French toast is a great way of using up stale leftover bread. In this Buttermilk French Toast recipe, thick slices of bread are dipped in a buttermilk egg mixture and griddled or fried to golden perfection.
The buttermilk permeates the bread with a soft, creamy flavour and subtle tang that partners perfectly with honey or maple syrup. Apart from the added dimension of flavour, the viscosity of buttermilk is much higher than that of milk, leading to a thicker dipping mixture.
To turn this classic into a breakfast of champions, top with some apple slices, nuts and raisins and drizzle with some warm syrup or honey.
CHEF’S TIPS
- Use stale bread: Stale bread just absorbs the buttermilk-egg mixture better without leaving the bread soggy. Fresh bread WILL turn out soggy and likely fall apart.
- Use good bread and thick slices: The type of bread you use for French Toast needs to be quite sturdy, allowing it to hold its shape even after being soaked in the egg mixture. Brioche, French loaf, and challah are all excellent choices. However, a traditional loaf of bread will just do fine. Furthermore, when you slice the bread, the slices should be thick to absorb enough of the mixture to be flavourful, soft and moist.
- Soak the slices for 30-40 seconds per side: Place onto a wire rack, allowing them to rest for an additional five minutes. This is crucial to excellent buttermilk French toast. By allowing the slices to rest, it allows the egg mixture to soak through into the centre, leaving a uniformly soaked slice.
Buttermilk French Toast
Delicious French Toast with a unique buttermilk taste twist.
Ingredients
- 8 slices stale bread white or brown
- 250 ml buttermilk
- 1 large egg
- 4 tbsp nuts and raisins of your choice chopped
- Butter
- Salt to taste
- Olive oil
- 2 Apples
- Fresh greens for garnishing
- 150 ml Honey or syrup (warmed)
Instructions
- Whisk together the buttermilk, egg and salt.
- Bring a lightly oiled griddle or skillet to medium-high heat.
- Dunk each slice of bread in the egg mixture, soaking both sides. Place in the griddle/ skillet and fry on both sides until golden.
- Set aside and keep warm, continue until all the bread is done.
- Slice the apples in halves, slice thinly and place on top of toast.
- Add the chopped nuts and raisins.
- Garnish with the greens.
- Just before serving, add the desired amount of warm honey or syrup.
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