French Toast with a Twist

Celebrate the end of a long week with brunch at home. French toast is a must for this weekend's breakfast—and you can make the morning treat with our Vanilla Egg Challah or Honey Challah. Here's a recipe to try at home. Enjoy!

Challah French Toast
Adapted from The Shiksa in the Kitchen

Serves 12

12 slices Challah, sliced 1-inch thick (cut larger slices in half)
1 cup lowfat milk
3 eggs
¼ cup flour
1 ripe banana
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
1–2 tablespoons rum, Kahlua or Grand Marnier (optional)
¼ cup unsalted butter

This recipe works best with day-old or slightly stale Challah bread. If your bread is fresh, you can take some of the moisture out by placing the slices on a baking sheet and putting them in a preheated 350° oven for 10 minutes, flipping the slices once halfway through cooking. This will dry the bread out a bit, which will help it soak up the moisture from the milk and egg mixture. Don’t worry if you don’t have time for this step. Fresh bread works too.

In a blender, combine the milk, eggs, flour, banana, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, salt and rum or liqueur (optional). Blend for a few seconds until well mixed. Pour the liquid mixture into a shallow baking dish or pie plate. Soak your slices of Challah in the liquid for about 60 seconds, turning once, until the bread is nicely saturated on both sides. This should be done in batches.

Heat your skillet over medium heat and grease it with 2 tablespoons butter. Fry the toast in two batches of 6 slices each. Let the slices brown nicely on each side for 3–5 minutes. Keep the heat on medium (or a little lower) to make sure the toast cooks through but doesn't burn. When the first batch of toast is cooked, regrease the pan with remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and fry the second batch. 

Plate the French toast and garnish with powdered sugar, using a mesh strainer. Serve Challah French Toast hot with your favorite toppings. Some of our favorites include butter, maple syrup, berries, caramelized bananas or fresh whipped cream.