinch of Salt
- Vanilla Extract
- Maple Syrup
Instructions
- In a large measuring cup whisk together the eggs, heavy cream, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, vanilla extract and maple syrup.
- Pour the egg mixture into the bottom of a 9x13 pan.
- Place the slices of challah into the pan on one side for 5 minutes. Flip the slices of challah and repeat for an additional 5 minutes. There should be very little liquid left in the pan when you’re finished.
- Heat a frying pan over medium high heat. Throw a couple pieces of butter onto the pan to coat the pan. Using a pair of tongs, transfer the challah to the frying pan and cook on each side 2-3 minutes until golden brown.
- Serve immediately, topped with fresh berries, powdered sugar and syrup.
Notes
Feeding A Crowd? Preheat the oven to 200ºF and line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. As the french toast comes out of the frying pan, transfer it to the cookie sheet and keep warm in the oven until you’re ready to serve.
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