Grandma Joeyanns Famous French Toast Recipes

GRANDMA RE'S BAGUETTE FRENCH TOAST CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Butter a 9x13-inch baking pan. Place baguette slices into the bottom of the prepared pan.
• Combine half-and-half, milk, eggs, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl. Pour over bread slices, cover the baking pan, and store in the refrigerator, 8 hours to overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Uncover pan. Combine brown sugar, pecans, margarine, and corn syrup in a bowl and spoon over bread mixture, making sure to touch each slice.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean, about 40 minutes.

THE BEST FRENCH TOAST

Steps:

• In a shallow dish, whisk together the first 7 ingredients. Preheat a greased griddle over medium heat., Dip bread in egg mixture, letting it soak 5 seconds on each side. Cook on griddle until golden brown on both sides. Serve with toppings as desired.

THE BEST FRENCH TOAST I'VE EVER MADE

Steps:

• Choose your bread. If you like very thick french toast (you should try it at least once!), find a local bakery and get yourself a loaf of challah or brioche bread (buy a day-old loaf if they have it.) I don't like using French bread or the regular loaves you find in the deli at the grocery store; the crusts turn out too chewy. You want a nice soft edge. If you can't get to a bakery, head to the grocery store and buy the thickest and softest white bread you can find. (3/4 inch or thicker.) Texas toast is great. I like to use the Artesano brand of bread; they sell a pre-sliced brioche loaf that is pretty legit. But their white bread is also nice and soft. See photos.
• Slice your bread with a serrated knife if you are working with a whole loaf. See photos. I like my slices to be about 1 and 1/4 inch thick, which feels a little ridiculous, but trust me. You can even go up to 2 inches if you're feeling wild. Don't slice thinner than 3/4 inch.
• Set your bread aside, spread out so that it gets a little dried out. Day old bread is great for French toast. In France, they call this dish "Lost Bread" because it's what you make when you have dried out bread to use up. (I experimented with toasting the bread first, but thought it dried out the finished product too much.)
• Make the egg mixture. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl,* whisk together 3 egg yolks, 1 and 1/2 cups heavy cream* or half & half, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon vanilla, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and a pinch of nutmeg, if you like. Whisk until it is completely smooth and the cinnamon is well incorporated.
• Pour the mixture into a shallow dish like a pie plate, or an 8x8 inch pan. Place a slice of bread in the mixture and let it sit there for 10 to 20 seconds. How long you soak it depends on how thick your bread is. It should be soft when you touch it, but still hold itself together. Flip the bread and soak the other side. You can start cooking the French toast right away, or you can place the soaked bread on a baking sheet or plate while you finish soaking all of them.
• Cook the French toast: Heat an electric griddle or large 12 inch skillet over medium low heat. When it is hot, add 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (or any oil with a high smoke point.) Swirl it around until the pan is coated. Place the French toast on the pan with 1 to 2 inches in between each slice of bread. Cook on medium low heat for 3-5 minutes. The timing depends on your oven or griddle, so stick around and keep an eye on it.
• Caramelize. When the bottom of the first side is LIGHT brown (we are going to cook this side twice), sprinkle about a half tablespoon granulated sugar on the top (raw) side of the bread. Flip the toast, sugar side down, and fry until golden brown, about 2 minutes. (Be sure to swirl the pan so oil re-coats it, or add more butter/oil if necessary). Then, sprinkle another half tablespoon of sugar on the cooked side, and flip it over again so that it lightly caramelizes the first side.
• Keep your toast warm. Preheat your oven to the "keep warm" setting, about 170 degrees F. As you finish frying the toast, transfer each one to a wire cooling rack set over a baking sheet. Keep toast warm in the oven until ready to serve.
• I honestly don't even put maple syrup on caramelized French toast. I feel like it doesn't really need it, plus it makes the caramel edge not as crunchy. I like to eat it plain, or with a little jam. But maple syrup is really delicious if you are in the mood! A sprinkle of powdered sugar and a berry garnish never hurt either.
• Keep leftovers stored covered in the fridge. It will keep for 3-5 days. You can reheat leftovers in the microwave or the toaster. Or heat your oven to 350 and heat the toast all together on a wire rack set over a baking sheet, until the toast is warmed, about 5-10 minutes.

