The best bread for French toast
comes in all sizes and shapes, from the average thick white bread to the more decadent brioche. Basically anything that comes in a loaf or slice can be French Toast-ified. Serious Eats picked their ten favorite breads to use:
1. Croissant: This is the most glorious way to bring day-old croissants back to life. The flaky, buttery layers have all the wonderful qualities of French toast (rich, delicious) without the super heavy starchiness of a thick piece of bread. It's definitely a show-off kind of French toast.
2. Panettone: Otherwise a pretty joyless mass of Italian, fruitcake-like bread in a box, Panettone gets way more exciting when thrown into the skillet. Wow, you really had that in you, Panettone?
3.Brioche: If you're not scared of butter, this is the French toast for you. It's dense, rich, and basically like having bread pudding for breakfast. This is so far from white bread. But wait, there's more! If you really want to get crazy, try deep-frying it and adding foie gras.
4.Challah: The eggy bread is fluffy and slightly rich, but not as crazy as say, the croissant or brioche. Some have called it "The King of French Toast Breads." For a really exciting challah recipe, try this one for Apple Gruyere French Toast.
5. Cinnamon Raisin Bread: When the little raisins toast up, they become even sweeter and softer, and the cinnamon adds a nice spiced kick. Does this one even need syrup? Probably not. Or what if you tried using, wait for it, actual cinnamon buns?!
6. Hot Dog Buns: Hey, if someone can make an ice cream sundae with hot dog buns, they can make French Toast with them. If it's all you have lying around, it does the trick just fine.
7. English Muffins: Whether store-bought or made-from-scratch English muffins, the nooks and crannies become natural syrup receptacles. (A plus.)
8. Plain Ole White Bread: Some call it boring, but it allows you to get all experimental on toppings. One example: cereal coatings. Try this recipe for Cap'n Crunch French Toast, which would be way too intense on non-white bread.
9. Sourdough: If you love sourdough bread, you really love it, and won't fear the tartness in this French toast. But if you're a hater, just stick to the others on the list.
10. Baguette: Thanks to this French loaf's crustiness, it develops a nice crunchy exterior, avoiding the whole soggy factor. Here are some ideas for baking your own baguette.
Photograph / Robyn Lee
