My kids like baguettes. They simply tear small pieces from the loaf and use it as a snack. Most of time, they can’t consume the whole loaf within a day. I usually throw away the leftover as it would have become as hard as a rock.
I later learned that the hard baguette leftover is the traditional ingredient for French toast, which is called “pain perdu” in French. It means “lost bread”. This goes back to hundreds of years ago, when bread was precious and people tried to use every morsel of bread. They turned leftover bread cuts into a tasty dish. I was amazed when first learned this because, in US, all the French toast you could buy in grocers and order in restaurants are made of brioche or challah slices. They are all sort of square-shaped and soft, if not soggy.
Another interesting aspect of traditional French way of making French toast is milk and egg liquid are into two containers. Bread is first dipped in milk and followed by dipping in egg liquid. Bread slices are not left in milk/egg liquid to soak.
Toast made in this traditional way is chewier. Plus, I don’t have to throw up leftover baguettes.
Traditional French Toast 法式吐司
Equipment
- 12“ frying pan
- 4 or 6-cup containers
Ingredients
- 1 demi French-style baguette
- 1 cup milk
- 2 eggs
- 3 tbsp plain butter
- 3-4 tbsp powdered sugar
Instructions
- Let the demi-baguette age at least overnight
- Cut the baguette into about 5/8" thick slices
- Whisk the egg in one of the containers
- Pour milk into the other container
- Heat the frying pan at medium heat, and add the butter
- Dip bread pieces in the milk (as long as the bread is wet)
- Dip the milk wet/soaked bread into the egg liquid (both sides must be coated)
- Place the bread pieces into the frying pan at medium heat
- Once one side turns golden brown, flip the bread piece over
- When both sides are golden brown, place the bread onto a plate, and sprinkle powdered sugar on the pieces
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