Such a simple breakfast idea, french toast. Did you know that the ancient Romans used a recipe that sounds very much like our french toast? They had a dish they called pan dulcis. That means “sweet pan”. They took some bread, soaked it in milk, and then cooked it in oil. Sometimes they added an egg to the mixture.
Although french toast is criticized as a too sweet breakfast I think it is wholesome compared to other breakfast foods. It all depends on what you use for your ingredients and I think you should prepare a healthy protein with the breakfast.
Of course, that is how you make the basic mixture for french toast today. Here is the recipe my mother taught to me as a child:
- 2 Pieces of Bread
- 1 Egg
- 1 Half-cup of Milk
- 2 Tablespoons of Butter
- 1 Pinch of Salt
- Honey
- Cinnamon
- Powdered sugar
Begin by mixing the egg and the milk in a bowl. You can use a whole egg or two egg whites. I prefer a whole egg. You should not worry about eating the egg yolks because science research shows that eggs are very healthy for you and not harmful at all. The idea that you should not eat eggs’ yolks was always very wrong and now science has explained why.
Once you have mixed the egg and the milk add the pinch of salt. My mother added salt to almost everything but this is an option you need not choose.
Now, soak the first piece of bread in the milk and egg mixture until it is thoroughly saturated.
Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a small pan. Mother used an iron skillet but I prefer a non-stick sautee pan myself. I used the anodized kind with a hard rubber spatula.
Place the first piece of bread in the pan and heat it until it is golden brown on one side. Then turn it over and cook it on the other side.
Meanwhile, take the other piece of bread and soak up the remaining mixture in the bowl. When the first piece of bread is finished toasting place it on a warm plate and cook the second piece of bread.
If you choose to you can place another dab of butter on the first slice of french toast. When the second piece of toast is finished place it on top of the first.
Now sprinkle the top bread with powdered sugar and cinnamon.
Finally, pour a little bit of honey over the bread and enjoy!
Of course, some people will choose maple syrup instead of honey. I recommend you use only Grade B maple syrup, the real kind not the fructose syrup.
For a different taste in your french toast, try adding a blueberry preserves or blueberry compote instead of the honey or syrup. If you have blueberry honey or blueberry syrup you can mix a little with the preserves or compote. I find this is a very delicious way to serve the french toast.
If you don’t like the way butter remains hard when you spread it on the toast you can put some butter into a little syrup or butter dish and warm it in the microwave for a few seconds. Be sure the dish is microwave safe! I love to pour warm melted butter on my french toast and pancakes!
I recommend adding a little more protein to the breakfast. To me, french toast goes very well with most sausage. Read this story on the healthy benefits of sausage! Okay, processed meats are not very healthy but the doctors say you can eat a little bit of it. You should really try a good sausage with your french toast.
I prefer a multigrain bread for my french toast but when I was a kid I liked the white bread better. Oat bran and barley bread are good low glycemic choices for people who need to control their blood sugar. If you do have a blood sugar problem you should not eat the sausage because it can exacerbate other conditions associated with diabetes. In that case I think maybe cooking two eggs in addition to the french toast should provide you with enough protein to start your day right.
This is a very delicious way to enjoy breakfast and it is not as unhealthy as it might seem. Both honey and real maple syrup have some healthy benefits, especially honey. They are also better for your health than the fructose syrups.