Golden brown challah french toast is a big treat in the mornings. This rich, dense bread makes the BEST french toast and perfectly soaks up a spiced and slightly sweetened custard.
116-oz loafslightly stale challah breadcut into ¾" slices
6large eggs
1 ¼cupmilk
2tablespoonmaple syrup
2tablespoonorange marmaladeoptional (see note)
1teaspoonground cinnamon
¾teaspoonvanilla extract
Pinchsalt
To cook:
1tablespoonbutter
1tablespoonneutral-tasting, high-heat oilsuch as vegetable or canola
To serve:
Powdered sugar
Maple syrup
Butter
Instructions
Cut challah loaf into ¾-inch thick slices.
Add eggs, milk, maple syrup, orange marmalade (or zest/juice), cinnamon, vanilla extract, and pinch of salt to a large baking dish. Whisk to combine the ingredients evenly.
Add butter and oil to a large skillet set over medium heat. Working in batches, add as many slices of challah that will fit in your skillet at once to the custard dish, letting them soak for 1-2 minutes per side. Once soaked, lift slices up with a spatula and hold them over the dish to allow excess custard to drip back in. Then transfer slices in a single layer to the hot skillet, leaving a little bit of space between slices.
Cook for 2-3 minutes per side, or until the exterior is a deep golden-brown and has crisped up. Keep an eye on the temperature. If you notice the slices cooking a little fast, reduce the heat to medium-low.
Continue for the remaining slices, adding additional butter/oil to the skillet between batches as needed. Serve warm with powdered sugar, maple syrup, butter, fruit, etc.
Notes
Ingredient NotesChallah: There should yield around twelve slices in a standard-sized challah loaf.Milk: You can sub in a small part of cream or half-and-half for some of the milk to make this french toast even richer. I like to use one cup milk and one-quarter cup cream when I have cream on hand. Orange Marmalade: If you don't have orange marmalade, you can use the zest and juice of one orange.Cooking Fat: You can use all butter if you prefer for cooking your french toast, just keep an extra close eye on the stovetop temperature. Butter has a lower smoke point than many oils like vegetable and canola, and can lead to a slightly smoky/excessively browned french toast situation. I like a blend of butter and neutral cooking oil to hedge against burning.Recipe Tips
Be sure not to leave the challah slices soaking for too long as this can lead to sogginess.
Try not to cram challah slices into the pan when you're cooking them. Each slice needs room to cook evenly along the bottom of the pan.
As written this recipe produces a fair amount of french toast slices. It can pretty easily be halved for a smaller crowd or if you'd prefer not to have leftovers.
Nutritional information is provided as an estimate. As it can vary due to many factors (brands used, quantities, etc.), we cannot guarantee its accuracy.