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It's really hard for me to slow down. For better or worse, my brain is always tick-tick-tick going. I don't love silence, and it's hard for me to sit still—characteristics I inevitably picked up from my mom. Growing up she was always out the door before we woke up on the weekends. I never really got to the bottom of where she went or what she did when she left, but even when I was little, I knew that wasn't the type of home I'd have when I was older.
Cut to this French toast, to me at almost 31, to my life in Madrid, and I don't have a home like that. My home is warm and happy—the kind of place where we have French toast together on a lazy Sunday, where we linger in our pajamas for a few hours too many, savoring the fact we've got nothing to do and nowhere to be.
That's certain to change in the years to come. And when it does, this French toast will surely be in rotation. And while we might be rushing out the door to get to a park or find something for the little ones to do, we won't rush through breakfast. We'll French toast on Sundays.
Sunday Morning Challah French Toast
Recipe adapted from the legend herself, Ina Garten
Yields: 6 slices of French toast (a hearty breakfast for 2 in my house)
Ingredients:
1/2 loaf of challah
3 eggs
3/4 cup cream
1 teaspoon honey
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest
1/4 teaspoon salt
Butter & vegetable oil for frying
Instructions:
1. Slice the challah into 6 thick slices, about the height of your index and middle finger stacked on top of each other.
2. Beat together the eggs, cream, honey, vanilla extract, orange zest and salt until well combined, and then pour that mixture in a 9x12 baking dish.
3. Add your sliced bread to the baking dish, and let it sit for 5 minutes. Flip once halfway through to ensure the bread soaks evenly.
4. Meanwhile, heat a healthy chunk of butter and a quick pour of vegetable oil in a large frying pan on medium high.
5. Once bread is done soaking & pan feels warm when your hand rests just above it, cook the toast—3 to 4 minutes on each side. Look for a golden brown, crisp-to-the-touch crust. If it's getting too dark, too fast (and not cooking on the inside) turn heat down.
6. Serve with your choice of toppings. My favorites are warm maple syrup, and a dollop of fresh raspberry jam.