I love French bread. Since a fresh loaf stales so quickly, French toast is always a great idea. It’s all good though, because French toast is delicious.
In France, the dish is called “pain perdu,” which means “lost bread.” It’s thought however, that this dish could date back to the Roman empire, and called “aliter dulcia”, translating as “another sweet dish”.
There are lots of things you can do with stale bread (make bread crumbs, an egg strata – in fact I have a whole section in my book about it). French toast is an easy thing to keep on your “don’t waste the bread” rotation.
This simple recipe is easily adaptable no matter how many people you have to feed, and how much stale bread you have. I used a traditional baguette, but stale sliced bread works too. You can also use a whole grain bread. The key is to be sure the bread soaks up the egg. If your bread is dense or very stale, you may need to add another egg or a bit more milk.
Some French toast recipes add sugar, I prefer not to simply because I do add ample pure maple syrup when I serve it. Top it with any type of fresh fruit you enjoy. Bon Appetit!
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This recipe only takes about 15 minutes to prep. The dish should be refrigerated for at least 30 minutes, or overnight. You can double, triple or quadruple it, and it can be prepped the night before for a crowd, then baked in the morning. Enjoy!
Servings 2 servings Author Rosanne Rust MS RDN, www.rustnutrition.com cooking spray or 1/2 teaspoon butter or oil3 slices stale bread or about 1 cup of cubed stale bread, or several small baguette pieces2 large eggs1/4 cup fat free or 1% milk1/2 tsp ground cinnamon1/4 tsp vanilla extractfresh berries, sliced bananas, or cooked apples or pears optionalPreheat oven to 350F
Spray a baking dish with cooking spray, or grease lightly with butter.
Layer your bread into the baking dish.
Beat 2 eggs, milk, vanilla and cinnamon in a small bowl.
Pour the egg mixture over the bread in the baking dish. Turn each piece over to ensure it is covered in egg (if bread is extra stale, you might need to add one more egg with a enough milk to soak the bread). Sprinkle the top with additional cinnamon if desired.
Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until eggs are set, and bread is lightly browned.
Cut into 2 portions and serve with fresh or canned fruit.
