By: Merritt Allen

French toast is one of those weekend treats that my mom would always make around the holiday season. It always felt like a treat to have a sweet battered slice of bread that is covered in maple syrup and powdered sugar for breakfast!

To make my French toast even more of a treat, I use leftover challah bread to make French toast. Challah bread is also something I also make a lot during the holiday season and it seemed like a natural step thing to make French toast out of the leftovers since Challah bread is already a sweeter bread recipe.

I love this challah bread French toast recipe because the Challah bread is smaller, making the sliced of French toast the perfect size! I season the egg and milk mixture for this French toast with cinnamon and nutmeg, along with almond extract. The flavors are sweet, warm, and so delicious! I hope you give this recipe for easy French toast using challah bread!

Common Questions For French Toast with Challah Bread?

What is French Toast?

• French toast is bread dipped into an egg and milk mixture that usually contains spices or other seasonings and is then cooked on the skillet in butter!

• Other names you may hear for French toast are Eggy Bread, German Toast, or French- Fried Bread.

Can I Use Fresh Challah Bread?

• This recipe use my small batch challah bread recipe as the challah bread base for the French Toast. You can definitely make fresh challah bread and use that!

• You can also use any type of bread you want for French toast. Just be aware that the softer the bread, the more egg and milk it will soak up! You will also want to look for a bread that does not have too make holes in the crumb as that will not hold the egg and milk mixture as well either. That is why I love the Challah Bread! It is light, but not too soft. Let me know what kind of bread you substitute in!

• My recommendation is to sub the water called for in the Challah bread recipe with whole milk! This will make it taste more like a brioche loaf due to the extra fat and it will be so good!

What is Most Common Mistake When Making French Toast?

• A common mistake when making French toast is adding too much milk to the egg mixture. You want your egg and milk for French toast to be light yellow with a ratio of 1/4 cup of milk to 1 egg. I like more egg than milk and do a ratio of 3 TBS to 1 egg. Let me know how you like it in the comments below!

• Another mistake when making French toast is flipping the toast too early when cooking. You want to see light browning around the edges before you flip, this way you do not flip and have soggy egg mixture that is uncooked. If you flip too early, don’t worry! Just flip the toast a coupe of times to really get a good toast on the bread.

What Toppings Can I Put On French Toast?

• French Toast tastes really good topped with maple syrup and powdered sugar. I love it with just maple syrup, since the flavors of maple syrup and cinnamon go so well together!

• Another topping for french toast is salted butter, because who does not love sweet and salty?? If you only have unsalted butter, make sure to add a pinch of salt!

• Try reducing some fruit and adding it to your French Toast! My favorite toppings include reduced pears, fresh apples, or berries. All fruit tastes great with crushed pecans or walnuts and adds a lot of texture to this breakfast. Let me know what you add in the comments below!

Challah Vs Brioche:

• Challah vs Brioche is often confused. Both Challah bread and Brioche bread are enriched dough breads that taste fantastic. Challah bread is usually made without milk since it is not a traditional ingredient.

• For this french toast recipe, if you are not too worried about keeping the Challah bread recipe traditional, I suggest making the challah bread with milk to that it becomes more a brioche type french toast.

Ingredients For Challah Bread French Toast

Directions For Challah Bread French Toast:

1. Prepare the Curd For The French Toast

   1. In a bowl crack and whisk the eggs. If you challah bread is larger, closer to the size of a piece of sandwich bread, assumer 1 egg for every 2 slices. If your challah bread was a little smaller, assumer 1 egg for 3 slices. This French toast recipe is easy to scale. Using the ratio of milk to egg described below you can even just start with one if you are not sure how many slices you want to make.

   2. Add in the milk and whisk to combine. You can assume 3-4 Tbs of milk per every egg. This is about 1/4 cup milk for every egg. If you are using more or less eggs, adjust the amount of milk accordingly.

   3. Add in the extras! Cinnamon, maple syrup, a pinch of salt, and almond extract. You can also add vanilla or other spices like nutmeg if you prefer.

2. Quick Soak the Bread and Cook The French Toast

   1. Over medium heat, add 1-2 Tbs of butter of a skillet.

   2. Dunk each side of the challah bread slices into your egg mixture. Allow the bread to soak for a few seconds to gather enough of the curd. You want each piece to be well covered but not soggy.

   3. Once the butter is melted and bubbling, add the soaked bread to the skillet. You should hear a little sizzle when you add the bread to the skillet. Allow room to flip, by not overcrowding the pan with too many pieces of bread at once. I recommend not soaking the bread until you are ready to put it on the skillet to avoid it being soggy.

   4. Allow the bread to cook until you see the eggs is cooked around the edges, about 1 minute depending on how hot your skillet is.

   5. Flip and allow the other side to cook. The cooked side should be nice and golden! You sprinkle cinnamon on for extra flavor at this step.

   6. Continue to soak and cook each slice until you have the desired number of pieces. Add more butter between rounds if you need.

   7. Remove the French toast to a plate and serve with maple syrup and powdered sugar! You can try out any of the toppings listed above as well!