Pain perdu aka French toast is the classic of all classics. It’s buttery brioche bread dipped into incredibly rich cinnamon eggy goodness! This dish is delicious for any time of day…
What does Pain Perdu Mean?
This French phrase literally translates to English as French toast. Sometimes things look more appealing in French and pain perdu is definitely a part of that list (in our opinion).
Lets Talk Bread
We used June Xie recipe from Delish to make this incredibly buttery bread, but the shape is completely different. To make the circular bread try baking in the Vertical baking pan available for purchase at Amazon. One alternative would be to use a large BPA-free can, but keep in mind lines will appear on your bread.
Making Pain Perdu
Making French toast in general is pretty straight forward. What makes some dishes stand out from others are the ingredients (bread and the liquid mixture). The key component to this dish is a kicker eggy mixture (similar to a Crème anglaise). We highly suggest using day old brioche or challah bread. Below is a step-by-step on how to make pain perdu the Dulcet way.
- Combine egg yolks, whole eggs, heavy cream, whole milk, sugar, vanilla bean paste, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and nutmeg into a shallow pan. (This mixture is the key to a luscious custard French toast).
- Cut the brioche or challah bread into 3/4 inch thick slices.
- Preheat the oven to 225 degrees F.
- Place the sliced bread in the mixture, allow to soak for at least 2 minutes per side. (Push down on the bread if necessary. Add more time if necessary you want the bread saturated, but not soggy).
- Heat the butter and oil into a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the pan begins to sizzle and foam it’s go time! Carefully lift the bread slices out of the custard mixture. (This will create a crispy exterior for the French toast). Letting the excess drip back into the shallow pan.
- Cook in the skillet until golden brown and the center springs back when pressed. Approximately 2-3 minutes per side.
- Transfer the cooked French toast to an oven rack to keep hot until ready to serve.
- Continue cooking the remaining slices of bread with butter and oil.
Interested in more breakfast recipes? Check out the links below:
- Raspberry Pinwheels
- GF Oatmeal Blueberry Pancakes
- Egg & Bacon Tarts
- Quick French Toast
- Fluffy Waffles
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Vanilla Cinnamon Pain Perdu
Ingredients
- 4 Large egg yolks
- 2 Large eggs
- 1 cup Whole milk
- 1 cup Heavy cream
- pinch of salt
- ½ cup Granulated sugar
- 2 tsp Vanilla bean paste
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp Nutmeg
- 2 tsp Ground cinnamon
- 6 Bread slices cut ¾ inch thick
- 4 tbsp. Unsalted butter
- 4 tbsp. Neutral oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 225 degrees F.
- In a shallow pan combine the eggs, heavy cream, sugar, whole milk, vanilla extract, vanilla bean paste, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a pinch of salt. Whisk well.
- Cut the brioche or challah bread into 3/4 inch thick slices. Place the sliced bread in the mixture, allow to soak for at least 2 minutes per side. (Push down on the bread if necessary. Add more time if needed. The bread should be saturated, but not soggy).
- Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of oil into a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the pan begins to sizzle and foam it's go time!
- Carefully lift the bread slices out of the custard mixture. Letting the excess drip back into the shallow pan. Cook in the skillet until golden brown and the center springs back when pressed. Approximately 2-3 minutes per side.
- Transfer the cooked pain perdu to the oven until ready to serve.
- Continue cooking the remaining slices of bread with butter and oil. Serve hot.