When you get the receipe for French Toast worked out try P B & J French Toast as a variation.
A favorite of kids for sure. Make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and cook it as you cook French Toast.
Yummm....

Overnight French Toast Casserole
1/2 C Butter
12 slices White Bread (something firm - I used Challah Bread - it worked GREAT!)
1 C Brown Sugar
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
5 eggs
1 1/2 c Milk
-Melt margarine in a 9X13 pan
-Mix together brown sugar & cinnamon
-Wisk eggs, milk & vanilla together
-Dip one side of bread in butter turn over
-Layer bottom of pan with half the bread
-Sprinkle half brown sugar mix over the bread
-Layer second half of bread
-Pour egg mixture over all then sprinkle remaining brown sugar
-Cover & refrigerate overnight
-In the morning, cover with tinfoil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes
-Uncover and bake 15 more minutes (should be browned and set)
-Serve with a little syrup..........YUMMY!!

What kind of bread did you use

Yeah, I used fresh white bread, soggy mess, but some was okay. It called for 8 pieces, tossed one, the first one, just fell apart in my hands. I wonder if anyone has every used toasted bread before using it in this type recipe? It surely would hold together better.

This recipe was from Culinary Arts Institute, Chicago, IL, circa 1954. ;-D told ya it was old. ...I have a whole set of these recipe books and there are some really good recipes in there, all probably need adjusting for today's appetites, and waistlines. These had a good flavor, just some were too doughy as I said before. Not cooked on the inside, some.

Thanks, will try another type bread.
OD

Paula Dean has one for baked pecan french toast that is my favorite!! Try her website...
otherwise, I use whole wheat bread and I also put vanilla and cinnamon in my batter.

This sounds really good. I have never tried to bake it before, sounds better than the speed with which you have to cook it in a frying pan. So many things to clean and have ready to doctor it up with. It seems to be the consensus to use vanilla, or cinnamon with it. I do put powdered sugar on top for looks. Will try the cinnamon with what ever recipe I use, next time.
Thanks,
OD

Thanks LT, I rarely have anything as fancy as the bread you talked about, just the two of us here, just keep regular bread on hand, white and wheat. May have to try a different type, and that sounds good, especially if its from Panera, ha, left overs from lunch sometime. I love their little bits of bread that come with sandwiches, like a freebie to take home. Yum.
OD

P B & J French Toast as a variation.

Now that sounds wicked good. Will do just that,
Thanks,
OD

Overnight French Toast Casserole

That sounds like a good one for my sis-in-law to serve her beauty salon on Saturdays, they switch off on bringing something on that day. Too big of breakfast for me and Mom but might be able to adjust for us. Baking sounds so much easier. I will keep this one on hand, printing it out for my recipe box.
Thanks, Ponder,
OD

My simple recipe is just to use 1/4 cup milk for each egg used. I use about 1t vanilla per 4 eggs and just use the sliced wheat bread that we always have on hand.

My simple recipe is just to use 1/4 cup milk for each egg used. I use about 1t vanilla per 4 eggs and just use the sliced wheat bread that we always have on hand.

This sounds right down my alley, 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 t. vanilla, 2 eggs. Can't get much simpler than that. Probably still can get 8 slices coated well? Could get by with probably 6 slices for two of us, if not. Use butter for pan coat, make up the difference with that, for extra liquid, would say, oh...'bout 3 T, you figure? Or added flavor, too. Only I use margarine, not much flavor with that.

I was thinking about the last time I made this breakfast, I think I only used the eggs, scrambled up, with probably a 1/2 c milk, and threw them in the pan, with butter, of course. I wasn't using a recipe that time, and they turned out okay, but this time I just couldn't remember at all how I did it before and referenced the recipe book. I hadn't used any other flavoring except the powdered sugar on top. Guess the syrup was enough flavoring at that time. This morning it was totally over board with the syrup, almost sickly sweet, so need to adjust if I ever use that recipe again, and I noted it in the book. But I'm gonna try some of these others out, and I thank one and all of you for your ideas and recipes.

OD

I usually get at least 2 slices of soft oatmeal bread per one egg of batter. And I only let it soak for maybe 30 seconds at the most on each side.

It seems to be the consensus to use vanilla, or cinnamon with

My simple recipe is just to use 1/4 cup milk for each egg used. I use about 1t vanilla per 4 eggs

You could use this FT method - and then..........WalMart sells a cinnamon swirl bread in their deli/bakery section - it's a firmer bread and the slices are a little thicker.........I've done that before and it was really yummy!!!

Missy, I wasn't going to answer any more recipe hints, tips, or ideas...but when you said you let the bread soak for 30 seconds, I thought, whoa! Thats a long time, to me. I just slap it in there, and quickly turn it over, and out. No waiting at all. Otherwise, I knew it would get really soggy. Correction, feel it would get really soggy. I don't want to come off sounding like I am criticizing you at all.

Thanks for the tip,
OD

So many good suggestions! I think that your old recipe is basicly a good one, but as others have said, leave out the salt- it's not needed and cinnamon or nutmeg really makes the flavor of the french toast. The bread I prefer to use is called Texas Toast. That's not a brand name, it's a loaf of white bread that is extra thick sliced and various brands have it. The chunkier slices hold up better. I don't let the slices soak long at all; just a few seconds on a side to coat and I add more cinnamon to the egg mixture as needed.

