French toast is the ultimate comfort food for breakfast, yet many people avoid preparing it because it frequently turns out soggy and excessively greasy when fried. It might appear straightforward to cook French bread in a frying pan, yet this method often heats too rapidly, potentially burning the exterior while leaving the interior undercooked, preventing proper preparation throughout.
Alternatively, Kristin Hoffman, a trained chef known as Baker Bettie, has revealed her homemade French toast recipe that delivers “perfectly crispy on the outside with a fluffy custard-y inside.” She explained that the recipe is simple to prepare, provided you bake it in the oven rather than frying it.
Kristin said: “The key to perfect pan-baked French toast is a pan heated in the oven. You want to get a sheet pan roaring hot in your heating oven while you prep your other ingredients. This will cause the bottom side of the bread to sear immediately when you put it on the pan.”
Preparing French toast in the oven ensures each side of the bread receives equal heat distribution, resulting in superior texture and reduced greasiness.
Utilising the oven also requires less effort, eliminating the need to flip it or constantly monitor it as you would with a frying pan.
This represents a more straightforward method for creating restaurant-quality French toast without significant fuss, making it ideal for serving large groups when catering for your family.
However, if you fancy French toast seared without a frying pan, you’ll need to either grill the bread or heat a baking tray before cooking it in the oven.
How to make tastier French bread without a frying pan
You will need (for eight servings)
Eight pieces of breadTwo eggs120ml of milkHalf a teaspoon of vanilla extractCooking spray or butter or some oil
Instructions
Firstly, position the shelf rack in the middle of the oven and then place a baking tray on the rack. Preheat the oven to 230C (210C for a fan oven) for at least 20 minutes.
In the meantime, get your French toast ready by combining the eggs, milk, and vanilla extract in a bowl and giving them a good whisk. You can sprinkle in some cinnamon at this point if you like, or if you prefer, you can add the vanilla extract.
Wait until the oven is fully preheated and have your slices of bread and egg mixture at hand.
Take the baking tray out of the oven using an oven glove, then apply a liberal amount of cooking spray. If you prefer, you can smear oil or butter onto the baking tray instead.
Dunk each slice of bread into the egg mixture, ensuring both sides are coated, and then place onto the baking tray. Try to do this swiftly so the bread sizzles as soon as it touches the hot tray.
Once all the bread is on the baking tray, pop it back in the oven. Your French toast should be done between five and eight minutes.
When you retrieve your French toast from the oven, it will be golden brown with perfectly crisp edges while still being soft and fluffy on the inside.
Dining and Cooking