Rustic French Toast Recipe for a Cozy Wood Stove Breakfast
Baking French toast on a wood stove is a rustic culinary experience that infuses the dish with a cozy, campfire aroma. The crackling flames impart a subtle smokiness to the bread, while the gentle heat ensures a golden, caramelized crust. Each slice emerges warm and inviting, with a perfect balance of fluffy interior and crisp exterior, inviting you to savor the comforting flavors of cinnamon, vanilla, and maple syrup.
My kids love French Toast, so I always try to bake an extra (sourdough or brioche) bread we can then magically turn into French Toast.
You don't need a wood stove to make yourself a stack of crispy-on-the-outside, soft-in-the-middle French toast! Just eggs, milk, bread — and don't forget the maple syrup to pour over top! I’ve made a batch of Maple cream, absolutely delightful and we since then use less maple syrup - win win
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How to Make French Toast
French toast is very easy: whisk together eggs and milk, add thick slices of bread for a quick soak, then fry them up in a hot buttered pan.
This recipe uses just a few basic ingredients you likely have in the kitchen already. Bonus: French toast freezes incredibly well, so make a big batch of easy breakfasts during the week.
The Best Bread for French Toast
Any soft, thick bread will work for making French toast. Go for challahor brioche if you're feeling decadent, or keep it simple with white sandwich bread or Texas toast. Rustic country loaves or crusty sourdough loaves can also be used, but will tend to be chewier.
Regardless of which bread you choose, cut it into thick slices if possible. This will give you the best ratio of crispy outsides to creamy middles. If your bread is pre-sliced, use what you have — the french toast will still be great.
Classically, French toast is made with stale bread that's been sitting on the counter for a few days. If you only have fresh bread, lay slices on a baking sheet and place it in the oven at 275 F for about 10 minutes, or until the center is dry.
Fresh bread can also be used, but won't soak up the milk-egg mixture quite as well and can sometimes fall apart during cooking.
Why Stale Bread is Best for French Toast
Using dry, stale bread is key to avoiding soggy French toast. Fresh bread already has a good deal of moisture, but the drier a bread is, the more room it has to soak up the egg custard — like a sponge, although we still have this problem using our Brioche, but the taste is amazing so nobody complained.
Ways to Top Your French Toast
Keep It Classic: A sprinkle of cinnamon, a dash of powdered sugar, and a drizzle of maple syrup
Go Nuts: Sprinkle with toasted and chopped pecans, walnuts, or almonds.
Fruit-tastic: Blueberries, raspberries, sliced strawberries, or any other fresh, seasonal fruit can go on top of French toast. I always try to have some canned compote, saving money and time.
Swap the Maple: Instead of maple syrup, try honey, date syrup, boiled cider - this one really surprised me!
Ingredients
4 large eggs
1 cup milk (whole or 2%)
1 dash salt
1 teaspoon sugar, optional
2 tablespoons butter, for the pan
8 to 10 slices bread, preferably stale or day-old bread
Steps to Make It
Gather the ingredients.
Break the eggs into a wide, shallow bowl or plate and beat them lightly with a fork or whisk.
Stir the milk, sugar and salt into the beaten eggs
Coat a skillet or griddle with a thin layer of butter. Place over medium-low heat.
Place the bread slices, one at a time into the bowl. Let the bread soak up the egg mixture for a few seconds and then carefully turn to coat the other side. (Coat only as many slices you will be cooking at one time, this to prevent soggy French Toast)
Transfer the egg-coated bread slices to the hot skillet or griddle. Heat slowly until the bottom is golden brown. Turn and brown the other side. Exact cooking time depends on thickness of your bread.
Serve French Toast hot with Butter and syrup, or your preferred toppings, Enjoy!!
Vegan French Toast!
Would you like to eat more plant based, or don’t have eggs on hand? Don’t worry, French Toast is easy to make plant based:
Ingredients
▢ 1 cup unsweetened soy milk (or other non-dairy milk)
▢ 1/4 cup cornstarch
▢ 1 teaspoon ground flaxseeds ( I don’t always use these)
▢ 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
▢ 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
▢ 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla
▢ 6-8 slices thick sliced quality bread, such as ciabatta or french, we love Challah/ Brioche
▢ 2-3 tablespoons vegan butter or coconut oil for frying
▢ For serving: maple syrup, powdered sugar, or fresh fruit
Instructions
In a shallow bowl, wide enough to hold a piece of bread, whisk together the soy milk, cornstarch, ground flaxseeds, baking powder, cinnamon, maple syrup and vanilla.
Add a little bit of vegan butter/coconut oil to a pan over medium-high heat and melt. Whisk the batter again right before dipping bread, as the cornstarch will settle to the bottom of the bowl.
Dip each side of the bread in the batter and let soak for about 10 seconds, then add the bread to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Add more vegan butter/oil to the pan as needed in between pieces of bread.
Serve with maple syrup, powdered sugar and fresh fruit, if desired.
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