Christmas Morning French Toast (Granola Pain Perdu)

Christmas morning deserves a special breakfast food in celebration.  What I love about this recipe is that most of the prep work can be done the night before so that the cook doesn't have to miss a bit of the fun.
Pain Perdu is French for "lost bread", meaning that if this day old bread didn't get used for something, it would be a loss.  It is also by far the best way to make french toast.

You will need:

4 thick slices of day old bread (French or Challa)
3 eggs
1 cup milk (I use whole)
pinch of salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
0.5 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 Tbs. orange zest
1.5 cups plain granola
3 Tbs. butter
*Pre-heat your oven to 400°

1. Slice your bread 1 inch thick.

2. Mix together the eggs, milk, salt, vanilla, cinnamon, and orange zest in a good pan for soaking the bread.  I used a 13x9 casserole dish. 
3. Let the bread drink in the custard mix for about 5 minutes per side.  In the meanwhile...
4. Heat the pan to med/high and add a tablespoon of butter.  The granola coating is best if somehow ground to a finer crumb.  Sticking it on as-is works too though.  A few pulses in the food processor is all it takes.

5. Sprinkle some granola mix to cover the up-facing sides of the bread, then place the bread granola side down in the hot buttered pan. Granola up the empty upfacing side.

6. Brown both sides for 2 minutes per side.
7. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Move the browned toast to the baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.  Flip them over and bake for about 5 more minutes.
Top with: powdered sugar, or maple syrup, or some yogurt mixed with honey and cinnamon. Merry Christmas!

My Gingerbread House Completed

Merry Christmas!

Sugar Glass for Gingerbread House Windows

This Sugar Glass is part of my gingerbread house series.  Use it to make candy "stained glass" windows for your house to add a bit of unusual beauty. 

You will need:
2 cups sugar
1 cup water
optional food coloring
+ a candy thermometer
*NOTE: This process should ideally take about 20 minutes.  Taking 20 minutes for the sugar to reach 315° will create the correct consistency, not too syrupy and not too brittle.

1.  Stir together sugar and water over medium heat in a small saucepan until dissolved.  Wipe the sugar off of the sides of the pot.  If crystals began to form up the sides, they will spread down into the mixture & cause it to seize.

2.  Once the solution begins to boil, turn up the heat to medium-high.

3.  Place the candy thermometer into the sugar solution and place a lid on top of the pot, slightly ajar because of the thermometer.  This will create a bit of steam to keep crystals from forming on the sides.

4.  If you want to add color, dissolve food coloring in a very small amount of water.  If you are using one color, add it in at about 300° and slightly shake the pot.  If you are adding more than one, or are looking for a marble effect, add it in at the finish, 315°.

5.  Once you've reached 315°, immediately remove from heat and slowly, carefully pour the sugar into the mold as described in Gingerbread House Stained Glass Windows.  The sugar will be very hot for a few minutes.

If you want instructions that are a bit more detailed, check out the "Pie of the Tiger" instructions here.  This lady has some incredible ideas.

*Go back to index*