savoury french toast

use a good crusty savoury day old bread

crunchy outside with a soft and chewy inside

I bought this day old "three cheese" loaf of bread (50% off!) from the grocery store and thought it would be awesome for making a breakfast bake (which is a savoury bread pudding) - but then I thought why not try savoury french toast?  I've always thought of french toast as sweet, cinnamon-y and topped with fruit...but last weekend I made french toast for visiting friends and one girl put salt and pepper on hers instead of syrup!  That's how she grew up eating french toast I guess!  That inspired me to create a savoury french toast recipe.  The oats & bacon give it a tasty crunchy outside, while the middle is soft and chewy from the bread and eggs.  

Hills, this one's for you;)

what you need:

*serves 2-3, depending on hunger level 

• 6 thick slices of day old bread (preferable not pre-sliced, and something savoury like a garlic or three cheese country loaf)
• 3 large eggs
• 3 tbsp milk
• 1 tbsp srirracha
• 3 strips of bacon (I like the taste and consistency of schneiders naturals) *omit bacon for vegetarian option*
• 1 green onion
• 1/3 cup coarse grated parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup rolled oats (not the quick cooking kind)
• salt and pepper
• butter for frying

what to do:

1. Cook bacon until crispy and pat dry on a paper towel.
2. Thinly slice green onion (if you just washed it, make sure you dry it first with a paper towel).  Crumble bacon into a shallow dish and add sliced onions, rolled oats, grated cheese.  Toss to mix evenly.
3. Crack eggs into a shallow dish that will fit your pieces of bread.  Whisk in milk, srirracha, and add freshly ground pepper and a pinch or two of salt.
4. Place slices of bread in the egg mixture and allow it to sit for about 1 minute on both sides to soak up egg mix.  Next, place it into the oat mixture and press gently to make sure it sticks to the bread.
5. In a non-stick pan on medium heat, melt 1 tsp of butter.  Fry up french toast until golden brown on both sides, and then cover with a lid for 1-2 minutes to make sure the middle is cooked through.
6. Serve hot and enjoy!  I actually liked it with a little bit of maple syrup (sweet & savoury combo) - Ryan ate it with more srirracha!

dinner tonight!

cinnamon apple french toast

weekend breakfast treat

Last Saturday Ryan made this for breakfast and it definitely hit the spot.  You can use any fruit to substitute the apples but the tartness of a granny smith with the sweetness of brown sugar works really well.


what you need:
*serves 2

• 4 thick cut slices of bakery multigrain bread (or cinnamon raisin for a sweeter treat)
• 2 large eggs
• splash of milk
• 2 granny smith apples, peeled and cut into bite-size cubes
• ~1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• butter (for cooking)
• icing sugar (optional)

what to do:

1. In a small saucepan on medium heat, melt butter and brown sugar together, then add apples, cinnamon and salt.  Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, reducing apples to soften slightly and create a sauce.
2. In a shallow bowl, beat eggs with milk.  
3. In a non-stick pan on medium, add a small amount of butter.  Dip sliced bread into egg mixture, allowing absorption of the eggs.  Place into pan and cook both sides until browned.
4. Serve with apple mixture on top of french toast and dust with icing sugar.  Enjoy!