apple challah french toast

growing up, i’d never had those weird “french toast sticks” that they served in the school cafeteria or sold in the frozen aisle. but i sure did have plenty of fresh homemade french toast! but instead of drenching ours in syrup, my parents taught us to dip each bite in a bit of granulated sugar and i fell in love! to this day, i cannot resist the delicious crunch of anything sugar-coated.

so now that i’m a lot older and making my own french toast, i like to opt for a variety of better ingredients! i start with really great bread– rarely using store bought, pre-cut loaves, although they still work of course! challah is not only one of my most favorite breads to make, but after a few days, if there are any leftovers, it makes the most amazing french toast! one of my favorite recipes for challah i always go back to is leanne’s ‘lion’s bread original challah’ recipe!

my egg mixture is a simple mix of eggs, milk, cinnamon, and pure vanilla extract.

so far, we’re keeping everything very simple. but if you want to go that extra mile, i HIGHLY suggest whipping up some fresh whipped butter to top your french toast with! i don’t know why i’ve put off doing this for so long, but it really makes a huge difference! you know when you go to a great breakfast spot and they come out with pancakes that have that great scoop of pale whipped butter on top?! somehow, it tastes a bit like very creamy ice cream to me! it’s a game changer! and it’s so quick and easy as well! you just need room temperature butter and a tiny splash of milk!

and because it’s fall, of course i’ve topped these with perfect apple pie filling apples! they’re warm, sweet, and full of spice! let’s get into it!

INGREDIENTS:
makes 6 slices of french toast

for whipped butter:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temp
1 tablespoon milk

for apple topping:
1 medium apple, diced
1 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons brown sugar

for french toast:
6 thick slices of challah bread (or other bread of choice)
5 large eggs
2 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
extra butter for cooking

DIRECTIONS:

in a large bowl, using a stand mixer or electric hand mixer, whip butter on high speed for 3-5 minutes, until pale and slightly fluffy. scrape down the sides of the bowl and add milk. whip on high again, for another 3 minutes. transfer to small bowl, cover, and set aside in the refrigerator.

cut apple into half inch pieces. place apples, butter, cinnamon, and brown sugar in a non stick frying pan over low heat. mix well and stir constantly for about 5-8 minutes, until the apples are tender but not mushy. put cooked apples in a bowl and set aside.

in a large bowl, combine eggs, milk, cinnamon, and vanilla. whisk together well. pre heat your large non stick frypan over low-medium heat. melt a bit of butter on it. dip a slice of bread into the egg mixture, making sure to coat it evenly so it can soak up some of the mixture. immediately place it on the fry pan. if there is space for more slices, repeat this step. after 1-2 minutes, flip to cook the other side, making sure to brown the slices and cook thoroughly.

distribute slices on plates. with a spoon or small ice cream/cookie scoop, place a scoop of the whipped butter on top of the french toast. top with cooked apples and other fruits if you’d like. drizzle with maple syrup and enjoy! OR, try dipping each bite into granulated sugar and tell me which one you love more!!

ENJOY, loves!

Comments are closed.