How to Make French Toast (the BEST Recipe!) - Oh Sweet Basil (2024)

This recipe is your Classic French toastwith a surprising ingredient in the batter. You’ll never do French toast any other way after making this recipe!

Easy French Toast Recipe

A long time ago, I was a little 7- or maybe 8-year-old and my uncle came to visit. My dad’s brother was super into his convertible and we all loved to hop in and go for rides with the top down. He was so cool.

One day we were sitting around for breakfast and my mom made french toast. Uncle Richard reached for the homemade maple syrup, hesitated, and then switched to the homemade raspberry syrup and drizzled it all over the french toast quickly followed by powdered sugar. I was shocked. That much sugar on french toast and Mom didn’t say a word!

I kept my eyes on my mom, stretched my skinny little arm out and snagged the powdered sugar. I was already halfway through my french toast but I sprinkled the heck out of the powdered sugar on my breakfast. It was so good!!!

Now I still will add a dusting here or there, but I don’t cover the whole thing like I used to. It’s so funny how much people influence our eating habits. Years later, I was sitting at the kitchen counter at a friend’s house and his mom offered me french toast (yes, please!!!) but she added cheese to her’s.

Whhhhaaaaatt?

I felt that turn in my stomach immediately, this isn’t right. Cheese in scrambled eggs, cheese on a breakfast sandwich, but not cheese on french toast. Save that for a grilled cheese at lunch, folks.

So obviously I had to try it. There’s no choice, you tell me your family has a tradition and I’m totally game on trying it. My mind couldn’t wrap around the idea of cheesy french toast at the age of 20, but taking that first bite sold me. It didn’t matter if it seemed all wrong, I was in.

Now, I didn’t photograph it that way because I’ve never been able to remember if the cheese was inside or outside and I’m a weirdo about doing things right, but I will tell you this, it started my love of sweet and salty!

French Toast Ingredients

It is likely that you have all the ingredients you need to make this classic french toast recipe in your fridge already, including that surprise ingredient. This recipe is simple, here is what you will need:

• Egg
• Whole Milk
• Vanilla Extract
• Cinnamon (optional)
• Nutmeg (optional)
• Granulated Sugar
• All-Purpose Flour
• Salt

Simple, right?! I love a recipe I can make with a moment’s notice and not have to worry about having all the ingredients! I’d definitely make a side of delicious crispy bacon to go with it! The measurements for all the ingredients can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.

What’s the Best Bread for French Toast?

You could use a decent white sandwich bread, and this will be delicious. But if you really want to do it right, go with brioche or challah.Texas toast will also work great too!

If you’re a sourdough bread fan, it is also a great option! The contrasting tang of sourdough is a yummy flavor twist!

Why Add Flour to the Batter?

The surprising ingredient I mentioned earlier is flour. Adding flour to the batter thickens it just slightly so you won’t even notice it, but it keeps the French toast from being just fried egg on bread. It makes a perfectly crispy crust on the bread.

How to Make the BEST French Toast

Here are the basics steps to learning how to make french toast. Trust us, it’s easy!

1. Whisk the batter thoroughly until it is totally smooth with no separation
2. Pour the batter into a shallow dish like a casserole dish or a pie plate. It allows the bread to get coated easily.
3. Completely preheat the griddle to medium before adding the French toast. The French toast will cook fast – about a minute on each side.
4. Butter the griddle before cooking your first round of bread.
5. Dip each slice of bread into the batter one at a time and allow the bread to soak in the batter for 15-20 second on each side.

Can I Make This Recipe Dairy-Free?

This homemade french toast recipe can easily be made dairy-free be substituting the milk with either coconut milk or almond milk. The batter will be a little different consistency, but it will still be super tasty! Then coat the griddle with something other than butter — coconut oil or a cooking spray works great.

How to Keep French Toast Warm

Cook the french toast as directed in the instructions and then store it on a baking sheet in the oven that is set to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. That will keep it nice and warm until you are ready to serve it.

Can French Toast be Frozen?

Yes! French toast makes a great freezer breakfast because it reheats well and quickly! To freeze French toast, cook it as directed and then allow it to cool completely on a wire cooling rack.

Once it has cooled, place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. You can stack a few layers of French toast on top of each other as long as you separate each layer with parchment paper. Place the baking sheet into the freezer until the French toast is solid. Store the French toast in freezer bags for up to 1 – 2 months.

How Do I Reheat French Toast?

There are three ways to reheat French toast. They all work great. It just depends on how much time you have.

• Toaster:pop them in a toaster just like a piece of toast, the outside gets nice and toasty again.
• Oven:place the French toast in a single layer on a baking sheet and warm them up in the oven at 300 degrees for 5-7 minutes.
• Microwave:zap them in the microwave for about a minute, the outside won’t be crispy.

Can French Toast Be Made Ahead?

Like I mentioned above, French toast can be completely made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for a few days or frozen and then reheated.

If you want the French toast to be made fresh, you can make the batter up to 2 days ahead of time and then dip and cook the French toast hot and fresh.

Our Favorite French Toast Toppings

There are so many ways to dress up a stack of simple french toast. Homemade syrups, diced fruit, powdered sugar, you name it! Here are some of our favorite french toast toppings besides plain maple syrup and butter:

• Buttermilk Syrup
• Coconut Buttermilk Syrup
• Meyer Lemon Syrup
• Buttermilk Maple Syrup
• Peanut Butter Maple Syrup
• Creamy Marionberry Syrup
• Peanut Butter
• Mini Chocolate Chips
• Coconut Flakes
• Chopped Nuts like Pecans or Walnuts
• Fresh Fruit like Strawberries, Raspberries, Blueberries, Sliced Bananas, etc.
• Cinnamon Sugar

Tips for the Best French Toast Recipe

When dredging the bread slices in the French toast batter, be sure to let it sit for a good 10 to 15 seconds on each side so it has time to really soak up the egg mixture. Don’t let them soak too long though. You don’t want soggy French toast, but you do want the middle of the French toast to have a custard like texture when it cooks.

Note that the cinnamon and nutmeg in the french toast batter are optional, but highly recommended! They give this homemade french toast a wonderful flavor without overwhelming the dish.

Before cooking the classic french toast, flick a few droplets of water onto your griddle or pan to make sure it’s nice and hot. If the water doesn’t immediately sizzle and steam off, you need to wait a few more minutes otherwise your french toast won’t turn golden brown while it cooks.

Watch the Video Below to See All the Steps…

Your search for how to make French toast ends here! This is the best batter, with the best kind of bread, with all the tips for how to cook it to perfection! Cover these babies in our sensational buttermilk syrup, and you’ll be in breakfast heaven! Who wants to join me for breakfast?!

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