Something to keep in mind is the longer you leave the bread soaking in the egg mixture, the "gooshier" it will be. And you're right, that might be too much milk. I kind of just "eyeball" it when I make French toast, but I don't think I use that much milk per 2 eggs. As someone said add cinnamon or nutmeg or cloves or vanilla (Or any combination thereof).

dancing pecan

We don't use a recipe either. I'd say we use about an eighth to a quarter cup of milk per egg. Then we add a good sprinkling of nutmeg.

Now, if you really want to gild the lily, try stuffed french toast.

Take your bread of choice (ours is cinnamon swirl) and spread cream cheese on one side. Sprinkle the cream cheese with a little confectioner's sugar (you could also mix in a little sugar before you spread it on the bread). Next, add a layer of your favorite fruit; strawberry slices, berries, apples or whatever you like. Make sure to leave a margin of cream cheese around the outside edge and then take another piece of bread to put on top. The cheese will keep the two slices stuck together. Then, dip in the egg mixture and cook as usual. Breakfast nirvana. :)

Lol, SG, and how many calories are in that mixture? ha. I don't count calories, should, but don't. I just thought it sounded so ooey, ooey, good, and wondered. Forget I asked, let's not go there. ;-)

HA, definitely best not to ask! ;-)

I agree with the previous posts. Don't let the bread soak. It'll tear up. DOn't add salt, but add vanilla and cinnamon. Yummy. Now gotta try that PB&J!!! sounds sinfully delicious!!!

I make french toast with a croissant filled with cream cheese and preserves or chocolate spread. Mmm good.

Mmmmmmmm... need to try croissants, now!!

Definitely need a yummy! button on this board =o)

FWIW, I prefer to use stale bread for French Toast (FT), simply because it "soaks" less and coats the slices better. Any-who, that's what my mom taught me.

If I have only fresh bread I'll set enough individual slices out on a couple of paper towels, to dry while I prepare the stove, pan and batter. I find I get better FT with stale bread and only a little milk, say a 1/4-1/3 C. to 4 or 5 Lg. eggs*, enough for 12+ slices of FT: drop-turn-throw in pan. (*Mom's school of measure: about "that much" :p)

A camp/college chef, with whom I used to work, also taught me to use clarified butter on the griddle, and to dust a little cinnamon/sugar mixture on the FT while cooking. :-D Working with him, we cooked then for ~400 folx but IMHO, frying pans work just fine for the family.

Off topic and with no apologies: I prefer my FT (and pancakes) with real Maple Syrup. "Brown-&-Sticky" (Mrs. B's/Log Cabin, et c.) just don't cut the muster with me. Lacking real Maple Syrup, then jam, jelly or marmalade substitutes nicely. Failing all that, then just plain with butter -- and butter is what margarine wants to be -- but ain't... ;)

Guess what's for b-fast tomorrow? And I think we have "potato bread" in the 'frige, too. YUM!

Who's going shortly to set a 1/2 loaf of bread out on the side board. YMMV,
Connfederate

sounds good too!!! Now I'm hungry again!!!

FWIW, I prefer to use stale bread for French Toast (FT), simply because it "soaks" less and coats the slices better. Any-who, that's what my mom taught me.

Now, that is what I was asking about using toast instead of fresh bread. Just seems like it would soak up better but not become soggy. Just toast the bread in the toaster lightly and you are good to go. Wouldn't take long for only two of us.

I love the pure Maple Syrup, but it is a treat to get it, since it is more costly. Have added fresh strawberries, or bananas on top of the FT before, but never thought about using jam, or jelly. Will try that next time.

Good tips there Confederate, thanks.
OD

Applesauce, either cold with enough lemon juice to give it a lemony flavour, or warmed with cinnamon added, is nice on French Toast as well. :)

dp

but when you said you let the bread soak for 30 seconds, I thought, whoa! Thats a long time, to me. I just slap it in there, and quickly turn it over, and out. No waiting at all. Otherwise, I knew it would get really soggy. Correction, feel it would get really soggy.

It must be all in the bread then. I just had to make some french toast yesterday for breakfast since all the talk about it. I don't use a recipe, but I did pay more attention to what I was doing, and I probably let the bread soak on each side for maybe more like 15 seconds or so. I use a soft oatmeal type bread though. Not as soft as regular white bread. Mine comes out kind of like a bread pudding like french toast, but it's still in sliced form. Hard to describe. And I cook low and slow so it cooks all the way through and doesn't burn outside. I use butter in the pan. Maybe I'll just have to write down what I do so I can be more efficient at explaining.

I have thought about PB&J sandwiches done up like French Toast all weekend and I don't have any eggs or milk. I just went to the grocery store yesterday, so I guess I'll have to stop again today!! Gotta have one!

Yesterday at a restaurant I had cinnamon roll French Toast. It was an actual cinnamon roll cut in half and then dipped and fried like french Toast. it was very Tasty!!!!

~Aurora

Applesauce, good call! :-D

Connfederate

You guys are killin me! ;0(

Camp Fire Lady
who is on a diet *poo*