GRANDMA JOEYANN'S FRENCH TOAST SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Heat griddle to medium-high heat.
• Melt 1 tsp. butter on griddle. Beat eggs, milk and vanilla in small bowl until blended. Dip 6 bread slices into egg mixture, coating 1 side of bread only. Place on griddle, egg side down.
• Top each bread slice with 1 cheese slice and 1 ham slice. Dip remaining bread slices in egg mixture, coating 1 side of bread only. Place on top of ham slices, egg side up.
• Cook until browned. Carefully turn over, adding more butter as needed. Cook to brown second side. Remove from griddle; top with jam. Sprinkle with powdered sugar just before serving.

FRENCH TOAST

Steps:

• Whisk together eggs, milk, sugar, and salt (as well as the optional vanilla extract and cinnamon, if using) in a medium shallow bowl until the mixture is fluffy and light in color.
• Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working with one bread slice at a time, soak the bread in the egg mixture for 3 to 4 seconds per side. Don't let the slices sit too long; they will turn soggy and fall apart.
• Once butter is melted and bubbling, add 3 soaked bread slices to hot pan and cook until golden brown, or about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. (There may be some spots that do not brown; that's normal.)
• Flip each slice, and cook until gold brown, or about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Repeat with remaining butter and egg-soaked bread. Serve hot with toppings of choice.

FRENCH TOAST

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar and set aside briefly.
• In a 10-inch or 12-inch skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk together cinnamon mixture, eggs, milk, and vanilla and pour into a shallow container such as a pie plate. Dip bread in egg mixture. Fry slices until golden brown, then flip to cook the other side. Serve with syrup.

GRANDMA JOEYANN'S FAMOUS FRENCH TOAST

Steps:

• Combine eggs, milk and vanilla extract and beat extremely well. Heat approximately 1/2 in of oil to medium high heat. Dip only one side of two slices of bread in egg mixture, lay in hot oil, dipped side down. Quickly put a slice of Swiss cheese on each bread, then ham, then another slice of cheese. Dip only one side of 2 more slices of bread in egg mixture and put dry side down on top of cheese.
• Lift carefully with spatula checking to see if bread is evenly browned. If toasted slightly dark brown then very! very! carefully turn over each sandwich and toast that side.
• Put finished sandwiches on paper towel to drain excess oil off. Repeat process till all are done being kept warm in oven. Put each sandwich on individual serving plates and spread a thin amount of blackberry jam on top. Sprinkle with a little white powdered sugar and serve.

GRANDMA'S PEACH FRENCH TOAST

Steps:

• In a saucepan, stir together the brown sugar, butter and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Pour the brown sugar mixture into a 9x13 inch baking dish, and tilt the dish to cover the entire bottom. Place peaches in a layer over the sugar coating, then top with slices of French bread. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and vanilla. Slowly pour over the bread slices to coat evenly. Sprinkle cinnamon over the top. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
• Remove the dish from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before baking to come to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the bread is golden brown. Spoon out portions to serve.

GRANDMA'S EASY FRENCH TOAST

Steps:

• Mix all ingredients together.
• Heat skillet, butter it.
• Quickly coat bread with mixture and place on skillet.
• Cook until lightly brown on each side.
• Serve with maple syrup and butter!
• Enjoy!

GRANDMA'S FRENCH TOAST

Steps:

• Mix eggs, nutmeg, vanilla, sugar, salt, and milk if using, together.
• Spray Pam, or butter, a skillet.
• Dip bread into egg mixture quickly to coat so it does not absorb too much egg.
• Put on skillet and cook until lightly brown; flip.
• Brown on other side.